Sales Performance Radio

Listen to Tony & Michelle discuss ways sales leaders can become a trusted adviser for their customers.

Listen to Tony & Michelle discuss strategies and tips about coaching & motivating your team during this current crisis. Topics include dealing with your customers, leveraging your trusted adviser status, and keeping morale of your sales team high.

If there was a Good Housekeeping “Seal of Approval” for sales efficacy, it would go to the Optimizer – the last of the sales profiles we have been spotlighting in our Five Types of Sellers podcast series.

At the apex of the sales profession, the Optimizer is the type most likely to have achieved mastery of their craft, and of the consultative approach to sales. They understand how to strike the right balance between assertive and friendly, and prescriptive and instructive, and are unquestionably trusted by the buyers who view them as partners, not as vendors.

So, how do you know if you have an Optimizer on your sales team? And, if so, are you prepared to offer the right resources, coaching, and support, so that the Optimizer can achieve the high level of success to which they are accustomed?

Join Drea Douglass and Tony Smith as we conclude our podcast series with a detailed look at the Optimizer.

If you have sales professionals that would rather prospect than sleep; would never think of stopping to have a sit-down lunch unless they were pitching a client; and are focused on winning at all costs – you likely have been introduced to the “Commando,” one of five distinct types of sellers that we at The Brooks Group have identified.

The Commando, as the name would suggest, takes a very aggressive approach to driving business, focusing on closing the deal and moving on, and eschewing the kind of account management that would force them to sustain customer contact after the sale.

But, is the Commando approach still relevant in today’s sales environment, where a consultative approach is invariably more in step with buyers’ interests? And is there any hope to transforming this Commando?

In Episode 4 of our five-part podcast series, “5 Types of Sellers,” The Brooks Group’s Tony Smith and Drea Douglass explore the role of the Commando, and the delicate balance between their need for speed, and your company’s desire to build long-lasting client relationships.

If ubiquity were a commodity, there’s a certain kind of sales professional whose payoff would be like winning the lottery. Called the “servicer” type of seller, they’re known for providing ever-present customer service to their clients. Likely, they call or email many times per week; stop by for a chat on a regular basis; and go out of their way to make sure that at the first sign of trouble, the problem is taken care of with minimal hassle and maximum smiles.

But, how much is too much? Does the perpetual customer service mode that the “servicer” seller is locked into, actually pose a risk to your sales organization? And how can you best put some guardrails on the “servicer” to ensure they are as productive as they are helpful?

In Episode 3 of our five-part podcast series, “5 Types of Sellers,” The Brooks Group’s Tony Smith and Drea Douglass attempt to decode the role of the “servicer.” 

Those afternoons on the golf course, free lunches, and social visits must be having a positive effect on your sales — or are they? In today’s increasingly commoditized marketplace, friendship selling no longer guarantees that you’ll win the business. Creating value and differentiation are now the drivers.   

As the Sales Performance Research Center continues its five-part podcast series, “5 Types of Sellers,” we will focus on the “Buddy” — those people that love to cultivate collegiality, but do so at the expense of creating real value for the prospective purchaser. If you’re seeing a dip in sales efficacy, it may be as a result of an over-reliance on this type of seller.

Want to learn more about the nuances of the “Buddy,” and the potential to expand their relationship skills? Join Tony Smith and Drea Douglass for Episode 2.

Like fingerprints, no two buyers are alike. Though not as prolific in their variety, sellers, too, tend to exhibit a selling style that is uniquely theirs.

But does this mean that sellers are consigned to a life of accessing just the strengths that they were born with? Or is there a methodology by which sales pros can shift their selling styles to better suit their product, and its marketplace?

In part one of the podcast series, “5 Types of Sellers,” experts at The Brooks Group shed some light on the “Timid” seller, and how the tendency of this type to operate from a base of fear impacts their process and sales success.

Can a “Timid” seller emerge from their shell and go on to sales mastery? Join Tony Smith and Drea Douglass as they turn up the volume on the “Timid”type of seller.

Michelle Richardson:

I'm Michelle Richardson, Vice President of the Sales Performance Research Center at the Brooks Group.

Drea Douglass:

My name is Drea Douglass. I'm Director of Talent Management Consulting at the Brooks Group.

Tony Smith:

I'm Tony Smith, Director of Sales Strategy Consulting here at the Brooks Group.

Michelle Richardson:

The sales performance research center is your resource for the latest information on sales strategy and talent management. We started the sales performance radio as a way to share valuable content that fits your busy schedule. I'm excited to introduce to you a podcast series on the five types of sellers.

Drea Douglass:

Tony, why don't you tell us and walk us through what those five types of sellers are and why people should care about it.

Tony Smith:

There are five types of sellers that are most common in the marketplace and each type has their own way of selling and they bring their own strengths and sometimes developmental areas to them. There's the timid seller. Then we have the buddy seller, we also have the servicer. Then we have the commandos and then there's the top performers in today's marketplace that we call the optimizers.

Drea Douglass:

Tony and I will be your hosts on this journey to help you understand common characteristics of each type of seller, common challenges with those types, what do they do and what do they not do in the sales process? Coaching tips for sales managers, even spotting them before you hire them, what to look for in the interview process and good interview techniques and questions.

Tony Smith:

Awesome. Let's do it. Were we supposed to say something else?

Michelle Richardson:

Thank you for listening and enjoy the podcast.