Automobile Dealer Magazine

What Type of Salesperson Do You Need?

by The Omnia Group

Although all successful salespeople are driven by an overwhelming need to win, not all salespeople can sell everything. Different salespeople excel when it comes to selling different types of cars to different types of prospects. There are, in effect, three distinct types of salespeople: Persuasive, Persistent and the Problem-Solver.

Take, for example, the Persuasive salesperson. Aggressive, fast-paced, independent, networkers - these men and women sell through persuasion, charm and convincing the customer of a need. Highly competitive, they play ONLY to win, dress to impress and are born "people persons" viewing everyone who steps on the lot as a friend and every friend as a possible sale.

Poised, warm, outgoing, articulate and fun, Persuasive salespeople rely on their superior people skills to "read" the prospect, establish rapport, and seal the sale. Like all "true salespeople," they are willing to work hard, will sacrifice to win and want their pay directly linked to their performance. Polished, enterprising and quick on their feet, they are "silver tongued" salespeople who use their communication skills and contagious enthusiasm to convince prospects they've got the car of their dreams at the price of a lifetime. And not at all afraid of risk, the Persuasive salesperson always asks for the sale, even in hard-sell situations.

Long on persuasion and enthusiasm and short on logic, facts and problem-solving skills, Persuasive salespeople tend to be most successful selling to other verbal people. Big picture, "I don't do detail" salespeople, they generally do not do well selling to more skeptical, fact-based prospects who want to know why and how that expensive new option works, not how great they will look driving around town in their new, red convertible.

Although they do best selling low-to-midrange new and used vehicles, Persuasive salespeople can also be effective selling luxury automobiles to people-based prospects who, like them, live, dress, and drive to impress. They are not likely, however, to be successful selling a loaded Cadillac, Lexus or Mercedes to serious, analytical prospects like CPA's, lawyers or doctors, who want the facts, without hype, and may view the Persuasive salesperson as silly and/or insincere.

That's why every dealership, regardless of size or nameplate, needs at least one analytical salesperson on the lot. Like the Persuasive salesperson, the other two true sales personalities, the Problem-Solver salesperson and Persistent salesperson are motivated by the need to win. And just like the Persuasive salesperson, they are both aggressive enough to ask for the sale.

Skeptical, logical, practical, reserved and fact-based, both sell by asking questions, gathering necessary facts and then making a highly-tailored, fact-based, no-nonsense pitch. Although Persuasive salespeople may view both as unfriendly, too task-oriented, blunt or tough, both consistently put sales on the board and money in the bank.

The big difference between the Problem-Solver salesperson and the Persistent salesperson is patience - the Problem-Solver doesn't have much and needs almost immediate goal achievement. The Persistent salesperson, on the other hand, believes time is on his side and that each visit to the lot by the undecided prospect moves him one step closer to making the sale.

Another difference between the two analytical salespeople is their attention to detail - the Problem-Solver has plenty, the Persistent salesperson has little. Like the Persuasive salesperson, the Persistent salesperson is independent and big picture and may ignore detail and/or prove resistant to anything vaguely resembling "hands-on" management.

Both the Problem-Solver salesperson and the Persistent salesperson do well selling luxury automobiles to practical, skeptical prospects. They also both excel at fleet sales and F&I, where servicing an existing need and the bottom line, not the ability to persuade, are what counts.

Assuming you already know an applicant can sell, how do you know what type of vehicle they will be most effective selling? Although profiling is the quickest, easiest, cheapest and most accurate way to tell, how the candidate looks and talks can also provide valuable clues.

The applicant in the Armani suit, wearing a Rolex, with perfect hair, who answers your questions with long, articulate, frequently funny answers is probably a Persuasive salesperson who will do best selling low-to-medium price vehicles or luxury automobiles to prospects who want to save money buying a car that will impress someone they like. The sales candidate in the practical, timeless blue suit, sensible Seiko and easy-to-care-for hair, who seems a little shy and answers only what you ask, factually, without much emotion, is an analytical salesperson who will probably excel at selling high-end automobiles to well-heeled, no nonsense prospects, who want the facts without a bunch of hype.

To get the most out of your investment in your sales staff, you need to determine not only who can sell, but who can sell best to whom.

The Omnia Group is an international management and personnel consulting firm based in Tampa, Florida.