The Retail Doctor's Blog

Retailers have tried everything it seems to get employees to sell more.

So many try to hire the natural born salesperson. That doesn’t really work because generally they are few and far between.

Some try to use contests but that only works for a certain personality style.

I have a confession to make...

I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator when I was in college thirty years ago but I don't remember what letters I was.

I'm sure at a high level it is very useful for many people in psychology.

Here's the thing for the rest of us...

Even when I got the results, I didn't know what they meant.

Personality styles are so important when considering retail sales training. In fact, I have an entire course in my popular online interactive sales training program SalesRX.

In a previous post I covered the Driver personality. This time we’re examining their polar opposite, the Amiable when working in your retail store.

We’re finding more and more untrained Amiables on the retail sales floor who end up lurking behind the counters (or the castle as I like to call it) passively waiting for customers to approach them and say, “I'll take it!” It's not their fault...

This retail sales training post expands on the four personalities presented here with an overview.

The Driver personality style is all about power and ego. External validation by applause, commission checks, status or atta-boys drives them to excel.

I was training a group of about twenty store retail store managers on personality styles.

I was highlighting the differences between the four personality types; the Driver, Analytical, Expressive and Amiable.

I spoke about extensively the Driver personality style. That's because I am one.

Characteristics of the Driver include a bit of an aggressive nature, results oriented, "cut to the chase" mentality. (Think: Donald Trump.) These are strengths that can lead others to see the Driver as blunt, domineering and risk takers.

We were all to go out to a local restaurant. The client's coordinator had us fill out one of four choices of entree and soup or salad and dressing choice by noon and faxed to the restaurant to save time.

Only an Expressive personality could wear a dress made entirely out of meat to present at an awards show.

Only an Expressive personality could become a fitness guru wearing satin shorts and a tank top for nearly 30 years.

Of course, I'm talking about

While I was looking for a lawn spreader, I asked the salesclerk, “Why should I buy this one?”

He quickly answered, “Because it makes sense...” At that moment he confirmed my suspicions that he was an Analytical personality style.

I've previously shared my thoughts about the Amiable personality style, the Expressive personality style, and the Driver. Today, with their sensibile, fact-based approach, it's the Analytical.

Personality styles can make or break your retail sales training...

Imagine you were just plopped into a car parked on the side of a road, you don’t know how to drive, you don’t know what a road is or how to get the car to run.

You try different things and eventually start the car, pull onto the road and learn the rules but not without a lot of bumps along the way.

Personality styles have fascinated salespeople since the Greeks first identified them as the 4 temperaments.

That’s because personality styles can give any retail salesperson, from novice to the seasoned pro, another way to cut out the fluff and connect with customers quickly by talking to them in a way they want to be talked to.

Those who master personality styles are able to have meaningful conversations that value both the customer and the salesperson. And that leads to higher sales.

Not sure what your own personality style is? Take my free personality quiz here.

Here are the do’s and don’ts of customer service by personality style:

Want your sales associates to make more retail sales?

First, imagine you were just plopped into a car parked on the side of a road, you don’t know how to drive, you don’t know what a road is or how to get the car to run.

You try different things and eventually start the car, pull onto the road and learn the rules but not without a lot of bumps along the way.

That's the training for many retail associates.

They try all kinds of hit-or-miss things...often without realizing they were pre-determining their own success.

Could that be you?