I’ve been beating this drum regularly but conventional wisdom takes time to change. CareerJournal.com offers up a Jurassic quote in Want to Work on Commission? Make Sure You Have a Nest Egg (emphasis mine):
The inconsistent nature of working on commission doesn’t suit everyone. Here are some tips for those considering the switch:
1. Evaluate Your Personality
Working on commission requires establishing relationships, massaging deals and building trust with clients. In order to be successful, it helps to be a “people person.”
“Introverts will not succeed on commission,” says Rick Gold, vice president of Strategic Workforce Solutions Inc., a full-service search firm in New York. “Clients don’t necessarily do business with me because I’m the best recruiter ever, it’s because I build relationships and trust,” he says.
Pure poppycock. Just take one moment to comprehend the vast ignorance of this sweeping generalization. I cannot count how many sales “introverts” we have assessed for our clients who are wildly successful. One of our customer’s top salesperson, an introvert, is paid commission only and makes over $1,000,000 per year. I’m not sure what the definition of “succeed” is in Mr. Gold’s world, but $1M per year in commissions is success in my world.
Here is where sales has changed due to the Internet. In the era before the Internet, researching a company and/or their offerings was a difficult task that usually involved word-of-mouth or direct contact with the company. This approach suited the extrovert’s style in that they could over rely upon their communication ability (rapport, bonding, entertaining).
Now the internet puts volumes of data at the prospect’s fingertips. Besides the company’s website, there are other sites that rate and review companies or products. There are blogs dedicated to cross reference for individual experiences. There are even technical sites that break down specifics of the company’s products.
The prospect making his or her first contact with the company is well informed of the company’s offerings. The prospect probably has some detailed questions and is a handful of clicks deep into the company’s website. This approach plays well to the introvert’s natural style. They are able to click into the detailed discussion with the prospect. Of course, this is just one facet of their sales abilities – and the least important facet. The salesperson’s skills, aptitudes and motivations will tell you more about their overall ability and their likelihood to succeed in a commission-only position.