title: Rethinking the extraverted sales ideal: the ambivert advantage.
abstract: Despite the widespread assumption that extraverts are the most productive salespeople, research has shown weak and conflicting relationships between extraversion and sales performance. In light of these puzzling results, I propose that the relationship between extraversion and sales performance is not linear but curvilinear: Ambiverts achieve greater sales productivity than extraverts or introverts do. Because they naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale but are more inclined to listen to customers' interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident. A study of 340 outbound-call-center representatives supported the predicted inverted-U-shaped relationship between extraversion and sales revenue. This research presents a fresh perspective on the personality traits that facilitate successful influence and offers novel insights for people in choosing jobs and for organizations in hiring and training employees.
authors.affiliation: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6370, USA. grantad@wharton.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008297:Male; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: personality; personnel selection; social influences