One of the biggest barriers professionals have in developing their selling skills is that they simply don’t see themselves as salespeople. Many carry round negative sterotypes of salespeople – but even when they don’t, their image of a successful rainmaker is of a charismatic extrovert with highly developed social skills.
Not fitting this model themselves, they often fear that they don’t have what it takes to sell effectively. This mental block can prevent them from taking some simple steps to improve their sales capabilities.
Jim Wigg of Epicurean Associates presented a seminar on “Empathy Selling” at a recent pro-manchester meeting. The seminar looked at different Empathy Styles – and how each style had different sales related strengths.
The advantage of this model over other psychometric assesments is that it doesn’t focus eccessively on one particular type being the “natural salesperson”. By highlighting the sales strengths of each type, it allowed the professionals attending to see how they could grow their sales capabilities without having to have a “personality transplant” and adopt an extroverted style that simply wasn’t them.
By breaking down that initial barrier and helping them see that there are multiple ways to succeed in selling, and that you don’t have to fit a particular sterotype personality or style; they were freed up to think about how they could improve.
Jim’s an engaging and knowledgeable presenter. If you get the chance to attend one of his seminars I recommend you take it up.
You can take a simple “empathy styles” questionnaire on Jim’s site here
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