5 Reasons Why Sales Managers Must Learn to Recognize Personality Types

Building strategy around personality types has become a driving force for many of the most successful companies in the world. In fact, approximately 80% of Fortune 100 organisations use some kind of personality test to facilitate better teamwork in their organisations.
As a sales manager, you may think these techniques only benefit those at the executive level or human resources professionals, but learning more about the unique personality types of your sales reps can help you take your team’s performance to a new level.
Whether you choose to use the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, subscribe to the five-factor model, or adhere to Deloitte’s Business Chemistry which identifies four distinct office personas, the key is to dedicate yourself to learning a system and consistently applying their lessons in your interactions.
The following are five reasons why it is important for sales managers to know how to recognize different personality types:

1. To better train your sales professionals

Creating a robust and innovative sales training program is paramount to the success of any organisation. One study found that for every dollar invested in sales training, a company will generate a return of $29 in revenue. However, people respond very differently to different methods of training depending largely upon their personality types.
It’s clear a one-size-fits-all development initiative won’t provide optimal results for all of your employees. Understanding which personality categories your sales reps fit into will allow you to create customized training programs that capitalize on their specific strengths. This will help you and your company get as much value as possible from your investment in sales training.

2. To improve interactions with customers

Creating training programs that are optimized for specific personality types doesn’t only directly impact how much your sales representatives are able to understand and retain. It’s also useful for their ability to take the attributes of your product and present them appropriately depending upon a client’s personality category.
In the heat of the moment of a sales conversation, your reps will constantly be forced to react to things a prospect says or does, even if it’s as subtle as a change in body language. When you have thorough knowledge of how various personality traits manifest themselves in conversations, you can teach your employees to recognize these traits as well. Armed with this knowledge, they’ll be confident in sales calls that they can help clients better understand why your product is a good fit for them.

3. To create a sales strategy that illuminates the value of your product

Day-to-day sales activities may largely be completed by front line representatives, but they are far from the only force in shaping the overall sales strategy of the company. As a sales leader, you have a significant role in deciding how your team members will best communicate your value proposition to prospects.
The journey to creating a customized sales plan that speaks to what individual customers need, and communicates it in a language they understand, begins with you. But, to achieve that, you have to understand specifically what your customers need and what they understand.

4. To work more effectively with your directors

Personality types aren’t only useful when looking down the organizational chart—you can also use them to better understand your superiors and work more effectively with them for the benefit of the entire organization.
The success of your sales unit will largely depend on your ability to communicate and negotiate with the directors and C-level executives who may be above you. Just like your sales reps, they too exhibit specific character traits based on their personality types, and knowing this can help you better relate to them.

5. To understand more about yourself

Finally, sales managers who have studied various personality types should view the experience as an opportunity to learn more about their own strengths and weaknesses in the workplace. It’s a perfect opening for self-improvement, because we tend to immediately recognize when a personality profile says something about us that rings true.
If you recognize you have trouble thinking outside the box for a solution, then you can solicit help from those around you who tend to do the opposite. Or, if you discover you lean toward micromanaging, you can make a commitment to giving more autonomy to your employees who would benefit from it.

The Ultimate Sales Conference Planning Guide: How to Maximize Your Next Big Event

For enthusiastic B2B sales professionals, attending a conference represents an exciting opportunity. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with hundreds of potential leads, be immersed in an environment where prospects are motivated to engage and purchase, and have numerous chances to demonstrate how you and your company can improve the lives of others.
Making the most of a sales conference, however, requires a lot of preparation and coordination. To get the most out of the experience, make sure to hit every item on the following checklist.

Make a packing list.

If you wait until the last minute to figure out if you’ve packed everything that you’ll need to engage your prospects, you’re asking for something to get left behind. Between your personal items and your work gear, you’re going to have a substantial packing list before you depart.
Make sure you have compiled a list of everything you will need to take with you several days in advance, including any pieces of sales collateral, device chargers, external batteries, business cards, and more.

Define your goals and objectives.

Outlining specific objectives and setting concrete goals for your conference will achieve two primary aims:

1. First, it will help you narrow the scope of your approach when dealing with prospects, because you’ll be able to engage them in anticipation of specific outcomes.
2. Additionally, it will allow you to accurately assess your results when you return. You’ll have a conclusive set of data concerning the effectiveness of your trip that you can present to your company leaders.

Research the schedule of events, attendees, and local area.

The weeks before you depart are going to be busy with research, and the better you prepare, the more you’ll be able to accomplish during the conference. Find out which speaker sessions, mixers, and other events will be most valuable for you to attend, and create a feasible agenda that will allow you to hit as many as possible.
Also, make sure you reach out to certain attendees you want to connect with, and study the local area around the venue so you have an idea of how long it takes to get places. Time is your most valuable resource, and you will want to use it wisely.

Share your plans.

One of the best ways to derive value from a conference is to be as visible as possible. Reach out to various connections in your network and share specific agenda details with them, such as arrival/departure dates, where you’re staying, and events you’re planning on attending. This is a great way to keep the lines of communication open as it invites other participants to find ways to connect with you in person.

Be engaged in multiple ways throughout the conference.

The other big factor in visibility is your perceived level of engagement. If you spend every waking moment during the conference in one-on-one sales calls, you might end up with a few conversions, but you won’t be maximizing the value of your appearance. Embracing the opportunities available through the conference gives you more chances to provide value to others.
Attend relevant presentations, socialize at mixers, and take time to chat with people when you don’t have an obvious agenda.

Make the most of social media.

If I had to pick a recent development that has changed the conference experience the most, I would absolutely say it’s the explosion of social media. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook have revolutionized the way people connect with each other, and they have given salespeople essential tools for engaging prospects at all times throughout the event.
One study analyzed over 12,000 tweets from eight different conferences in one year, and it found these tweets generated more than 14 million impressions. Find relevant hashtags and follow the accounts of organizers so that you can follow the action across various social channels.

Follow up promptly once you get back.

Many experts believe that following up on a networking opportunity within 24 hours is the most important part of the process, and salespeople would do well to heed this advice after a conference. Even if you already have an established meeting on the books, reach out to your connections and express your appreciation for their time.

Analyze your data.

If you did a thorough job of defining your goals and objectives before the conference began, then you should return with a collection of data points in support of those objectives after it’s over. Now is the time to put that data to work for you, so update your lead generation, sales tracking, and CRM databases, and assess your KPIs to arrive at a baseline of the conference’s value.

Inspire Your Employees by Making These 6 Habits Part of Your Daily M.O.

As a leader, part of your responsibilities as the boss is to inspire your employees. This may seem like a complicated and daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. By adopting some simple habits and demonstrating them every day, you can inspire your employees to have a more positive attitude toward their work, customers, and other staff members.

Six Easy Ways You Can Inspire Your Team

Start the day with a smile. As the boss, your attitude and demeanor upon entering the office can influence the kind of day it will shape up to be for your employees. A warm smile sends a message of optimism for what’s ahead, and it evokes a sense of being encouraged and supported. There’s even some research out there that indicates smiling can influence others to smile. What could be more uplifting and productive than an office full of joyful people?

Take an interest in them. Your employees are real people with families, pets, unique hobbies, challenges to overcome, triumphs to celebrate, etc. Take the time to show an interest in them beyond what they do for your company. A simple “How are you?” or “What’s new with you?” or “How was your weekend?” can show team members you care about them as individuals.

In addition to making the effort to communicate like this every day, I also enjoy scheduling one-on-one lunches with each of my staff members individually every quarter. By carving out this time, I’ve learned more about them, they’ve learned more about me, and we’ve formed stronger working relationships. As a result, they are more engaged and enthusiastic employees.

Demonstrate patience. You make mistakes, and so will your employees at times. It’s one of the realities of being human. Show patience and understanding when your team members mess up. Keep a cool head, discuss the mistake and how to correct it, and identify a plan/steps to avoid it in the future. A calm demeanor on your part when addressing slip-ups will help your employees concentrate on what they need to do to resolve the issue. Wouldn’t you agree that’s a much better approach than yelling and chastising, which makes people defensive and disheartened?

Always use ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you.’ As a parent, I’m constantly reminding my children to do this. Sadly, I see plenty of grown-up, professional adults who fail to mind their manners. When you say, “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” etc., you demonstrate respect for other people. When people hear those magic words, they know they matter to you. By showing your attention to minding your p’s and q’s, you’ll help foster a culture of caring and mutual respect within your company.

Have a sense of humor. According the Mayo Clinic, laughter helps alleviate stress and can make people feel more capable of dealing with adversity. By infusing some lighthearted banter at work, you can help employees feel more at ease and relaxed. Of course, choose your humor wisely so you don’t offend or alienate people.

Empower them. Give them an opportunity to share their ideas about how to do their jobs better and how your company can improve its processes and products. By giving them a say in how things are done, you can instill in them a sense of ownership of their work and your company’s success. In my experience, people are excited to bring value to a company when they feel their thoughts are valued.

Aspire to Inspire

The attitudes and actions you bring to work every day will have an impact on your employees, so be conscious of how you conduct yourself.