How to Use Personality to Sell Inbound Marketing
Sales is an emotional profession. There are highs and lows, wins and losses, and a whole lot of personalities.
Some people are just destined to sell. But what makes someone great at sales?
Many factors make someone a great salesperson. However, an often overlooked one is personality - not a salesperson having a great personality themselves, but the ability to adjust personality to sell more effectively. (Another often-overlooked sales skill? Using metaphors to simplify complex services.)
The BOLT System
The BOLT system was brought to my attention when I was selling in corporate. Charles Clarke created this framework to identify and work with different personality types. He came and spoke at a training I was part of, and I got a lot out of it.
The general theory is that there are four major personality types. Most people are a combination of two, with one being more dominant.
Charles Clarke breaks these personality types into four animals to make them easily identifiable.
Bulls, Owls, Lambs, and Tigers
Let’s briefly break down these personality types and see which one you most identify with.
Bulls - The bulls are the no-nonsense type of people. They like to be in charge and in control. When they ask direct questions, they want direct responses. They’re typically fast decision-makers who don’t want their time wasted. In a sales context, skip the pleasantries and get to the point quickly. Have your facts ready and answer their questions directly without padding.
Owls - The owls are your analytical type. They love to research options and know all the facts before making a decision. The sales process is typically longer with these types of people. They’ll want documentation, case studies, and detailed answers to every question. Don’t rush them - give them the information they need and follow up consistently.
Lambs - The lambs are often mild-mannered. They care a lot about relationships and may be thought of as the “people pleasers.” They are big on relationships and work to avoid confrontation. In sales, this means they may not push back directly even when they have concerns - you need to draw those out. Building rapport and trust is essential before they’ll commit to anything.
Tigers - The tigers are the life of the party. Very energetic and enthusiastic. Typically upbeat people who make decisions quickly and impulsively. They respond well to excitement and vision - paint the big picture for them and don’t get bogged down in details. They’ll often want to say yes fast, so be prepared to move quickly when they’re ready.
Why Personality Types Are Important in Sales
Knowing your own personality type is important. People feel more comfortable buying from people similar to them.
If you are a bull and are selling to a lamb, there will naturally be friction during that process. As a result, the lamb will feel uncomfortable and likely not move forward even if your solution is a good one.
People want to buy products and services from people they like and trust.
Knowing your own personality type is only half the battle. The other half is finding out the prospect’s personality type on the other end of the phone or across the table.
The goal is to adapt your selling style to accommodate their personality type. It takes effort and practice to learn how to identify other people’s personality types quickly. It also takes time and effort to learn how to consciously change your presentation to match.
How to Identify a Prospect’s Personality Type
You won’t always get it right immediately - and that’s fine. But there are signals you can pick up early in a conversation.
Listen to their first few sentences. How do they open the call? Do they dive straight into questions (Bull), ask about you and your company first (Lamb), start sharing their own research and data (Owl), or lead with energy and a story about their business (Tiger)?
Watch how they respond to your questions. Short, direct answers suggest Bull tendencies. Detailed, thoughtful responses with follow-up questions suggest Owl. Warm, relationship-focused answers with personal context suggest Lamb. Energetic, big-picture answers with enthusiasm suggest Tiger.
Notice their pace. Fast and decisive leans Bull or Tiger. Slower and deliberate leans Owl or Lamb.
You’re looking for the dominant type to calibrate your approach. Most people show traits of multiple types - pick the one that seems strongest and adjust from there.
How to Adapt Your Sales Approach for Each Type
Selling to Bulls
- Get to the point fast
- Lead with results, not process
- Be direct when they ask hard questions - don’t hedge
- Don’t over-explain or pad your answers
- Respect their time - keep it tight
- When they push back, stay calm and firm, not defensive
Selling to Owls
- Come prepared with data, case studies, and specifics
- Expect a longer process - they need time to research
- Send follow-up materials after every call
- Answer every question fully, even the detailed ones
- Don’t rush them toward a decision - it will backfire
- Address every objection thoroughly, even the minor ones
Selling to Lambs
- Invest time in relationship building before getting to business
- Create a comfortable, low-pressure environment
- Ask questions to surface concerns they won’t raise on their own
- Be patient - they may need more touchpoints before deciding
- Frame your service in terms of how it helps their team or clients
- Reassure them throughout the process - uncertainty makes them hesitate
Selling to Tigers
- Match their energy
- Lead with vision and big-picture impact
- Keep the excitement up - they respond to enthusiasm
- Be ready to close quickly when they’re excited
- Follow up with details after the fact - don’t lose them in details during the pitch
- Keep follow-ups brief and engaging, not long reports
Your Own Personality Type Matters Too
Before you can adapt, you need to know your baseline. Take a few minutes to honestly assess which animal you most identify with.
Most salespeople discover they have a natural tendency that works well with some prospect types and creates friction with others. That gap between your natural style and the prospect’s is where deals get lost.
Common friction points:
- A Tiger salesperson rushing a Lamb prospect into a decision
- An Owl salesperson over-explaining to a Bull who just wants a price
- A Bull salesperson being too blunt with a Lamb who needs warmth and relationship
Once you know your natural type, you can start noticing when you’re falling back into it - and consciously adjust.
Putting It Into Practice
Start simple. On your next five discovery calls, try to identify the prospect’s dominant type within the first five minutes. Don’t overthink it - just make a call and adapt your approach.
After each call, note what type you thought they were and whether your approach felt natural or forced. Over time, reading personalities quickly becomes a skill you don’t have to consciously think about.
The payoff isn’t just more closed deals. It’s better client relationships from the start - because you selected for fit, communicated in a way that made sense to them, and built trust before they signed.
That foundation matters well beyond the close.
Related: How to Use Metaphors in Sales to Close More Deals | The Story Behind They Ask, You Answer
