Introvert Success — Helping Introverts Achieve Success in Selling

Can You Believe This?

by Tom on January 17, 2012

Do you think you would buy anything from the salesperson described in this online ad:

Are you willing to do anything to make a sale? Do you want to be in on the ground floor with a company that plans to make sure no one looks at google the same way again? Or, do you want sit at home and watch another episode of The View? If the latter applies to you do not even bother reading the rest of the ad we DON’T want you! Can you sell a car to your own bed ridden grandma, or maybe siding to your own neighbors in your apartment building? If that is you then we want you. If you can prove to us you can make the sales we need in 3-4 days you have found a new job! Preference will be made to anyone who has SEM, PPC, Facebook, SEO sales experience. Email your resume & references to us. Salary and wage to be determined when and if your hired!

No wonder sales has a bad reputation. Just remember, there is always a place for the introvert salesperson using the right script for their personality.

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Use the Best Selling Strategies for Your Personality Type

by Tom on August 16, 2011

I have had some folks come up to me and say how much they hate salespeople and they are glad I wrote a book about how obnoxious they find salesmen. They think I would agree because of the title of my book and how it speaks to those without natural selling skills.

No. No. No.

My point is that if you have a job where you need to sell products, ideas, services or anything else to other people, the best way to do it is by being yourself and using your personality to be successful. If you are an introvert as I am, then you can use some of the strategies I outline for introverts. If you are an extrovert and a “natural people person” that’s great too. Use your personality to its utmost. And some of my selling tips are useful in doing so.

I think anyone can be successful if they work hard, know themselves, and use appropriate strategies. Just because a person is an extrovert doesn’t make them a good salesperson anymore than being an introvert means they can never sell.

I was reminded of this not too long ago when I heard from a salesperson that had worked with me previously. He is an instinctive people person, never having a problem picking up the phone or talking to a stranger. But he always is a natural. He doesn’t speak from an internal script. He likes people, gets to know them and shows a real empathy for others. But I don’t begrudge him his personality. I think it is great and he is successful as a result.

In fact, I think the stereotype of the obnoxious salesperson is tied more to individuals trying to not be themselves than it is to their natural personalities. Both an extrovert and an introvert might try too hard to portray themselves as something they are not.

So my basic message is “Use what you got” and don’t try to be something else.

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How this introvert kept a customer happy when everything went wrong.

by Tom on May 16, 2011

“Tom, we have a problem.” It was the voice of my best customer. He was standing in an empty warehouse, surrounded by metal racks and wire shelving(oru product) that didn’t fit the racks. Over $100,000 worth of wire shelving that didn’t fit the racks and was probably useless.

My customer was surprisingly calm considering his customer, the warehouse owner, was standing next to him when he made the call. My voice may have sounded calm, but inside I my stomach was churning. I made a quick trip to the warehouse to size up the situation and begin thinking about a solution. My boss was with me and her serene countenance helped keep us focused on fixing the problem rather than on the amount of money involved.

What made this situation even more difficult was that we had a product drawing approved by our customer. If we wanted, we could have said, “Sorry, you signed off on it and it is yours.” Instead, we thought of the big picture and the future orders we would be losing if we took a “you signed off, it’s yours” position.

We finally figured out a solution that involved making additional supports for our decks at a cost of $15,000 or so. Our customer would bear the cost of installing the supports, also about $15,000. But in order to show both our customer and the warehouse owner how this solution would work, I had to drive from Portland to Vancouver, BC to pick up a part air freighted from China overnight. It was a 6 hour dirve each way, but I wasn’t going to let my customer down.

I drove to Vancouver on Sunday and had the new part ready for a meeting Monday morning. We showed our solution to the warehouse owner and received approval to move ahead with production. Our customer was very happy and his customer was also happy. As a result, we continued to get business from this customer and, in fact, saw a marked increase in purchases from his company.

This story reinforces the introvert trait of laser-like focus on customer service. A slick sales pitch can get a sale but a commitment to the customer on a long-term basis can build business that will continue for many years.

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Selling Silver Sol On-Line

by Tom on March 11, 2011

I just wanted to make a quick post about my new venture, Silver Sol Geeks. My friend and tech whiz Jim Knox and I are putting our marketing, sales and technical expertise into the site Silver Sol Geeks to provide access to a wonderful new product, Silver Sol. It kills bacteria, virus and fungus, and is the closest thing to a miracle I’ve found. The manufacturer has done a great number of studies and research projects to prove that it is not only safe but helpful in treating a great number of maladies. Take a look soon. Thanks.