Just when you thought all lumber traders were alike, a study involving 800 sales professionals has revealed there are eight different types. The Harvard Business Review (HBR) confirms the “best” three types of salespeople are Experts, Closers, and Consultants. The “rest” are Aggressors, Focusers, Narrators, Socializers, and Storytellers. A description for each type is available here.

HBR reports only the Experts, Closers, and Consultants – accounting for a mere 37% of salespeople – were found to be “consistently effective”. Moreover, the behaviours of the remaining 63% actually “drove down performance”. The good news? “The eight types represent behavioural tendencies; not set-in-stone personalities,” according to HBR. “Managers can effect changes in their current salespeople and recruit better salespeople in the future if they understand the eight types.”