Extroverts make up the vast majority of sales people. They have an easier time building relationships, enjoy face to face conversations and networking in buzzing rooms of decision makers.
Could this generalisation be turned on its head with the advent of Internet Selling and honestly, do sales people need to be good at these specific skills any more?
Internet Selling
Internet Selling involves becoming an expert in your field and then building an online platform to build rapport with your customers. You want them to buy from you personally, rather than from the company you work for.
This is powerful because prospects can find and approach you because of your expert status, which means more warm leads and easier closes. Additionally you control the communication with your customers which means you can take them with you to your next job rather than having to start with zero customers after each move.
The statistics suggest that over 1 million sales people will lose their jobs in the next 5 years [1] because B2B customers have moved into the digital age and research products and services online. By moving to Internet Selling, B2B sales people can take advantage of this move too.
Goodbye field sales
Companies recognise this shift are reducing their numbers of field sales and increasing the amount of inside sales reps. They close and communicate with prospects primarily through email and over the phone. This type of selling heavily favours introverts because it relies on the sales person doing research on the prospect and then communicating on non face to face platforms.
Charming
Charm and charisma are seemingly becoming less important vs the ability to effectively communicate online as well. They were potentially the biggest advantages that an extroverted sales person could leverage over an introvert in person.
With the trends of Internet Selling and inside sales continuing to push forward as most markets become truly global and dispersed it begs me to question if the time of the extroverted, cocky, red blooded sales person is over.
