Many companies believe that the High D (Dominance) selling style is ideal for successful sales. First, some descriptors of this style:
Direct Daring Innovative
Blunt Competitive Bold
Risk Taker Problem Solver Challenge-Oriented
Self-Starter Inquisitive Power
These traits are all admirable in a salesperson but this style, if unchecked, if a ticking time bomb. Yes, sales requires a drive, even an aggressiveness to be successful.
In a previous post, I briefly discussed this style in regards to a current news story. The salesperson I mentioned could be a case study in High D sales behavior. Another experience from this salesperson. He used to visit prospects and put an intense sales push on them. He was effective in some instances, but he was far more acerbic than anyone in the company knew.
We helped this company hire another salesperson who was in the industry and covered the same territory as the High D salesperson. He told us during the interview that he would enjoy following the High D at a prospect’s facility. He mentioned that the easiest customers he gained were the ones who had just met with the High D salesperson and were completely upset by him. They viewed him as domineering, rude and inattentive. The High D cut down their objections and went for the hard close. The prospects often said no and then turned to this other salesperson for a competitive solution.
This is a singular example, but we have seen it play out in other forms at other companies. Some items to consider if you have or hire High D salespeople:
- Lead Pipeline. They cover much ground and are typically not thorough (depending on some other factors). High D’s enjoy making a list and then completing all of the tasks – the faster the better. You will need to have a strong lead pipeline, target market, etc. to keep them occupied.
- Transactional Sales. High D’s do not typically nurture a prospect along to close them. They prefer a direct, back-and-forth session and then the close. They can moderate this desire if the opportunity is highly valued, but they cannot maintain this adaptation for extended sales cycles (6+ months). Their style is far more suited to a transactional sale. They are the king of the one-call close. They are the clown of the 1 year sales cycle.
- Jugglers. High D’s like to have many balls in the air at any given time. They feed off of the energy of these tasks. However, they often overestimate their abilities and some things fall through. If they do not value a prospect, they may simply ignore them to focus on one of their other many tasks.
- Opinions. High D’s are opinionated (especially if they have a strong Traditional motivation) and like to win. In fact, this drive to win is so strong that they may “fire” a prospect if they feel they are losing. I am not kidding – I have seen this approach on many occasions and it shocks me every time. For the High D, saving face can be more of a driver than humbling themselves to get the sale.
As you can see from these few points, the High D selling style is the most dangerous for successful sales. We always flag this style and proceed with specific questions and assessment analysis to determine the threat level this style poses. It sounds serious, but trust me, one High D salesperson with the wrong mix of characteristics can defame your corporate name faster than a recall.
