Key takeaways
• Salespeople generally fall into three archetypes: the Cat (reserved and space-creating), the Dog (enthusiastic and warm), and the Bee (balanced and supportive).
• Each sales style brings unique strengths and potential weaknesses that cater to different types of customers and complement a sales team.
• Understanding and intentionally leveraging one’s specific sales style improves customer connection, closing rates, and workplace satisfaction.
A cat, a dog and a bee walk (or fly) into a bar. They came together, but they split up immediately. The cat finds a stool in the corner and sits quietly, watching everything and everyone. The dog goes bounding into the crowd like he’s at a family reunion. The bee buzzes from table to table, never staying long, but always on a mission.
If you’ve spent any time on a sales floor, you probably know exactly who I’m talking about. While the cat, the dog and the bee all have different styles, they also appeal to different kinds of guests in a store, and knowing each approach’s strengths and weaknesses helps a well-rounded sales team work in perfect harmony to close sales.
The Cat
Cats can be famously aloof. I think we’ve all known a friend’s cat that doesn’t seem to care at all about meeting houseguests… Until those guests have something they want. Cat-style salespeople don’t chase or perform. I’ve watched salespeople work this way. They’re quiet and almost seem detached, but they’re not. They’re listening, watching and planning their approach. A cat-style salesperson is the perfect match for guests who have felt hounded by desperate sales pitches, personalized ads and constant pressure to buy. Working with a cool-and-collected salesperson who makes space for the guest, rather than filling it with their own thoughts and opinions, makes closing these sales much more likely.
The downside, of course, is that a guest can easily mistake this laid-back, customer-led approach for indifference. Cat-style salespeople need to walk a fine line between being reserved and showing genuine enthusiasm in their own way. Luckily, like a real cat, the most talented cat-style salespeople strike the right balance and walk this tightrope with ease.
The Dog
We call dogs “man’s best friend” for a reason! So many of them love you from the second they meet you. Even if you step out to chat with the neighbor for a few minutes, they’ll greet you like a long-lost friend who’s been gone for years. Dog-style salespeople bring this positive, boundless energy to the sales floor. They’re just as excited for the guest’s proposal, birthday gift, or other milestone as the guest is, and that enthusiasm can be contagious. Dog-style salespeople can make the purchase process fun and exciting, helping them connect with guests and close sales with ease.
But as anyone who’s ever been jumped on by an overly-enthusiastic dog can tell you, that kind of energy can be too much. A dog-style salesperson may catch themself coming on too strong, following two steps behind and narrating every case.
My friend and mentor, the late Jeff High, was a legendary jeweler whose incredible warmth lives on in everyone he trained. He had the dog’s heart, without the dog’s desperation, and knew how to let his love for his work and eagerness to connect come through without making the guest feel, if you’ll forgive me for a pun, hounded.
The Bee
And then there’s the bee. Cats and dogs are obvious opposites, and the bee sits between them. The bee doesn’t ignore you or overwhelm you. They say you’ll catch more bees with honey than with vinegar, but it’s more than that. Bees make honey themselves, bringing something good to every interaction and using the time it takes to create something sweet.
Bee-style salespeople often bounce from guest to guest, make a brief connection, and then give it time to bloom. They keep each interaction positive, like a dog, but also give the client space and time to explore and decide, like a cat. The best guest interactions with a bee-style salesperson leave them feeling supported and confident in a choice they’ve made themselves, which is a slam dunk for closing a sale.
This is a tough balance. Bee-style salespeople risk coming on too strong or too disinterested. They may leave too much space in the guest’s visit and miss the opportunity to close a sale. But the best bee-style salespeople have a sixth sense for when to visit a guest and when to give them space, and often, guests remember them without ever quite being able to put their finger on ‘why.’
Which One Are You?
The cat, the dog and the bee in the bar would all get along, because they’re not in competition. Each appeals to a different kind of guest, and each helps cultivate the greatest asset in a sale: connection. Each one has a strength (the cat’s space, the dog’s warmth, the bee’s sweetness), but each also has a weakness that could be balanced by another salesperson on their team.
So ask yourself – which are you? And once you know, how can you use your strength with intention to change the experience guests have with you?
I’ve known successful salespeople of all kinds. And one thing I can tell you is this: cat, dog or bee, the ones who know their strengths and use them wisely aren’t just successful. They’re happy at work, too.
Want to make this fun with your team? I put together a short worksheet to run it as a
floor exercise — no cost, no catch. Email me at ivan@ivanthegreatful.com, and I’ll send
you a copy.
