What's Your Persuasive Talent?

I always thought I liked to sell. Even did a stint as a regional manager for a global training organization.

But I don't sell. I promote. Then comes the sale.

I'll bet you have fairly strong feelings about what it means to be "in 'Sales.' " Most folks I've met aren't very neutral about it. They either think it's terrific or an indictable offense. But the fact is, you can't get through life--or your chosen field--without understanding where your Persuasive Talents lie.

Which of These Three Do You See In The Mirror?

When I'm working with Sales groups or on Talent Assessment engagements, here are the three Persuasive Talents we focus on using the proprietary CareerMatch©. Perhaps you never thought of breaking down influencing/persuasive talents in this way, so I hope it is helpful:

Negotiating. See, got you already. People with this inclination are able to grasp the needs and desires of at least two unrelated people or groups. Then, they find a common denominator in both and are able to unite everyone in the agreement of a defined goal, idea, or project. These people are every bit as valuable as the "closers" because they give the "closers" something to close.

Selling or Recruiting. This is the traditional view of sales because, by our definition, you introduce a concept or product in a way that results in a "sale." Think: "Will that be cash or charge?" The purpose going in is to walk out with the order. This talent also applies to recruiting volunteers and fund-raising.

Promoting. If you are a Promoter, you directly or indirectly influence others toward accepting subject matter, opinion, or even another individual. Promoters are often passionate about their service, idea, or product and are successful "sales" people because others are drawn in by their willingness and ability to educate listeners. Unlike the second category, these are the folks who often make "assumptive" closes and simply have the kind of conversations that lead to acceptance.(They can be even more successful if they remember to deliberately discuss "the sale":-)

Whether you're thinking about a Sales career, are a Sales Manager, or simply want to get a better understanding of where your persuasive strengths lie, the three categories above are well worth contemplating.

Once you pinpoint your talent you'll have a much keener sense of your professional value--and a way to discuss it.

Note: Thanks to Steve Woodruff's "Why Don't They Get It/Me/Us? for sparking today's thoughts.

Comments

[Joan Schramm]

Steve --

You have no idea how spot on this post is for me. I've been wrestling with marketing myself and my coaching business for a while now and, frankly, not getting too far in any direction. In a few short paragraphs, you've pinpointed a big part of where my resistance comes from. I'm terrible at negotiation, slightly better at sales, but I rock at promoting. I've been (wrongly) focusing on the sales part. Given that my Inner Human Design chart says I'm a Manifester, it's no wonder that all I'm doing is slamming repeatedly into a brick wall, wondering why a door doesn't appear.

I'm going back and starting over with a new perspective.

Thanks again -- you never fail to get it just right.

Recent blog post: Soaring With Eagles

[Steve Roesler]

Wow, Joan, you've started off my day with a smile!

This is an especially important topic for consultants, coaches, and "solopreneurs."

Hint: If you are a promoter, do introductory workshops to get people into a room to see you do your thing. "Your thing" will promote you--you simply have to remember to provide the vehicle at the end for people to become clients.

[Chris - Manager's Sandbox]

Steve,

Great article! I'm a big believer that everyone is in sales, even when they're not actually in sales. Whether you're selling yourself to a prospective employer, selling a project or program to a client or department, or actually trying to move a used car off your lot, you need to get people to buy-in to what you're selling.

Great analysis, and shed some interesting perspective on who I am (a promoter, apparently).

Cheers!

Chris

[peter vajda]

Hi, Steve,

I like your articulation of the three talents. I agree with Chris that each of us is in sales...never mind whether we're being up-front and trustworthy, or fake and duplicitous in "how" we're selling (ourselves), we're all in sales at work, at home, at play, in relationship.

In my experience, sometimes folks tend to overemphasize one talent (strength?) at the expense of another (weakness?)

I often work with folks who spend tremendous amounts of time and energy on promoting, for example, and shy away from the sales piece. Why? Well, in a nutshell, "I'm not good at it". Why?

What I find about many of these folks is their reluctance to "sell" is based on some degree of the "fight, flght, or freeze" reactivity that they manifest as a result of some earlier experience that triggered fear...and now shows up in their adult life as resistance to selling (one's self or one's business).

So, when we work on the fear, "selling" arises as a normal function of who they are, but it's important to work through the fear and the operative word is "through." Having an "AHA" moment like, "OH, I see I need to sell myself more!" doesn't usually work for many. Why? Because we normally cannot deal with an "amygdala" (fear) issue with a "neo-cortex" (intellect)solution. It needs to be both/and, not either or. Knowing I need to sell (myself) is not akin to being able to do so. Another reason I point to my earler comment about the "strength-weakness" paradigm, that fosusing on one's strengths is not always a "selling" point.

[Marsha Keeffer]

Excellent post, Steve! This is a particularly important for people doing a job search. You have to know which of these talents you excel at to then be able to articulate it to a potential employer. The proof point? Using your persuasive style in a concrete manner so they can see that you can actually do it.

[Steve Roesler]

Hello, Peter,

There sure is a lot at work here, including the "knowing-doing" gap. This is addressed in your fear/intellect conundrum.

I don't know how anyone can get through life without having some minimum daily requirement of all three fulfilled. My hope is to increase awareness and give these distinct entities a name so that people can think about them more clearly.

My experience is that there is usually one that is most comfortable and, as a result, most developed. In line with the "strengths-weakness" paradigm, it would be important for a Promoter to understand when it's time to ask for the sale (Selling). And, without a modicum of negotiation skill, it would be tough to earn a living based on one's value.

Something I've realized as the strengths-weaknesses conversation has continued is this: Until I am aware of and can define my strengths, I don't know where to focus the supporting development.

That level of awareness is a time-saver and can result in a much bigger personal payoff.

Recent blog post: What's Your Persuasive Talent?

[Steve Roesler]

Marsha,

The whole job search thing is one area that really does require the use of all of those persuasive talents. In fact, I'm not sure how many other persuasive interactions in life are so concentrated and have such deep consequences.

Maybe it's time to do a little eBook for job-seekers...:-)

Recent blog post: What's Your Persuasive Talent?