Types of sales representatives
There are different types of salespeople. Salespeople can help customers find the right tool, service, product or experience. There are many approaches to sales, and different personalities can close sales in different ways.
1. Liabilities
Passive salespeople tend to play the waiting game. They rely on the right customer to introduce themselves, ideally one who already knows what they want, and then guide that customer through the transactional phase.
While passive sales types aren’t likely to pursue every prospect, they can succeed in the right setting. While chasing new business isn’t a strength for the passive salesperson, she can be the right fit for a savvy customer who’s ready to commit.
2. Opener
If you’re an opener, you have a lot of prospects. You put a lot of effort into reaching customers, sending e-mails, making phone calls and giving presentations. You could improve your sales practices by using follow-up techniques to recontact the potential customer.
In this way, you can get the customer thinking about your product after the initial contact and make their purchase more likely. You can also delegate the tasks that follow to one of your colleagues who is more at ease in the follow-up phases.
3. Closer
If you’re a closer, you work hard to close every business interaction with a sale. You’ re goal-oriented.
You can improve by constantly listening to the customer’s needs and recognizing exactly what they require. By valuing customer priorities, you can build longer-term relationships with customers.
4. Sociable
When your sales style is sociable, you look for situations where you meet new people and establish new relationships, both expected and unexpected. A local chamber of commerce meeting or an industry happy hour is an excellent opportunity to meet new customers.
As a people person, you can work well as part of a sales team, where you can take charge of establishing new relationships that others can nurture into relationships. If you work alone, remember that networking is a great way to start a relationship, but it’s the follow-up messages that turn those connections into sales.
5. Hunter
The “hunter” type of salesperson is very results-oriented and has a single goal in mind: making sales. They are motivated to sell and will pursue a customer using their powers of persuasion to seal the deal. These salespeople are enthusiastic and dedicated to expanding their customer portfolio. Patience may not be a hunter’s strength; however, they may not have to wait long for a sale because of their ability to effectively lead the sales process.
