Not So Fast, Ambiverts: Extraverts Outperform in Face-to-Face Sales

Grant’s (2013)provocative work popularized the “ambivert advantage,” the notion that those in the middle of the introversion-extraversion continuum perform better in sales positions. We contend that ambiverts outperform in sales only when face-to-face communication is minimal, such as in Grant’s (2013) outbound call center study. We argue that extraverts will outperform in face-to-face sales because of their greater ability to decode nonverbal signals, process working memory when multitasking, and interpret subtle signals between others. In analyses with 363 pharmaceutical salespeople and with 277 health-wine sales representatives, we find evidence that the extraversion—performance relation takes an inverted-U shape among sellers who had limited face-to-face customer interactions and a significant, linear, and positive relation when face-to-face interaction with customers was high. These studies refine recent thinking and provide a novel, nuanced view of personality and job design among salespeople that can be used to develop selection batteries and to craft jobs better matching worker strengths.