Should You Hire a Reserved Sales Candidate?

When we think of great salespeople, most of us imagine someone who can close a deal against all odds. We picture someone who can charm, who can convince, and who can put concerns to rest. Someone confident and disarming. When we imagine a superstar, the word “shy” doesn’t usually spring to mind first. But there’s no real reason for this. In fact, hiring an introvert for your sales team may be one of the smartest business moves you can make. Here’s why.

Introverts are often intelligent, thoughtful, and observant.

You may not think so at first glance, but introverts are often very good at reading people. Because they spend many social hours on the margins, watching and listening to others instead of grabbing center stage, they learn a lot. And they often know how to put their observations and intuition to good use. Many introverts can empathize well, and they can easily place themselves in the shoes of others. They recognize the needs and pain points that bring buyers to your door, and they know how to ease those pain points without seeming pushy.

Introverts are disarming.

Sometimes nothing sends car shoppers out of the lot faster than the approach of a hungry salesperson, and the same applies to almost all forms of retail, both online and off, business-to-business and business-to-consumer. When you need information, you count on a trusted salesperson to appear, but when you’re still on the fence or just browsing, some comfortable space can be calming and reassuring. Introverts know how to tread the line.

Introverts can be great leaders.

Introverts may not always speak loudly just to hear their own voices, but when they do speak, people listen. There are many ways to lead and inspire a team, and introvert excel at some of the most effective ones: setting an example, building trust, and being patient teachers.

Introverts are flexible.

There are benefits to making decisions slowly and cautiously. For example, when you make decisions with care, you tend to carefully observe and learn from the results. You can also give yourself plenty of time to change course if your decision didn’t bring the results you wanted. Introverts are good at learning from their experiences.

When they believe in the product, they’re unstoppable.

Introverts don’t give their loyalty and interest away for free. So when they like or believe in a product, they REALLY believe in it. Those strong feelings can be infectious and powerful. Sometimes they even speak louder than words. If your salespeople are introverted AND they can honestly speak well about your product, you can expect great things.

To learn more about how to attract, hire and retain natural introverts, talk to the staffing pros at Extension.