“If my best closer would just dial more, he could make a lot more sales.”
I hear this all the time.
Here’s the sad truth: your best closer will not become your best dialer, and vice versa. Great closers and great dialers are two distinct breeds. Let’s look at them from the lens of the Big 5 Personality Traits to see why you might want to separate these roles.
The Big 5 Personality Traits
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of great closers and great dialers, let’s take a moment to get to know the Big 5 personality traits. These traits are the foundation of our exploration:
Openness to Experience. Think of this as a measure of your appetite for new experiences and your willingness to embrace change. On one end of the spectrum, you’ve got the adventurers and innovators, while on the other, there are the folks who prefer the comfort of routine.
Conscientiousness. Conscientiousness zeroes in on your organizational skills, reliability, and goal-driven nature. It spans from the highly organized, goal-oriented folks to the laid-back, spontaneous individuals.
Extraversion. Extraversion measures your sociability, assertiveness, and ease in social situations. Picture the outgoing, talkative individuals on one end and the quiet, introspective souls on the other.
Agreeableness. Agreeableness looks at your capacity for cooperation and empathy, versus competitiveness. Some folks are highly cooperative and compassionate, while others lean towards competitiveness and assertiveness.
Neuroticism. Neuroticism checks in on your emotional stability, resilience, and stress tolerance. It ranges from the cool and composed individuals in times of trouble to those who tend to get anxious and stressed.
Now that we’ve laid the groundwork, let’s explore how these traits manifest in the roles of great closers and great dialers.
The Great Closer
The best closers boast a unique set of personality traits that make them stand out in their role:
High Extraversion. These individuals thrive in social settings, confidently asserting themselves to close deals.
Medium-to-High Conscientiousness. Their high levels of organization and goal-oriented behavior ensure they stay on top of leads.
Medium Agreeableness. While moderate, they maintain a competitive edge, driving them toward success.
The Great Dialer
On the flip side, great dialers have their own set of personality traits that make them invaluable:
Low Extraversion. They lean towards data-driven tasks, ensuring accuracy in lead management.
High Conscientiousness. Their attention to detail and persistence ensure no lead goes untouched.
High Agreeableness. High levels of cooperation and empathy facilitate meaningful interactions with potential clients.
Should You Create Two Roles?
Imagine that you had a few dialers funneling opportunities to a closer. What would you gain?
First, you’d benefit from specialization. If Each person can do what they do best, you get more motivation and focused performance. When closers focus on closing and dialers focus on dialing, distractions are minimized, and productivity can soar. Not to mention that training becomes more specialized.
Second, everyone would like their jobs better. Aligning roles with personality traits boosts morale. Employees feel valued and effective when doing work they like and putting up wins.
Third, prospects and customers have a better interaction when well-suited individuals handle their respective tasks with more zeal.
Fourth, employees are less likely to burn out. Separating roles prevents exhaustion and enhances overall well-being by reducing role conflicts.
What To Do Next?
Just take a look at your top dialer and your top closer. If they’re not the same person, ask yourself a few questions:
- Could these two seriously do each other’s jobs as well as they do their own?
- Would I get more total yield if they were specializing?
- If I made that work, could I copy/paste and really scale my sales team?
And give it a try. Let them specialize. You’ll have some pushback at first, as people try to figure out whether this is dangerous for them. You’ll also have to work through a comp plan change. But eventually, they’ll be much happier and collectively produce more.