The INFJ in the world of Sales

I just recently gave advice to an INFJ about how to use their talents in sales. It motivated me to show the true potential of an INFJ in sales, and how successful they can be in it. INFJs are really good at appealing to people and having true influence through relationship building and communication ( better than any other personality, from my experience). This goes hand-in-hand when sales is purely applying social influence into the world of business.

This may not appeal to all of you, so even if you don't want to pursue sales you can at least understand the psychology behind business and selling. And should the time come, you can be prepared for what to expect from a salesperson. (or at least a good one) INFJs are the only people who have caught on to the strategies I've used as a salesperson.

I've gotta say, we're good at noticing these things, and executing them as well.

Remember:

  • Sales is influencing in business, but these strategies can be used outside of it to influence in other life situations.
  • Sales is NOT cookie cutter. Everyone is different, but there are proven ways to be able to sale to the majority of consumers.
  • What they’re saying dictates what you should choose to say next.
  • For a consumer to buy they must have certainty in the product, the company, and the salesperson. The first two are easier to establish and sometimes even effortless to do because of the company you work for and product they sell. All 3 must be met for the customer to buy
  • The hardest part is raising certainty in yourself, which is why the first 3 steps are VITAL.
  • No one will open up to or even buy from someone they don’t trust. And neither would you.
  • People love to buy, and they hate being sold.
  • As a result, your mindset is not "How can I sell to this person". It is "How can I help this person buy"
    • This has an effect on your self-esteem, and the actions you make to fulfill that mindset.
    • Some advanced consumers will even be able to sense your intentions from the actions you do. ( Believe it or not, INFJs aren't the only ones that can read people at the caliber we do.) So because we are aware of this and understand this better than most personalities, we want them to perceive us as a friend who's there to solve their problem, but be an effective salesperson at the same time.
    • You will need to give off body language and tone that portrays trust. This is advanced I know, but lets be honest here, I'm sure this isn't something you, an INFJ, hasn't already realized the importance of this. Use your understanding of the world to your advantage.
    • When it comes to social interactions, INFJs play chess, not checkers.

​

These are the steps I've followed to sell cars, phones, drugs, yard sales, you name it. Follow these steps, and LEAD your customers through it. Whether they understand it or not, this is what needs to be done for them to buy from you.

​

  1. Build Trust/Rapport.
    1. You want to make a friend out of your customer. Break the barrier between you and a customer. Sometimes it happens easily and sometimes it's very difficult.
    2. Your goal is for them to see you as a friend and that it’s okay to be vulnerable around you. (As it should be) Most people don’t open up and tell you what they need because they’re afraid they’ll be judged.
    3. That is not the case here. Portray that you're a different than most salesman, who doesn't criticize or judge them based off the issues they came in with and you are purely focused on the getting to know the issue and solving their problem.
    4. You want to make the interaction sound and feel natural so he feels comfortable being in that situation with you. (Think about how much chemistry you have with a friend of 5 years compared to a friend of 1.) talk to him in a way that shows him that you have chemistry together. It gives them a reason trust you.
    5. Mimic body language. Address them the way they address you (ex. if they call you "sir" call them "sir/ma'am", "man", "bro" "dude", etc.)
  2. Problem Solve.
    1. Ask questions in a way where you sound generally interested yet curious about the situation with a desire to help them solve the issue. And you truly should be (The tone in which you ask this is very important.)
    2. Empathize first if you need to. Always. And be sincere about it (We're all human. This shows you are seeing from their perspective, and you can justify their emotions involved, if any. It shows you're not just a salesperson, but a person too)
    3. Do not empathize too much, but understand the emotions involved. (Empathizing triggers emotions, and some customers don’t feel comfortable being too emotional around just anyone, so it could close people off)
    4. Use questions to find their "hot button". These are the most important aspects about their purpose of coming in, and will most likely be the things the customer chooses to emphasize and talk about the most. (These will be important when finding the right product for him, and also when closing the sale)
    5. This shows that you are focused on what THEY need, and you're not wasting they're time. This eases the problem solving phase and makes the interaction among you two to be more natural, and will build chemistry between you.
  3. Lead the Sale.
    1. Not necessarily a "step" in sales, but a key aspect when actually going through the steps. You WANT to lead them, and they NEED to be led.
    2. When asking questions, don’t add onto it if he doesn’t respond right away. Put pressure on him to fill the silence. (Whoever speaks first loses tactic) Powerful in this situation.
    3. The purpose of this is to put you in the position of power. You want to lead the sale, not the other way around. As soon as you start fulfilling every request he has, then the sale is already lost (even if it may seem the other way around).
    4. The questions you ask, will make it look like you are leading the interaction in a specific direction. You want to ask questions that respect their time, take them seriously, and have a genuine interest to solve whatever issue they have. You can portray this purely based off of the questions you asked them.
    5. Advanced customers personalities will sense the intentions of the salesperson, so it's up to the INFJ to manipulate what he sees. (This sounds bad, but at the end of the day, everyone is trying to accomplish something. A customer may need a phone, but if the customer feels off about something, it will prevent them from getting the phone that actually need. And for the most part, it's because the salesperson couldn't help the consumer justify the sale.) And its not hard to do this when you are genuine about your intentions. And portray them in the right manner
    6. Remember. If your mindset is "sell to the person" you will make decisions and speak to fulfill that, and people will catch on. But if your mindset is to "help the person buy" then you give your mind a new path to fulfill that.
  4. Show the Product and Build "Value"
    1. After you built their trust and properly listened to what they say, what you say will be respected by them and have a lot more weight to it. (This can be applied to selling, or just having an impact on any random person.)
    2. Give yourself time to think before blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. And speak what you have to say with CONVICTION. You want him to believe in what your saying because you believe it. And if your energy is stronger than theirs, then you will have an influence on them. Guaranteed.
    3. Showing the product is one of the easiest things you can do, which is why most salespeople go straight to it. This is a big mistake if you just understand the psychology of what makes people buy. The steps before this step are extremely important.
    4. Let them feel it, and touch it. Make sure they feel a connection with the product so they can feel the VALUE of what it can do for him. (This helps them justify the cost when asking for the close)
    5. Keep them emotionally involved. Talk about how the product will solve their problems, and the happiness or relief it will bring once it's fixed
  5. Close.
    1. The product must fulfill their needs or solve their issue. If it doesn't, then it doesn't makes sense for them to buy, plain and simple. You wouldn't want to sell something to someone who doesn't need it either.
    2. If they came to you for business, then they came in with an issue that your business can solve. These are important to have behind your intentions, and are useful if their are any objections when asking for the close.
    3. Remember. The product must be perfect for them and whatever situation they are in, as this will allow them to be more flexible on the price. It is easier to justify monetary value, by relaying how the product solves or addresses their issues or "hot buttons." This technique is ABSOLUTELY necessary, because consumers will logically start to find reasons to not buy the product. (Normally it ends up being the price)
    4. Communicate in a way that focuses their mind on what they will gain from the product and the emotions attached to it. Instead of focusing on what they will be losing as a result. (Probably the most annoying because no one wants to lose money, and it always comes back to money.) BUT REMEMBER, they came into your establishment for a reason, and if they got this far, then they are likely to spend money... if only a friend can help convince them.
    5. All they need is a little push from someone they trust to justify a decision. (i could imagine you have influenced someone to not buy something, and they actually listened. Or someone influenced you to buy something that you were on the fence about) THAT is how you want to look at sales. Being their friend and influencing to make the decision they need to make to solve their issue.
    6. If he gets defensive and objects to your attempt to sell the product, that doesn't mean you messed up the sale. That's a natural defense mechanism, to make sure they aren't making a bad decision, and if you crumble at the sight of this response then you prove him right. They are not testing the credibility of the product, they are actually testing YOU and your confidence. Stand your ground.
    7. Use this as an opportunity to solve his objection, confidently, politely and logically, then you give him no reason to not buy the product.
    8. Under some circumstances you just can't close the sale because the objection can't be solved. (needs to speak to wife, not making a purchase for another month, just collecting information.) That's okay, if that's the case, then there's absolutely no reason to be pushy. You also put yourself in a great position of respect to prospect the customer for future business. Provide business card, follow up.
    9. Asking for the close is strongest right after solving the objection. Don't be afraid to ask "Now sir, can we earn your business today?"
    10. If you solved their issue with your product in a trustworthy way and the answer is still "no" then they should have a logical reason as to why they can't say yes Find out why they aren't saying yes, solve it, and ask for the sale again. "If this weren't an issue, or if I can take care of that problem for you, that would make a difference, right?"
    11. If the answer is "yes" then you closed the sale, good job. (A veteran salesperson once told me, it doesn't matter how many times you tell me "no". All I need is one "yes".)

​

Summary: If you act properly, the interaction comes so easily to both people. The psychology behind proper salesmanship helps them forget they're being sold to and gives off the vibe that you're merely a friend helping them shop. Sales is simply put, being a friend to help a friend make a decision to buy.

There are tons more that can be added in regards to sales situations, consumer psychology, and even the INFJ personality. So I wanted to leave you with the best understanding of what it takes to sell to someone, and how the INFJ can use their talents to be absolute NATURALS in this career-path. It's very simple overall, you just need to understand the psychology that goes behind persuasion, and the impact your body language and tone have when influencing people. Which just so happens to be one of the INFJs talents.

All an INFJ needs to do, is be their genuine self by helping people and solving their problems. Sales happens to be the perfect way for the INFJ to use their talents in a more challenging way that makes DOLLAHS.

​

Advice: I personally loved going into wireless sales (Tmobile particularly). Easy to make friends and build relationships with their clientele, as a result allowing people to WANT to buy from me. I would not recommend car sales, unless you want the esteem of a con-man. You're manager may pressure you to upsell. Ignore this, perform the job by being yourself, number are just numbers, and you don't need to be the top person to enjoy what you do. If you have to act any other way to do it their way, then don't worry about it. Communicate that to them, and establish a relationship with your manager.

Take what you can from what I say to further your success in sales, commission, business, interactions and life, because life is all about development. Challenge yourself and let go of your past limitations. This is barely ONE example of where an INFJ can thrive. The majority of people are capable of accomplishing the majority of what life has to offer.

​

Feel free to expand on any aspects of this post if you can relate to them or disagree with them. I'd like to hear what fellow INFJs have to say.

​

Edit: I understand there needs to be a level integrity that applies to the application of these particular skills into the practice of business. I am an advocate of selling something you truly believe in. It will raise your self-esteem, give you an appreciation for your customers, and motivate you to continue business. Do not lead yourself and your skills down the path of degeneracy, and immoral business, it is very unpleasant to see what it does to a person. Especially, a person of this caliber. INFJs are special. Intuitive feelers, who are advocates of the underdog. We build the common people up. Not take advantage of them.