One of the things that separate sales people from artists is the way that they view their products. Those who get a buzz out of the chase – the true sellers – will approach a prospect and say, in effect, “Would you like to buy my product?” Of course, there’s usually some pleasantries that precedes that question. “Lovely day we’re having, don’t you know.” Or, “Rain again. Maybe the summer will be nice.” As well as lots of preliminary discussions and questions to identify needs and wants. You know the sort of thing...

 

If the prospect says, “No”, when the sales person pops the question, then the best sales people will say, “Thank you for your time. When would it be sensible to meet again and discuss what has changed?” You probably have your own version of that close. Artists, on the other hand, approach the same selling opportunity a little bit differently. They, too, engage in the small talk. They chat about the weather, though they may use more romantic language. They too ask lots of good questions that bare down on needs and pain points. 

 

Most sales people want to make the deal, and so talking about money and decision making as they are both part of the process. Most artists, on the other hand, don’t like to talk about money or decision making at all and so they may skirt around the issues. They’re really hoping that you’ll say something because that will make it a lot easier for them to say something. 

 

After a bit of discussion about what they have to sell, the game changes when the question of buying or not arises. If the prospect says “Yes”, then artists feel good about themselves. If they say “No”, then artists can find themselves in a spot of bother. They can’t just walk away and move onto the next punter.

 

It’s because when you tell an artist that his or her work – whether it’s the product they want to sell or the structure of the deal is not your cup of tea, then that person feels that you have rejected him or her. Artists put all of themselves into their work, whether it’s the product itself, the deal that they have carefully crafted, or the presentation. To them, rejection of the product also means rejection of everything else, of which they are the creator.

 

That really depends on which of the two traits is dominant. There’s a difference between a sales person who is also artistic, and an artist who can sell. If you have a sales person who has artistic tendencies, then you can expect to see some very creative sales presentations. If, however, you have an artist who can sell, then there’s a risk that that person will struggle where negotiation is necessary or rejection occurs. That person may, though not necessarily, find it difficult to modify the structure of the deal according to the needs of the prospect. 

 

What can you do if you find that one of your sales people feels personally vested in the product, the structure of the deal, or the presentation? One way is to buddy that person with someone who is a salesman or women who also has artistic tendencies. The lesser artistic qualities in the one will connect with the dominant artistic traits in the other. This will enable them both to communicate and even collaborate in ways that others would never be able to do.

 

It will require considerable skill on your part to do this properly. You’re likely to find that it’s much easier to assign your most successful sales person, irrespective of any artistic qualities, to the person who is predominantly an artist, rather than to take the trouble of finding the “perfect” partner. If you do that, however, then you can expect that neither one will understand the other. It’s entirely possible, too, that out of sheer frustration one or both will resign.

 

No one ever said that managing people would be easy. You can make that job more manageable, however, by learning to identify the different personality traits in your team. The unique perspective that profiling can add will bring a lot of value to all that you do. 

 

 

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