Everybody talks about “types” of people in order to try to figure them out.

Salespeople are all taught to mirror, model and type their prospective customers. Big mistake. My opinion: Total manipulation, total joke and total waste of time. The key word is harmonize ¬- not mirror or model. Harmonize is sincere. Mirror or model is manipulative. Get to know them as a person, not a personality type.

But that’s not what I am writing about. Instead of “typing” customers and prospects, let’s talk about types of salespeople. What’s your type?

At the top of my list is the “non-conformist high performer.” You know the type. Makes all the sales. Breaks all the records. Breaks all the rules. The boss doesn’t know how to handle him. Half the sales team loves him. The other half hates him.

Then you have the “conformist, compliant high performer.” The model salesperson. He or she gets the job done, makes big sales, exceeds their sales plan and follows the rules. Every company wishes they had a hundred people like this. In my experience, they’re predominantly women. Not to say that men are not conformist/compliant, but men tend to step outside the lines in the selling process a lot more than women.

Then you have the “conformist, compliant non-producer.” For whatever reason, he can’t make the goal. Darn nice guy. Everybody likes him. Customers love him. Only problem: He can’t close a sale.

Finally, you have the “non-compliant non-performer.” He whines about everything. Blames everyone else. Is an accident waiting to happen. The word “responsibility” is usually as painful as the word “accountability” to him.

Those are the big four. The reason I’m putting these descriptions in front of you is for you to see yourself.

Your manager, your co-workers, your fellow salespeople and your customers already see you. And “type” you. They see the way you dress. They see the way you act. They see your character. And they see how you perform. But rarely do you get to see or evaluate yourself.

So I am asking you to do that now. I’m asking how close to “conformist, compliant high performer” can you rate yourself?

I’m going to throw some other words at you: friendly, helpful, sincere, value-driven, truthful, ethical and grateful. These are areas of your personality and character that will lead you closer to sales success.

It’s not just a matter of making more sales. It’s a matter of building more relationships so that one sale turns into many. It’s a matter of building your reputation so that when people talk about you behind your back, they say things you would like to hear.

In my leadership career, I’ve encountered many prima donnas who made big sales and broke all the rules. I fired every one of them, and every time I did, the rest of the team picked up the slack, and sales always increased.

You see, if you’re the leader (the boss, the owner, the entrepreneur), people are looking at your actions and will often judge your character as permission to evolve their own. Self-judgment is difficult. And if you ask someone else to judge you, they probably won’t be truthful for fear of hurting your feelings or their relationship with you.

So what’s your type? What’s your character? What are you known for? If you can answer all those questions and are willing to expose yourself to the opportunities that your shortcomings reveal, then you are ready to take the big leap – to becoming the type of salesperson who would make your mother, your customers, your boss and your banker proud.

If you’d like more ways to improve your reputation and performance, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter the word REPUTATION in the GitBit box.