Why Introverts Excel at Sales and How To Tap Into Your Introverted Self

What image comes to mind when you think of a salesman? The slicked-back hair, Rolex watch, and smartly pressed suit? Maybe what comes to mind is an oily used car dealership with shabby upholstery and even shabbier morals.

Whatever the image, you probably imagined someone loud. Someone confident, quick with a smile and a laugh, and good at thinking on their feet. You were probably thinking of someone extroverted.

But what if I told you that being introverted could actually help you in closing deals?

After all, sales is an exercise of connecting what someone needs to what you have to offer. It takes empathy, patience, and most important listening skills - all traits that are well-documented to be introverted qualities.

Multiple case studies reveal that the success of a sales call is highly correlated to the listening-to-the-talking ratio. Data reveals that top salespeople tend to speak less and listen more when compared to the bottom 20%.

And it makes sense. How would you pitch a client on a relevant product, if you don't know what is relevant to them? How do you sell someone when you don't know what they need?

In a survey by the Institute for Supply Management, one of the biggest complaints buyers had about salesmen was their inability to shut up and listen. The survey also lists many other complaints such as being underprepared, aggressiveness, and lack of dependability - all negative aspects of extroversion. In contrast, introverts tend to be more deliberate in planning, more sensitive, and more grounded.

But why has this become such a problem in sales?

In the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, Cain speaks out on the bias towards extroverted qualities in modern-day society such as being loud and charismatic over quiet and deep thinking. Cain dubbed this, the Extrovert Ideal which she described as “the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight.”

According to Cain, while both introversion and extroversion have positive and negative aspects, modern society has tipped the scales heavily in favor of extroversion over introversion.

Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we've turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform.” - Susan Cain

Perhaps it is time for introverted selling to make a comeback. So how do you tap into your introverted side? Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Find some quiet place to plan out your deals. Introversion prefers quiet peaceful spaces to deep deep thinking.
2. Take a second to digest what someone is saying before you respond. Introversion allows time to listen and process what someone is saying.
3. Have more one on one conversations. Introversion trends towards more focus and greater rapport with a single person at a time.