Authenticity at Work: Being Alexander With Customers

People often ask me if I am the same person at work as I am in private.
I think this is a fair question.
Because in sales, you are always between two things: being yourself and doing your job.

I work as a regional salesperson. I meet many different people. Buyers, managers, directors, gatekeepers. Some are open. Some are difficult. Some are friendly. Some are closed. And I learned very early that if I behave the same way with everyone, it does not work.

So yes, I change. But I don’t disappear.

The DISC Model – How I Understand People

Some years ago, I learned the DISC model. It helped me a lot.

In this model, there are four colours.

Red people are direct. Strong. Dominant. They want to decide. When they enter a room, you feel it.
With red people, I don’t fight. I ask questions. I let them feel important. You have to tickle the ego a little.

Green people are analytical. They want numbers. Data. Facts.
With them, emotions don’t help. You need structure. Figures. Logic.

Yellow people are thoughtful and careful.
They want things to make sense. They don’t like risk. They need time and clarity.

Blue people are balanced, patient, understanding.
They listen. They care about relationships and harmony.

Of course, nobody is only one colour. I am not. My customers are not. But usually, one colour is stronger. And if you learn to see it, you understand why some conversations work and others don’t.

Am I Playing a Role?

Yes. I play a role.

But not like an actor with a mask.
More like a professional who adapts.

When I meet a customer, I adapt my language, my speed, my focus. Not because I want to manipulate, but because I want the conversation to work. If I don’t adapt, I lose the person in front of me.

Over the years, this became automatic. I don’t think: Now I must be green or red.
It just happens.

Still, there is one thing that never changes: I must be interested.
If I am not genuinely interested in the person, it doesn’t work. People feel that immediately.

Trust: Me or the Product?

I think trust is 50/50.

50% is the product.
50% is me.

If the product is bad, my personality cannot save it.
But if the product is good and the person does not trust me, it also doesn’t work.

Sometimes customers don’t like me. The chemistry is wrong. This can be a deal breaker. Especially with very introverted people. For me, it is hard to break the wall if someone gives nothing back.

Other salespeople are different.
For example, Ralph. He is a storyteller. He talks about food, travel, life. And suddenly, the customer buys something without really noticing. That is not my style.

My style is more structured. Calm. Focused. Relationship first, but with clear purpose.

Building Relationships With Little Time

I see many customers only two or three times a year. One hour. Maybe ninety minutes.

That sounds impossible for building a relationship.
But it is possible.

You must be present.
You must remember details.
You must show that you listened last time.

“How is your new car?”
“How is your football team?”
“How is your cat?”

Small things matter. They create continuity. And when I call six months later, the customer remembers: Alexander. We had a good conversation.

This is the art of the job.

Authenticity Revisited

Maybe authenticity at work does not mean never adapting.
Maybe it means knowing who you are while adapting.

I am a curious person.
I like people.
I want to understand how they think.
I want long-term trust, not quick wins.

So even when I play a role, it is still me.

Not the performer.
Not the salesman mask.

Just Alexander — prepared, interested, reliable, human.

And maybe that is authentic enough.