Pioneer

People are surprised to see Pioneers in a selling role. The Pioneers analytical nature often results in a candid, direct, matter-of-fact approach to communicating, generally not seen as an asset in a sales environment. There are two factors that help Pioneers get around this:

First, of the four trait scales, the Sociability scale is one that we tend to be able to flex most, more so than our Dominance or Independence scales, for example. Most successful Pioneer salespeople (who are low in Sociability on the Real side) will act more sociably and enthusiastically when they are with customers.

Second, their strong goal orientation, combined with their objective viewpoint,  makes them very good at handling rejection. They can take 156 "no thank you's" in a day without taking it personally. And they do not mind asking for the order. They have an affinity for selling in tough environments and they do not  "cave in" to customer demands.

They are similar to the Generalists in that they like to win and they need to attain their goals ,  but they are less concerned with prestige or developing a relationship with the customer. They see the sale as a "target" that they have to "knock-off", before they can move to the next opportunity.

They are determined to exceed their targets (revenues and incomes of course) and they will do whatever they can to be Number One on the sales force. Additionally, they are concerned about selling profitable business and a Pioneer is less likely to give away the farm for a pie-in-the-sky future relationship. They are very focussed and unlikely to spend time on anything that doesn’t help them achieve their goals. They are direct in their communications, can build a good business case and customers feel they are getting the straight facts.

Because they can be blinded by the need to achieve their targets, they may be seen as pushy by prospects, more concerned with their own needs than the customer’s problem. This is the profile that is most likely to say, "Listen, you have got all the facts , let’s make a decision now!"

There was a Long-Distance salesperson who used to brag that his success was due to his philosophy that if he really could save the prospect money, they would either have to sign-up or throw him out of their office. Although his tongue was a little in his cheek when saying this, he did have a higher proportion of customers cancel before their installation date.

Finally, the Pioneers "telling" versus "selling" style might result in their missing some of the more subtle buying signals from the customer during presentations.

Their high sense of urgency and independent nature may result in problems with their managers and support people and, on top of that, they are often unlikely to use diplomacy or empathy when dealing with conflict. On the plus side, though, you really do know where you stand with the Pioneer. And they have a very realistic approach to sales forecasting, always aware of where they sit with respect to their targets, even if they do neglect filling out sales reports.

Pioneers are best suited for direct, new business development. They are good at prospecting and will create a sense of urgency in the customer’s mind to close a sale. As the saying goes, selling is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Pioneers are especially valuable in start-ups or developing territories and any place where grabbing market share quickly is key to survival.

On presentations to customers, ask lots of questions and try to focus more on their needs and less on your product. Around the office, try to let those who provide you with support know what a great job they are doing from time to time.