Psycho-social Profile of Successful Salespeople

Different salespeople can have different personalities. The salespeople orientation is divided into four sections horizontally indicating Communications Orientation (in speaking with others) from Reticent to Passive to Assertive to Aggressive, as defined below:

1. 

   Erik Mickelson presents the Rising Star Award to his sales rep, Christy

   Reticent: Reticent types of salespeople are quiet, relatively uncommunicative verbally and non­verbally, speak only when they are spoken to.

2. Passive: Passive types of salespeople are quiet but not comatose; will communicate adequately when something or someone interests him/her; often yielding or Submissive when challenged or confronted
3. Assertive: Assertive types of salespeople are eager to communicate one’s thoughts or to prove a point; nonetheless a good listener who knows when it’s his/her turn to speak again and does speak when
4. Aggressive: Aggressive types of salespeople are very poor listener; always on the offensive, bold, energetic, and at times generates alienation. They only speak their way and do not listen others.

 Assertive kind of salespeople are best to hire and they can lead your business to new heights.

The salespeople orientation is further divided by Emotional Orientation vis-a-vis Customers (and people in general) by empathy and egocentrism, defined as:

1. Empathetic: Empathetic kind of salespeople understands where someone is coming from; able to psychologically put himself/herself in the other guy’s shoes so that they can understand their perspective as well; they are efficiently able to relate to the person, thing, or events.
2. Egocentric: Egocentric kind of salespeople relates to stimuli as it affects him/her personally; they perceives that there is no need to relate to the feelings of others except as an opportunity of benefit from the situation or individual; has little no need to walk in the other guy’s shoes and would have difficulty doing so because his feet –and often his bead and his mouth — are too big.

 Empathetic salespeople are best to hire as they build a great relation with the customers and customers love to get back to them for new orders.