Article 5 in The 7 Client Personality Types series
This article is part of a series on The 7 Client Personality Types: an Ethical Sales framework to help you transform every sales conversation with potential clients into a clear, kind, and meaningful connection.
This article highlights the fourth Client Personality Type: The Salesperson.
Have you ever been pitched to… inside your own sales call? Then you’ve met The Salesperson Client Personality Type.
Salespeople have an infectious enthusiasm and an unyielding drive to share their incredible offers with anyone willing to listen. They are passionate about selling and may often divert conversations toward their offerings or excuses for why they can’t say yes to working with you.
Picture this: You’re engaging in a conversation with a coach named Lisa. As soon as you mention a topic, she exclaims, “Oh, that reminds me of this amazing offer I have! Let me tell you all about it. It’s hand-picked for a select few, and I genuinely believe you would benefit from it.”
What’s Great About Guiding The Salesperson (The High Side):
The Salesperson has great enthusiasm, bravado, and confidence that can be incredibly exciting to work with. They have a drive to build and create that is inspiring and demonstrate boldness by sharing and asking for the sale. In many ways, they serve as an inspiration for the type of sales process you’re creating.
When you can guide a Salesperson like Lisa to yield to the boundaries of the conversation, set their offering to the side, soften, and be vulnerable about their needs, the opportunity to create a lifelong client, friend, and collaborative partner is closer than you think.
What’s Challenging About Guiding The Salesperson (The Low Side):
Vulnerability can be like kryptonite for a Salesperson. They are often too busy posturing, buying into their own excuses and stories, or selling to you to receive your offer, making reaching the heart of their needs very difficult. At times, consistently encountering potential clients who attempt to sell their services and offerings instead of listening to your own can dampen your enthusiasm for promoting your offerings.
As a coach, Lisa is likely accustomed to being the one with the answers. They can spend so much time in this position that they’ve forgotten how to be in the client role. This can create a kind of “power struggle,” and if you aren’t careful, you can fall into the trap of comparing yourself to Lisa in terms of performance, techniques, results, or services.
Moving From Low to High (Uncovering The Sincere Lead Within):
The key to uncovering the Sincere Lead within a Salesperson is to avoid competing with their sales energy and kindly saying “No, thank you” when they fall into their sales role or storylines.
This means running the risk of offending the Salesperson, and it’s an excellent test for resiliency. If the potential to become a Sincere Lead lies within, they will respect your boundaries and assume their role as the potential client. Consider the following suggestions when speaking with a Salesperson:
- Have fun with them: Embrace the playful banter and practice bold, lighthearted pushback. Salespeople thrive on enthusiasm and can handle your pushback, so let your passion shine while setting clear boundaries to ensure the conversation aligns with its intended goals and objectives. Ask with a lighthearted tone, “Is that true?” when you notice they are falling down their own excuses rabbit hole or limiting beliefs.
- Make time for them: Gently redirect the conversation to maintain focus on the potential of working together and create space for Lisa’s excitement by saying, “Oh, I love that. You're so excited about what you're working on right now. I know this conversation is about us working together and possibly hiring my company. Would you be willing to focus on our potential to work together in this capacity, and we can schedule another time to discuss your offer?”
- Explore the possibilities: Don’t shut the Salesperson down! In our experience, these conversations are a fantastic opportunity for collaboration and exchange, so explore the possibilities at an appropriate time. Plus, Salespeople love to talk (maybe you’ve noticed) when you embrace them fully in conversation; they become raving fans and can expose you to so many people you would never have connected with if you shut them down.
Amazing things can happen when you and Lisa create space for each other’s inner Salesperson. Regardless of whether she becomes an Ideal Client or not, Salespeople like Lisa are some of the most impactful individuals you’ll meet along your sales journey.
Salespeople are natural collaborators. With the right boundaries and guidance, they can become your best clients — or biggest cheerleaders.
An important reminder: Every potential client holds all 7 Client Personality Types within them (and so do we!). What you first encounter may shift into another as the conversation unfolds — and that’s part of the beauty. Stay curious, ask thoughtful questions, and let each type reveal itself in time as you guide the conversation. Whether they evolve into a Sincere Lead or not, your goal is always the same: co-create clarity with care and consent.
Explore other articles in the 7 Client Personality Types series:
- The Secret to Making Sales Conversations Fun and Effective
- How to Ground the Dreamer Client and Make the Sale
- Turning Window-Shoppers Into Referral Sources
- The Vampire Client: How to Give Without Getting Drained
- Why Some of the Best Clients Are Also Salespeople
- Build Trust, Not Pressure: The Secret to Selling to Skeptics
- Turn Intuitive Clients Into Reliable, Aligned Buyers
- The Nesting Doll Secret to Spotting Dream Clients
Marla Mattenson
With a 25+ year career, Mattenson is a trailblazer in transforming sales paradigms from transactional to relational for professionals who prioritize the integrity & fulfillment of their services. She is a champion of consent-based sales.
www.instagram.com/marla.mattenson
