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Inspiration

Simple questions

set the stage

for results

hether you're on a cold call or at an appoint- thorough might ask more detailed questions than you'd
ment with an interested prospect, if you're like, and those who are moody or anxious might increase
meeting for the first time, it can be difficult your level of tension and make it more difficult for you to
W to establish rapport. As a merchant level function optimally.
salesperson (MLS), you may encounter any number of
personality types while on the job. So how can you prepare when you can't be certain what
type of person you're about to encounter?
Sanjay Srivastava, an associate professor in the Department
of Psychology at the University of Oregon and director In Good Selling! The Basics, Paul H. Green offered
of the university's Personality and Social Dynamics Lab, suggestions for getting past awkward first meetings.
studies how personality affects and is affected by the "It may help to take a few minutes and get to know the
social environment. He and other researchers subscribe person a bit before jumping in with both feet," he wrote.
to the theory that there are five personality types, dubbed He suggested the following transition phrases to start
the Big Five described at http://pages.uoregon.edu/sanjay/ building relationships with prospects:
bigfive.html as follows: 1. Your staff is very personable. Do you have special
• Extraversion (sometimes called Surgency). The employee programs to keep morale up?
broad dimension of Extraversion encompasses 2. I saw you in the paper (saw your company on the
such more specific traits as talkative, energetic, and business page, etc.). Do you have a PR department
assertive. or do you do that on your own?
• Agreeableness. Includes traits like sympathetic, 3. I saw an article about your type of business in
kind, and affectionate. Sunday's paper. Did you see it?
• Conscientiousness. Includes traits like organized, 4. This is an excellent location. Do you get a lot of
thorough and planful. traffic from XYA's store?
• Neuroticism (sometimes reversed and called 5. It seems that you run the show around here. How
Emotional Stability). Includes traits like tense, many hours per week are you here?
moody and anxious.
• Openness to experience (sometimes called Intellect 6. I see your plaque on the wall. Who is it from?
or Intellect/Imagination). Includes traits like This should help you come up with a list of go-to questions
having wide interests, and being imaginative and tailored to your target merchants for those times when it
insightful. appears a conversation could head into awkward territory.
A little preparation goes a long way Often, it's low-tech tools that help close accounts and
sometimes even lead to life-long friendships as a result.
Of course, you don't need to study this or any other system
of human personality traits to excel at your job, but it does
help to realize that people have tendencies that affect
their responses to you that have nothing to do with you
and what you have to offer. People who are extraverted,
agreeable and open to new experiences may be easier to
deal with initially; those who are highly organized and Kate Gillespie, President and CEO

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