What Type of Salesperson are You?

Written By: Karen Deis, Publisher

According to the popular book, "Discover Your Sales Strengths" by Benson Smith & Tony Rutigliano, there is NO right or wrong way to sell. The important thing is to discover your selling style and use it to its best advantage.

In this editorial, I paraphrased the 34 sales strengths that Smith has outlined in his book. However, I encourage you to buy the book. (Purchase this book from Amazon.com now!)

You don’t even have to read the whole book, but on page 76 he provides you with a website where you can take a quick sales assessment test which will provide you with your top 5 strengths. On the inside cover of the book, you will find a special access code which allows you to log on to the website and take the test.

Achiever - You start every day at zero and by the end of the day, must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself.

Activator - You are impatient for action - once you have made a decision, you must act upon it and worry about the details later.

Adaptability - You don't see the future as a fixed destination but a place that you get to create choices out of what's happening now. You are a very flexible person going with the flow.

Analytical - You challenge people to "prove it to me". You like data because it's "value-free" and you want to understand how certain things work so you can explain it to others.

Arranger - When faced with complex situations, you analyze them and figure out the best way to get things done.

Belief - You have certain "core values" that cause you to be family oriented, altruistic, spiritual - with high ethics - both with yourself and others.

Command - You are known to "take charge" and you have no fear of imposing your view on others. You face up to problems and know that you have the right solutions.

Communication - You like to explain things, speak in public and write. You bring ideas to life with stories and make them vivid so other people can understand.

Competition - You are aware of other people's performances as compared to yours - which becomes the ultimate yardstick of your goals.

Connectedness - Things happen for a reason and somehow we are all a part of a larger life force. It helps explain mysterious life events and happenings.

Context - You look back to history to understand the present - how something started and how it has evolved into what it is now. Understanding a person's background gives you a better understanding of how you can help them.

Deliberative - You are careful and vigilant and a fairly serious person who approaches life with a certain reserve.

Developer - You see potential in others and everything you do is a work in progress.

Discipline - You see the world as orderly and planned and you self-impose structure into your business and life. You set up systems and routines and focus on deadlines.

Empathy - You can sense emotions around you and intuitively see the world thru their eyes.

Fairness - Balance is important to you and you treat each person the same, no matter what their station in life.

Focus - You need a clear destination so every day, every week, every year, you set goals for yourself and feel frustration if you don't meet them.

Futuristic - The future fascinates you and you see in detail, what the future might hold for you and your clients.

Harmony - You seek to hold conflict to a minimum and with a group of people, you try to find common ground.

Ideation - You are fascinated by an idea and dissect complicated ideas and simplify them for yourself and others.

Includer - You want to include people and make them feel part of the group.

Individualization - You instinctively observe each person's style, how they think and what their individual strengths are.

Input - You collect information, words, facts, and books because it keeps your mind fresh and the data may prove valuable to you or your clients one day.

Intellection - You like to think - think about how to solve a problem, develop an idea, or understand other people's feelings.

Learner - You are drawn to the process of learning and the outcome of learning is less significant than the "getting there".

Maximizer - Transforming something "strong" into something "excellent" thrills you and you want to spend time with people who are as discriminating as you are.

Positivity - You are generous with praise, always on the look out for the positive situation. People want to be around you because of you, your energy and optimism.

Relator - You are pulled towards people you already know and deliberatly try to deepen relationships with a certain circle of friends and clients.

Responsibility - You take ownership of anything you commit to and if for some reason you cannot deliver, you look for ways to make it up to the person.

Restorative - You love to solve problems and enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms; what's wrong and finding the solution.

Self-Assurance - It's deeper than "self-confidence" because you not only have the confidence in your abilities but your judgment as well. No one sees the solution like you do.

Significance - You want to be recognized, be heard, stand out, be known and appreciated for your strengths.

Strategic - You have the ability to sort thru the clutter and find the best solutions by instinct. You see solutions where other people see complexity.

Woo - WOO stands for "Winning Others Over". You enjoy the challenge of meeting other people and getting them to like you. You rarely are at a loss for words and enjoy meeting strangers.

You may see a little of yourself in most of the 34 traits, however, the test provides you with your 5 most dominate strengths. You may not even recognize your 5 strengths because they are second nature to you and you don't even think about it being an asset.

There is no one strength that is better than the other. By recognizing what your traits are, it will give you a better understanding of your niche market, the types of clients you connect with, and it will save you time (and frustration) in trying to work with clients who you will NEVER be able to relate to.

I encourage you to take the test and learn a little more about your sales strengths!

My Top 5 Strengths: Strategic, Maximizer, Relator, Self Assurance, Competition.

Regards ~

Karen Deis

Copyright, 2004, LoanOfficerMagazine.com