Selling and the Introverted Compensation Geek

Many compensation professionals think of themselves as introverts.  I'd even go so far as to say that our profession attracts a disproportionate share of them.  As such, many of us believe ourselves constitutionally unsuited for responsibilities that hinge on social interaction and/or demand skills in persuasion.  Take selling, for example.  I can't count the number of colleagues who have told me that they'd love to take on consulting work -- particularly as an outside advisor -- but ultimately shy away from trying it for fear of being forced to sell.

As an introvert myself, I could never quite figure out why I struggle at cocktail parties and social gatherings but love business development.  And I really do.  Rereading Susan Cain's Quiet recently -- with my introverted daughter -- I came across some research and insights that helped me better understand this incongruity. 

In Quiet, Cain introduces us to a study by developmental psychologist Avril Thorne, whose research involved 52 women (26 Myers-Briggs tested introverts and 26 extroverts).  Thorne assigned the women to different conversational pairings so that each had a ten-minute talk with a partner of the same type and a second one with her "dispositional opposite."  An analysis of the conversations revealed that introverts and extroverts actually participated in the conversations about equally, but the introverts preferred to focus on one or two serious subjects and to adopt the role of advisor/problem solver for their conversational cohort while extroverts chose lighter and more wide ranging topics -- preferring to stick to casual information exchange.

Cain uses this research as a backdrop for examining the case of Jon Berghoff, an unassuming-looking, socially awkward introvert who parlayed a summer job selling Cutco kitchen products into a record-breaking sales success story that enabled him to launch Global Empowerment Coaching, a sales training business that has served more than 30,000 sales representatives and managers.

Thorne's research ... helps us understand Jon Berghoff's astonishing success at sales.  He has turned his affinity for serious conversation, and for adopting an advisory role rather than a persuasive one, into a kind of therapy for his prospects.  "I discovered early on that people don't buy from me because they understand what I'm selling," explains Jon.  "They buy because they feel understood."

What does this tell us about introverted compensation geeks and selling?  For me, it was revealing and helpful.  The likely reason that I enjoying selling but not more casual social interaction is that selling allows me to focus on gathering information and seeking to understand a compensation problem that someone is experiencing.  It is a serious conversation about a topic in which the other party and I share some level of interest -- and it allows me to put on my listening ears and advisor hat (as opposed to delivering a stream of small talk, which I find exhausting and typically stink at, or trying to push people by exerting persuasive power, which makes me squirm).  Jon explains how it is that this introverted style of interaction actually delivers sales results.

"A lot of people believe that selling requires being a fast talker, or knowing how to use charisma to persuade.  Those things do require an extroverted way of communicating.  But in sales there's a truism that 'we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionately.' I believe that's what makes someone really good at selling or consulting -- the number one thing is they've got to listen well.  When I look at the top salespeople in my organization, none of those extroverted qualities are the key to their success."

Is fear of or discomfort with the idea of selling keeping you from progressing in your compensation career?  Because let's face it, we all must sell if we want our ideas and recommendations to be implemented -- regardless of our role is that of an inside or outside advisor. 

Take heart:  We introverts can sell as successfully and, if we leverage our particular strengths, perhaps even better than our extroverted counterparts!

Ann Bares is the Founder and Editor of the Compensation Café,  Author of Compensation Force,  Managing Partner of Altura Consulting Group LLC, and a proud co-author (along with Cafe cohorts Margaret and Dan) of the newly published book Everything You Do in Compensation is Communication.  Ann serves as President of the Twin Cities Compensation Network (the most awesome local reward network on the planet) and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Compensation & Benefits Review.  She earned her M.B.A. at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, is a foodie and bookhound in her spare time. Follow her on Twitter at @annbares.

Image "Mischievous Young Man Posing Smartly" courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Comments

[Tony Bergmann-Porter]

I may invite you to turn this into a presentation. And who knows where that might lead?

[Ann Bares]

Interesting idea, Tony!