In the early days of my company Crystal, the adaptive selling platform, we got some data about what makes a successful salesperson.

The data showed exactly the opposite of what I expected.

When looking at it through the lens of the DISC personality assessment, people tend to think of sales reps as being really high in D and I: dominance and influence. And it’s true. If you look at the hundreds of thousands of sales reps who have completed assessments in Crystal, you will see that this applies to the overwhelming majority of them.

The funny thing was, when we did a study to find out what makes a successful salesperson, it was actually the S types: the ones who are steady.

There’s definitely some bias built into that, because S types are not the natural sales persona. S types who choose to pursue sales are probably just more skilled than the people who are always told, “You should be in sales because you’re charismatic.” If somebody who doesn’t have a typical sales personality is in sales, you know they’re there for a reason.

What I also get from that is, sales is far more about listening than it is about speaking. So someone who has a natural bent towards listening and empathy may also have the makings of a successful sales rep.
Sales Success with Adaptive Selling

Being able to effectively listen to customer needs and then turn that into a solution, as opposed to just being really good at presenting or pitching, is a real asset based on where sales is going today.

I’m a huge proponent of adaptive selling, a behavior-based approach that empowers salespeople to tailor their messages and processes to meet the individual needs and preferences of each buyer. You’re not solely relying on the natural charisma of the salesperson, and you’re not beholden to a rigid process, either.

Instead, you’re recognizing that every prospect is unique and has their own preferred ways of communicating, and those preferences inform your approach within the guidelines of an established framework.

To be a successful salesperson, you should treat people how you’d want to be treated and communicate with them how they’d like to be communicated with.