Store managers and psychologists have long believed that outgoing individuals make the best salespeople. Yet research now suggests that extroverts are actually less successful at making sales than people with more moderate social temperaments. Adam Grant, associate professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, gave personality tests to 340 salespeople and compared their extroversion scores to their yearly revenue. Those who scored exactly halfway between the poles of extreme extroversion and extreme introversion—whom Grant calls “ambiverts”—earned 24 percent more than the introverts and, surprisingly, 32 percent more than the extroverts.

Grant—who is a self-described ambivert and a former salesman himself—says he is not sure why such individuals perform better, but it may be that “they're less likely to get distracted and to talk too much—they find the right balance between talking and listening.” In addition, extroverted salespeople may sometimes be too pushy and turn potential buyers off.

Next, Grant plans to investigate whether successful ambiverts are always socially even-keeled or whether they tend to fluctuate between extroversion and introversion depending on factors such as mood or the temperament of their customers.

This article was originally published with the title Death of a Salesman Stereotype.

7 Comments

1. 1. IntrovertEntrepreneur 05:12 PM 1/2/13

   I so appreciate this piece! As an introvert, I find that more extroverted salespeople are a bit too eager and in my space than is comfortable. If I feel crowded, rushed or even remotely pressured, I'm outta there! And as an entrepreneur, I've noticed that my style of listening and asking lots of questions tends to build an easy rapport with clients and potential clients. Keeping the focus on the customer comes rather naturally; I attribute that to my introverted desire not to have the spotlight on me in those situations. I'm looking forward to the results on the studies about ambiverts and specifically what contributes most to their success.

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2. 2. Fanandala in reply to IntrovertEntrepreneur 09:32 AM 1/27/13

   As you say, nobody likes a pushy and overpowering salesman.

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3. 3. Lowndes 04:54 PM 1/27/13

   There is a huge difference between "friendly" and "pushy". There is a huge difference between a "used car salesman", your department store clerk, and an "account manager" calling on clients on a repeat schedule. The "sales person" has to either be "charismatic", very humorous, or a good listener, and know how to match the customer's temperament and mood.

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4. 4. Sinned43 05:57 PM 1/27/13

   Obviously this author wasn't a salesperson. My experience of being in sales for over 30 years is just the opposite. The successful salesperson is highly competitive with his/hers peers. I can't tell you all the near brawls that happen for getting a client to make that sale. Makes me laugh to read that a moderate is more successful. Moderates will be pushed aside or made to quite. In sales its a jungle and survival is king.

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5. 5. annabanna 06:04 PM 1/31/13

   When I go out for a night on the town, I always make sure to bring at least one extroverted typed individual with me. Extroverts are fun bundles of energy that delight all. On the other hand, since extroverts demand attention, they can also be tiring.
   
   Introverts aren't much better, for they can become so reserved into themselves that it is like a game of twenty questions just to find out how they are feeling or how their day was.
   
   With some of my extroverted companions, I never get a chance to speak and be listened to, and everyone likes being heard. With some of my introverted friends, our conversations fizzle out right away. Therefore, this Grant guy may be on to something with his ambivert idea.
   Ambiverts, I imagine, are the best of both worlds: someone who listens and can carry on a conversation.
   
   You know what would be great if there was a way to teach extroverts to be a little bit more quiet and listening, and to teach introverts that small talk and banter isn't the end of the world.

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6. 6. Macker 05:38 AM 2/4/13

   It is nothing new, smart recruiters have known about the talker/listener issue for decades. People often confuse the talk with the walk and assume talkers are competitive. Listeners tend to have higher business retention rates, even though talkers may appear to top the sales performance, over time the listener will produce the better results. It isn't true in all cases, but as a generalisation it probably works pretty well if you haven't done the metrics on your own team.

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7. 7. Socrates1969 07:01 AM 2/12/13

   My empirical evidence (N=1, 12 years of observation) agrees with the conclusion. I'm in sales and introverts using ambivalent interactions always out perform the normal extroverts and introverts. I've found introverts tend to have more developed intellects and seem better enabled to empathize with others, perhaps helping in the sales process.

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