If you’ve been trying to find sales reps that are gregarious, outgoing, and assertive, you may be barking up the wrong tree.  A Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania study says the best reps are actually people who are “ambiverts”—neither introverted nor extroverted but somewhere in between.

After studying more than 300 sales reps, it was found that reps whose personality characteristics are somewhere between being introverted and extroverted bring in 24% more revenue than their very extroverted or very introverted colleagues.

The stereotypical extreme extroverts who can “sell ice to Eskimos” don’t sell more ice than their seemingly shy and retiring colleagues. The winners in the sales race are those with a tendency to be assertive and enthusiastic enough to persuade and close but also have a strong selling methodology based on listening carefully to prospects and guiding them through the buying process with their insight.

So the next time you find yourself describing a potential hire as a “real people person,” check to see if they are asking you questions, listening to your answers, and suggesting ways to achieve what you are trying to accomplish.

Quote of the Week:
“I attract a crowd, not because I’m an extrovert or I’m over the top or I’m oozing with charisma. It’s because I care.” ~Gary Vaynerchuk