Last year I bought my dream home in Noe Valley, and on Monday morning I woke up to my bedroom rattling to a 4.0 magnitude earthquake. I looked around for damage and listened the walls, floors, and hallways to be creaking but the rumble felt gentle and and the house was solid. All 112 years of it. I felt safe in my little abode.
Last year, my travel schedule was insane. In every room I had suitcases in various states of packed and unpacked. But this time of year, things are quiet and I’m finally getting to enjoy my home — especially the quiet and peaceful sacred space that keeps me grounded.
So when my sister asked if she could come up from Santa Cruz and stay over a couple nights this week, I said “No.” What? After thinking it over for a while, I said “no” again. How could I do such a thing to my own sister? How could I be so selfish? How could I turn away my own family? I felt super guilty, like a really bad sister.
The truth is, I’m a bit of an introvert. I need some quiet time alone to recharge. Whenever I say this to my close friends, they laugh out loud and think I’m joking. How could that be possible? I have an active social life, I speak in front of hundreds at conferences — all the time. It doesn’t seem to match up.
I felt validated after watching Susan Cain’s recent TedTalk on The Power of Introverts. In talking about their preferences and habits, she explains their need for solitude — to create, think, develop, and get energized.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Susan talks about how our society strongly discourages introverts, and it’s true. The sales profession in particular has traditionally chased extroverts. They are usually the most desirable applicants to hire and the most likely to succeed. Everyone wants them on their team and in their territory because their “always on” persona feeds the sales engine.
But I think it’s to rethink this strategy and to take a hard look at the introverts. They may not always have the ”gift of gab” but they can be grounded and come from inside out. Today’s inside salesperson doesn’t have to “talk” too much. In the Sales 2.0 world spend much more time writing, researching, thinking, and strategizing. All within the confines of their laptop.
If you have a lot of introverts in your sales meetings, you won’t have large discussions. They will be embarrassed when you share stories of their sales success, and feel uncomfortable if you rank them against their team members. But if you leave them alone, give them space, and trust them, you will be pleasantly surprised. And don’t forget to give them some privacy — especially when prospecting, it works wonders!
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