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There is nothing about sales that stops an introvert from being good at it. The is especially true is the introvert is passionate about what they are selling. S

by sdm 11y ago

There is nothing about sales that stops an introvert from being good at it. The is especially true is the introvert is passionate about what they are selling. So much of sales is listening to the client's problems and thinking about how to engage them. Introverts have a real advantage here -- they build good relationships that can be maintained over a long time.

adwn 11y ago
> listening to the client's problems and thinking about how to engage them > build good relationships that can be maintained over a long time That's basically the opposite of what "introversion" means. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion#Introversion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion#...
- eivarv 11y ago
  "Introversion" doesn't mean not doing these things, nor being unable to do them. It's about preference and perception.
  - adwn 11y ago
    > "Introversion" doesn't mean not doing these things, nor being unable to do them I never said that. Being introverted makes it harder to do these things, because they don't come naturally.
    - kqr 11y ago
      They may very well come naturally (they do for me), but they carry a cost that must be repaid later with some alone time (they do for me).
notahacker 11y ago
Introverts can easily be good at certain types of sales, which as you correctly point out can often be more about problem-solving and where client interactions are usually structured discussions rather than battles for attention. But not all types of sales are the same, and selling magazine subscriptions door to door doesn't reward deep thought and is certainly tough for people that aren't energised by the prospect of introducing themselves to hundreds of people per day, never mind people who find forced interactions a bit awkward. I think it stretches the definition of "introvert" somewhat to include people who chose to do door-to-door sales or flogging popcorn at football stadiums for fun, as Warren Buffett reportedly did.
- goodcanadian 11y ago
  I think it stretches the definition of "introvert" somewhat to include people who chose to do door-to-door sales or flogging popcorn at football stadiums for fun, as Warren Buffett reportedly did. Ironically, your comment convinced me of the opposite of the point you were trying to make. Sure, door-to-door sales and flogging popcorn involve dealing with a lot of people, but you are only dealing with them superficially. Your job is to get your product in front of as many people as possible but not to connect with them in any meaningful manner. In fact, you will need to deal with near continuous rejection or at least, indifference. It actually sounds to me like those might be better jobs for an introvert than an extrovert.
  - sanderjd 11y ago
    I think this thread (and everything I've read on this topic in the last few years) proves that people largely don't agree on the definitions of these terms, but having known many people who consider themselves introverted, "dealing with a lot of people superficially", and "dealing with near continuous rejection or indifference" is extremely poorly aligned with their personalities. Speaking personally, those things are my nightmare.
    - goodcanadian 11y ago
      I can deal with rejection and indifference because I don't give a crap about the people on the other end of the transaction. It seems to me that you are describing social anxiety more than introversion. However, that was kind of the point of your comment that not everyone seems to agree on the definition. I think, however, we are also dealing with understanding the word "superficial" differently. Superficial interactions with people in the sense of meaningless small talk of no consequence is more of an extrovert thing, I agree. However, when I said "superficial," I meant that you aren't really dealing with people at all, but rather hands from which you take money and into which you insert popcorn. There is very little real human interaction in that scenario even if you are technically around people all day. EDIT: And in the door-to-door salesman scenario (which, I agree, sounds like hell), you are still spending the vast majority of your time alone in your own head walking from house to house.

by sdm 11y ago

adwn 11y ago

> listening to the client's problems and thinking about how to engage them > build good relationships that can be maintained over a long time That's basically the opposite of what "introversion" means. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion#Introversion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion#...

eivarv 11y ago
"Introversion" doesn't mean not doing these things, nor being unable to do them. It's about preference and perception.
- adwn 11y ago
  > "Introversion" doesn't mean not doing these things, nor being unable to do them I never said that. Being introverted makes it harder to do these things, because they don't come naturally.
  - kqr 11y ago
    They may very well come naturally (they do for me), but they carry a cost that must be repaid later with some alone time (they do for me).

notahacker 11y ago

Introverts can easily be good at certain types of sales, which as you correctly point out can often be more about problem-solving and where client interactions are usually structured discussions rather than battles for attention. But not all types of sales are the same, and selling magazine subscriptions door to door doesn't reward deep thought and is certainly tough for people that aren't energised by the prospect of introducing themselves to hundreds of people per day, never mind people who find forced interactions a bit awkward. I think it stretches the definition of "introvert" somewhat to include people who chose to do door-to-door sales or flogging popcorn at football stadiums for fun, as Warren Buffett reportedly did.

goodcanadian 11y ago
I think it stretches the definition of "introvert" somewhat to include people who chose to do door-to-door sales or flogging popcorn at football stadiums for fun, as Warren Buffett reportedly did. Ironically, your comment convinced me of the opposite of the point you were trying to make. Sure, door-to-door sales and flogging popcorn involve dealing with a lot of people, but you are only dealing with them superficially. Your job is to get your product in front of as many people as possible but not to connect with them in any meaningful manner. In fact, you will need to deal with near continuous rejection or at least, indifference. It actually sounds to me like those might be better jobs for an introvert than an extrovert.
- sanderjd 11y ago
  I think this thread (and everything I've read on this topic in the last few years) proves that people largely don't agree on the definitions of these terms, but having known many people who consider themselves introverted, "dealing with a lot of people superficially", and "dealing with near continuous rejection or indifference" is extremely poorly aligned with their personalities. Speaking personally, those things are my nightmare.
  - goodcanadian 11y ago
    I can deal with rejection and indifference because I don't give a crap about the people on the other end of the transaction. It seems to me that you are describing social anxiety more than introversion. However, that was kind of the point of your comment that not everyone seems to agree on the definition. I think, however, we are also dealing with understanding the word "superficial" differently. Superficial interactions with people in the sense of meaningless small talk of no consequence is more of an extrovert thing, I agree. However, when I said "superficial," I meant that you aren't really dealing with people at all, but rather hands from which you take money and into which you insert popcorn. There is very little real human interaction in that scenario even if you are technically around people all day. EDIT: And in the door-to-door salesman scenario (which, I agree, sounds like hell), you are still spending the vast majority of your time alone in your own head walking from house to house.