The Death Of The ‘Personality’ Salesperson?

By Andy Preston | General Sales Tips

Feb 24

Is this market the death of the ‘Personality’ Salesperson?

As we move into “Phase 2″ of what I named the ‘Corona Economy” – the buying environment created by the pandemic (and the lasting effects of it on buying/purchasing behavour from prospects and clients) has this market ‘killed’ the Personality Salesperson?

It’s a name/phrase I created, so what do I mean by “Personality Salesperson?’ Here are some indicators…..

  • They sell mainly based on their ‘Personality’ (hence their name!)
  • They believe that ‘everyone loves them’
  • They rely mainly on existing ‘relationships’ to get business
  • Those relationships are mainly social (through drinks/sport etc)
  • They can’t wait until things go back to ‘normal/face-to-face’
  • They find excuses not to do prospecting
  • They see little/’no point’ in selling Digitally/Remotely
  • The find excuses or blame everything but themselves for low performance
  • They have their ‘own way’ of doing things and refuse to adapt/improve/upskill themselves

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything inherently disasterous in all the traits described above, nor that any one person will be guilty of ALL of them.

But if you recognise any parts of the above in yourself or your team, that’s an indicator that at least PART of the way you/they sell is based on personality. That’s good to be aware of as you read the rest of this……

So the question is, will this market (and the upcoming Phase 3) kill them off do you think?

There are a number of changes that they will need to adjust to in the market they are coming back to…..

  • Difficult to get face-to-face (even when it’s allowed, a good number of people won’t want to do it for a long time yet, depending on your market)
  • May also be challenging to get together in larger groups (asking everyone out for drinks will get more ‘refusals’ than normal for example)
  • Companies will be tighter on ‘expenses’ after the pandemic than previous – so more difficult to get ‘social’ expenses through
  • Large number of their contacts will have changed responsibilities/jobs/companies so their influence on buying decisions/organisations will have changed
  • New generation of buyers/decision makers entering the business environment that are influenced differently than previous
  • More difficult to justify ‘social’ activities for business, when other colleagues are overstretched and under pressure.
  • Companies focus on reducing/eliminating sponsorship/hospitality spend as they focus on retaining cash/profitability in their business after a tough period (for most, not all, but most)
  • Digital Selling reduces (or removes) the impact of personality/rapport/handshakes etc
  • Buying process has changed – decisions will be scruitinised more carefully, and more buying influence points will be involved – reducing the impact of ‘personality’

The above changes make it difficult for ANY salesperson in this market, let alone anyone who relies solely/mainly selling on personality!

So, do you think this market (Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Corona Economy) will be the ‘death’ of the Personality Salesperson that most people have seen around in sales for years? Is it the final nail in their coffin?

Or do you think they will ‘live on’ but just struggle a bit for the next few years?

Would you hire a ‘Personality Salesperson’ in this market?….

Andy Preston
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Andy Preston

Sales Motivational Speaker and Sales Trainer at Andy Preston
Andy Preston is a top International Sales Motivational Speaker, Sales Influencer and Master Sales Trainer.

Named as one of the World's Top Sales Gurus, Andy creates 'Stand Out Salespeople' worldwide, with his revolutionary 'Stand Out Selling' Sales System. 'Stand Out Selling' helps salespeople stand out from their competition, win more business, and do so at higher prices!

Previously a trained Professional Buyer, then the Top Salesperson in the UK, Andy Preston has now trained more than 130,000 Salespeople, in more than 40 countries, on 6 continents, since 2004!

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