In Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert Advantage, Grant challenges the outdated view of the highly extroverted salesperson as the key to success. According to Grant's study, where he examined call centers, the true sales stars are not the loudest or most outgoing, but rather ambiverts—those who possess a balance of introverted and extroverted traits.
The Myth of Extraversion in Sales
For many years, extroverted individuals have been seen as the true salespeople. Their social skills, confidence, and energy are considered natural ingredients for success. Extroverts easily engage customers, persuade with confidence, and have the stamina needed to close deals. It makes sense: the life of the party should also be the best at selling, right? However, research by Grant and others shows that this is not the case. While extroverts often thrive in dynamic, high-energy environments, their enthusiasm can sometimes obscure a...
Ambiverted personalities stand out
Ambiverts, on the other hand, perfectly balance customer interactions. They know when to step back, listen actively, and build a genuine connection with the customer. At the same time, they can confidently step forward when the situation calls for it, lead the conversation, and persuade with authority. This adaptability allows ambiverts to adjust their approach based on the customer's needs, combining empathy with persuasion in a way that builds trust and leads to success. Grant's research, along with other studies, shows that the best salespeople are those who can smoothly switch between listening and leading. Ambiverts' ability to adapt makes them skilled at navigating complex customer relationships, often outperforming both extroverted and introverted colleagues.
What can we learn from this in terms of training and recruiting salespeople?
Looking at the chart, we can see that highly extroverted salespeople achieve roughly the same results as introverted salespeople. And this is actually good news for many salespeople! Most people naturally fall somewhere in the middle of the scale. Grant suggests that organizations can benefit from training highly extroverted salespeople alongside their more introverted colleagues, so they can learn to adopt some of the quieter, more reserved traits of their introverted peers.
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