Enthusiast

All their lives, Enthusiasts have been told "you know, you really should be in sales". They are outgoing, empathetic people with a lot of get up and go. They’re on everybody’s dinner list. They are supportive, harmonious people who do what they say they are going to do. They are the sort of people that everybody likes to have around. People buy from Enthusiasts because they like them.

They view a sale as a great way to satisfy customer needs and take their relationship to the next level. They’re more likely to talk about how they were invited to the customer’s exclusive country club, rather than the fact that they sold them $10,000 worth of product. They love making new contacts and the size of their Rolodex is something they’re quite proud of.

Customers feel that Enthusiasts are genuinely concerned about helping them meet their goals. They are responsive and accommodating, they do what they say they are going to do and they’re not too pushy. They’re fun to have around, their enthusiasm is infectious and customers are happy to introduce them to other stakeholders within their company.

Because their high Sociability is combined with low Dominance, they want to be liked and they feel awkward in situations where there is conflict. This produces difficulties in two areas that have long been considered fundamental to the sales process – dealing with objections and handling rejection. Enthusiasts run the risk of becoming "professional visitors": plenty of activity, but no results. They will shy away from activities that may result in rejection, such as prospecting and closing. As a result, they will often focus on account maintenance rather than new business development.

Because of their congenial nature, they are well liked by operations, Sales Managers and support staff. Their spontaneous nature often results in a tendency to leave things to the last minute, but, because they are so friendly and apologetic, no one seems to mind.

Enthusiasts are best suited for relationship selling with a minimal amount of cold-calling – where closing the sale is more a natural outcome of a strong personal relationship, rather than the ability to push the customer toward a commitment. High Compliance means they are good with detail and follow up. It also means that they place value on the structure and support their company provides – things like product brochures, an 800 number and an impressive client list. This profile is better suited for mature markets and not well suited to a start-up situation or aggressive new business development.

Review your top ten prospects – are they there because of a realistic analysis of their business potential or because you like them? When organizing your activities for the day, do the ones you hate first. They are the ones that will most likely lead to rejection or conflict – or maybe even a sale.