You hired a seasoned sales pro. They crushed it at their last company. You thought, “If they can sell that, they’ll do even better here.” Fast forward a few months...and now you're staring at the pipeline like it owes you money.
You're not alone. This happens way more than most business leaders want to admit. Because yeah, they sounded awesome in the interview. But liking someone in a 45-minute interview doesn't mean they’ll crush quota.
Let’s break down what’s really going on and what you can do to fix it.
Your Salespeople Might Be Accidentally Scaring Off Prospects
Just because someone crushed it by selling a different product doesn’t mean they’ll automatically succeed with yours. That assumption is risky — and more often than not, it backfires.
Maybe their previous product practically sold itself. Or they had a marketing engine handing them qualified leads day after day. So when they land at your company, without that same structure or support? Their numbers look abysmal.
Yes, they seem confident. But confidence can cloud judgment — for you and for them. Just because their personality clicked with yours doesn’t mean it’ll resonate with your buyers. Especially if your buyer isn’t the type who thrives on high-energy charm and casual coffee chats.
Picture this: your new rep is a classic extrovert. They’re outgoing, enthusiastic, and have big energy. That chemistry might’ve even sealed the deal in the interview.
But now imagine that same rep sitting across from a cautious, detail-oriented introvert buyer who wants to read every word of the contract...twice. That’s not just a mismatch — it’s a communication breakdown.
The issue isn’t necessarily what the rep is saying. It’s how they’re saying it. And once a prospect feels uneasy or pressured, even the most polished pitch deck in the world won’t save the deal.
Selling Isn't One-Size-Fits-All
Not everyone buys the way you sell. That’s why we teach sales teams to understand behavior styles.
It’s not just about knowing your own strengths (though that’s part of it). It’s about learning how other people perceive you.
Most salespeople assume being outgoing makes them universally likable. It doesn’t. Your salespeople should understand a framework called DISC, which breaks behavior down into four styles:
- Dominance (direct and assertive)
- Influence (social and persuasive)
- Steadiness (calm and cooperative)
- Compliance (detail-oriented and cautious)
If your salesperson naturally leans toward a dominant (or high-D) style, they’re probably direct, fast-moving, and results-focused.
That approach can work well with prospects who are wired the same way. But it doesn’t translate across the board.
Let’s say a prospect starts asking a lot of questions. They want to understand the steps, the timeline, the logic behind the recommendation. A high-D rep might get impatient and cut in with something like, “Just trust me.”
This might land fine with another dominant buyer, but say it to someone with a steadiness (S) or compliance (C) style — someone who values predictability, thoroughness, or clarity — and you’ve just lost the sale. They don’t want shortcuts. They want to understand the process.
“Just trust me” sounds dismissive to them. It triggers doubt, not confidence.
Understanding how your style lands with different buyers is the difference between pushing someone away and pulling them in.
Understanding Buyer Motivation Also Matters In Sales
Let’s talk about what drives people to buy. We use an assessment that measures six motivators:
- Theoretical: hungry for knowledge
- Utilitarian: all about ROI
- Aesthetic: drawn to beauty and harmony
- Social: motivated by helping others
- Individualistic: wants recognition and status
- Traditional: seeks order and structure
Most salespeople assume everyone’s a utilitarian—“they care about the deal, so I’ll slash the price.” That’s a rookie mistake.
Let me paint you a real-world picture.
How One Rug Store Turned Sales Around by Understanding Buyers
We have this friend who owns a fancy rug store in a posh Charlotte neighborhood. His main buyers are wealthy women who treat their homes like Vogue spreads. He used to say, “This is for the women who want to dress their homes as well as they dress themselves.” And it worked.
Then the economy took a downturn, and he got nervous. He threw up huge “20% OFF” banners on the front pillars to drum up new traffic. Although new people came in, they didn’t buy.
Why? Because now the store looked like a bargain bin. He attracted shoppers expecting affordable prices — but his rugs were still luxury-priced. Meanwhile, his original clientele saw the signs and thought, “Ew. Cheap.”
We told him to lose the signs. Instead, send out beautiful cardstock invitations to an exclusive wine and cheese preview night. Make it feel elite again.
Guess what? Sales bounced back. Because his core customer wasn’t motivated by price. She was high aesthetic and high individualistic. She wanted elegance and status, not a markdown sticker.
The Platinum Rule of Sales
The big lesson? Stop treating others the way you want to be treated. That’s the golden rule. And while it’s sweet, it doesn’t work in sales.
We teach the platinum rule: treat people the way they want to be treated.
This isn’t guesswork. It’s a teachable skill. Your team can learn to read behavioral cues, listen for motivational tells, and adjust their pitch accordingly.
Suddenly, they’re not just selling. They’re connecting.
How to Actually Teach This to Your Sales Team
That’s where The Metiss Group’s The Customer Insight Builder™ comes in. It’s a two-day sales training workshop that flips the lights on for your salespeople.
Day One is all about self-awareness. We help each team member figure out their own behavioral style and what truly drives them.
That night, they get homework. Whether they’re chatting with an Uber driver or a server at dinner, their job is to identify that person’s behavior and motivators using what they learned in the workshop.
Day Two? Everyone comes back with stories. Real-world examples, real-world results. Once your team starts seeing people through this lens, selling gets a whole lot easier.
In Other Words: Your Sales Problem Might Not Be a Sales Problem
If your team isn’t closing, it’s not always a pipeline issue. Or a product problem. It might just be a people mismatch.
When reps learn how to meet buyers where they are—both behaviorally and motivationally—they stop pushing and start persuading. That’s when things change.
At The Metiss Group, we’re behavior experts at work, and we guide clients just like you to help them understand how to read people and close deals.
So, what’s the next step? Now that you understand why your sales team isn’t closing deals, head over to The Customer Insights Builder™ page to learn more about how to drive sales and retain customers through tailored connections.
