Beer Styles – Sales Styles (Ale part 1 of 2)

Over the years I’ve heard lots of different analogies about salespeople and their styles:

• Most of us have heard Hunters vs. Farmers
• "Finders, minders and grinders." was used by Ray Silverstein, a writer for Entrepreneur magazine
• Andy Miller of Exponential Grown defines ‘Dominants, Influencers, Steady Relaters, and Cautious Thinkers”
• LIMRA International breaks it into “Dynamic, Analytic, and Interpersonal”
• Blair Singer even wrote a book on Sales Dogs using dog breeds as the comparison.

Why NOT beer styles as salesperson styles?

As we get started, please remember at UpYourTeleSales, LLC we do not advocate SWI, Selling While Intoxicated! Or selling under the influence for that matter. Wait until you’ve logged out for the day before indulging in your favorite brew.

Ale vs. Lager

In sales and in beer, there is a top level distinction between types of salespeople.

Ale; is distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast, performed at warmer temperatures; fruitiness and esters are often part of an ale's character.

That tastes like... Relationship Selling to me!

The art of forming a bond between you and the prospect. It isn’t just about the warm and fuzzy, it is about belief that working together is mutually beneficial.

Relationship selling is more about looking at where you are and moving through the steps of a buyer / seller relationship to build trust.

So that the buyer looks to the salesperson as a resource – a part of their team.

There is an art to brewing a tasty ale, and to being a relationship salesperson!

Here are 6 Ale styles

that relationship salespeople enjoy the taste of:

Stout: Trusted Companion

As mysterious as they look, stouts are typically dark brown to pitch black in color. With a huge roasted flavor that can range from burnt to coffee to chocolate.

As a salesperson the Stout will always be there, full of support and looking out for the customer’s best interest.

Stout salespeople come in all shapes and sizes so don’t be fooled by the name, their one unifying characteristic is that customers get more than they expect.

IPA: Ally

First brewed in England as export for troops in India during the late 1700s. To withstand the voyage IPAs were tweaked. They boasted a higher alcohol content and well-hopped, as hops are a natural preservative.

Here for the long term, the IPA salesperson will be with the customer all along the journey (even if it takes as long as the trip from England around the Cape of Good hope to India).

They are a steady fixture that can be relied upon for good advice and always are looking to preserve the strength of the business relationship.

Scottish Ale: Confidant

The Scottish style of ales break down into Light, Heavy and Export. Scottish Ales traditionally go through a long boil in the kettle for a caramelization of the wort. This produces a deep copper to brown in colored brew and a higher level of unfermentable sugars which create a rich mouthfeel and malty flavors and aromas. Overall hop character is low, light floral or herbal, allowing its signature malt profile to be the highlight. Smoky characters are also common.

Trust is the 1st word the Scottish Ale salesperson‘s customer will use as a description. The customer feels comfortable telling them the whole story without worrying that some part of the information will be used against them in a negotiation.

The Scottish Ale builds that trust by being one of the best listeners you will ever meet. Like the best bartenders, the prospect feels better after each conversation – believing that everything will turn out ok in the end.

They are willing to wait for the fires to heat up and the kettle to boil on any situation, that way the?prospect is choosing to do business with them and never feels like they were sold.

Saison: The Consultant

Sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there’s been a massive revival, especially in the US.

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having a touch of sweetness.

People who are looking for a sturdy solution look toward Saison salesperson. The Saison will create the perfect blend of spicy new ideas with the comfort of the familiar – never taking their prospects past their comfort zone.

When working with Saison salesperson the ideas that are presented always have the prospects best interest in mind. Allowing the prospect to trust their situation has been completely developed from information gathered in conversation and research about them (not some generic, one size fits all proposal).

Amber/Red: Extensive Associations

Primarily a catch all for any beer less than a Dark Ale in color, ranging from amber (duh) to deep red hues. This style of beer tends to focus on the malts but hop character can range from low to high. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. The range can run from a basic ale to American brewers who brew faux-Oktoberfest style beers that are actually ales instead of lagers.

The Red has an uncanny ability to connect with their prospects and customers. Plus pull different people together to make everything work more smoothly. The Red will use the connections they have with people to pull it all together: make the prospect feel connected, ease transitions with testimonials, etc.

Red will be the first person to throw an event for their prospects and customers – then spend the whole time introducing them to each other. Never talking about themselves, allowing their satisfied customers to do it for them.

You’ve seen (or been) a Red?at a party, by the end of the evening they know a little something personal about everyone there. Plus, if you ask someone about a Red they will probably say “Well that’s not surprising Red, (s)he knows everyone”.

Hefeweizen: Boundless Enthusiast

A south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The “Hefe” prefix means “with yeast”, hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance.

When people first meet the Hefeweizen salesperson they are a little surprised. They thought they knew what they were getting, but it is just a little different than they imagined.

Instead of a “typical salesperson” (stay with me here – the light beer of our profession) the Hefeweizen introduces the prospect to a completely different sales experience. One full of an enthusiasm of flavor and passion for excellence. The prospect soon realizes that the Hefeweizen bases their on success on the success of their customers.

Pour your own flight, take a little sip of sales wisdom, next week we will be taste testing the idea of Lager as Technical Selling.

Cheers, Lynn

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