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Not every buyer wants to be the loudest voice in the room. Some want to know they matter, that their impact is felt, and that their decisions carry weight. These are the Validators—and if you’re not speaking their language, you’re missing out on one of the most loyal, high-performing customer types you can attract.
In the DRIVE Sales System, Validators are one of the five core personality types that shape how people buy, lead, and communicate. Unlike Directors, who seek freedom, or Executives, who chase competition and results, Validators are fueled by something less obvious: recognition. But not the surface-level kind. They don’t need constant applause or public praise. What they truly crave is earned respect, thoughtful acknowledgment, and a sense that their presence and participation make a difference.
Here’s the challenge—in many sales processes, this kind of motivation gets overlooked. Most sales training is built around pushing benefits, logic, or urgency. And while those tactics work for some, they can alienate Validators, who are often slower to commit because they’re weighing how a decision reflects on them and what it signals to others.
If you rush them, you lose them. If you flatter them, you insult them. But if you validate them—with real insight, genuine recognition, and clear respect for their values—you win trust that can last far beyond a single sale.
What makes Validators powerful is also what makes them sensitive to misalignment. They notice tone, intention, and inconsistency. They want to feel that their role in the process matters—not just as a buyer, but as a person.
This makes selling to them less about persuasion and more about presence. Less about pressure, more about precision.
From a leadership perspective, the same rules apply. Validators in your team respond to environments where their work is respected and their values are acknowledged. They may not be the loudest in meetings, but they’re often the ones holding the team together in subtle ways.
And if you are a Validator? Own it. There is strength in wanting your work to be meaningful, your contribution to be seen, and your decisions to reflect your standards. It’s not about ego. It’s about purpose.
At Suladio, we believe that recognition isn’t fluff. It’s a performance tool. And when it’s aligned with someone’s internal DRIVE, it becomes one of the most reliable, sustainable paths to sales success.
The best relationships in business aren’t built on noise. They’re built on trust. And for Validators, that trust starts with being seen.
If you want to understand what makes people buy, lead, and stay—you need to know their DRIVE.
The DRIVE Sales System book is your starting point. It doesn’t just teach you how to sell. It helps you see what truly motivates the people around you.
