selling to personality types

Customer’s Personality Styles

Identify Personalities and Use Them To YOUR Advantage

Overview

• Have you ever heard that “opposites attract”? Although this may be true in certain types of relationships, it tends not to be in sales scenarios.

• What we would like to be able to do is identify a customer’s personality type and be able to sell our services using the customer’s personality to OUR advantage.

There are 4 personality types:

• Socializers - aka “Speakers”

• Relaters - aka “Listeners”

• Analytics - aka “Thinkers”

• Directors - aka “Doers”

Socializers

• Ambitious• Stimulating• Enthusiastic• Dramatic• Friendly• Spontaneous

Socializers

Expressive

Restrained

Compliant Assertive

Socializers: Positives

• Easy to establish rapport: They want to be your friend BEFORE they do business.

• They love a good debate, as long as you don’t dominate it.

• Thrive on involvement with people and they love an audience.

• Focused on the PROCESS.

Socializers: Challenges

• Impatient: They tend to bore easily.

• Detaches or moves away from a situation to avoid loss of self-esteem.

• Digression: They rather hear about your brother-in-law’s surgery than discuss the business at hand.

• Verbalizes judgmental feelings.

Socializers: Examples

• Politicians

• Actors/Actresses

• Trial Attorneys

• Talk Show Hosts

• Cruise Directors

• Comedians

Famous Socializers

• Oprah Winfrey

• Johnnie Cochran

• Zig Zigler

• Joan Rivers

• Bill Clinton

• David Lee Roth

Socializers: Tactics

• Build a good rapport, but don’t visit!

• Use the customer’s name often.

• Emphasize the word “special”.

• Agree with them as much as possible - avoid arguing.

• Sell not only to them, but to their family as well.

Relaters

• Supportive• Respectful• Willing• Dependable• Agreeable

Relaters

AssertiveCompliant

Expressive

Restrained

Relaters: Positives

• Very friendly: They tend to get along with EVERYBODY.

• Rapport building is EASY. They love to bond with people.

• Tendency to agree with you - they stay away from confrontation.

• Focused on the RELATIONSHIP.

Relaters: Challenges

• Wishy-washy: They sometimes cannot make up their mind.

• Dependent: Must get approval from other people.

• Overly-Sensitive: Their feelings can be hurt easily.

• Procrastinators.

Relaters: Examples

• Clergy

• Teachers

• Counselors

• Psychologists

• Caregivers

Famous Relaters

• Pope John Paul II

• Edith from “All In The Family”

• Mr. Rogers

• Montel Williams

• Mother Teresa

Relaters: Tactics

• Use empathy!

• Always reassure them that their decision is the RIGHT decision.

• Be VERY patient.

• Once they commit to the sale, don’t waste time.

• Keep a soft and comforting tonality.

Analytics

• Industrious• Persistent• Serious• Exacting• Orderly• Perfectionists

Analytics

Expressive

Restrained

AssertiveCompliant

Analytics: Positives

• Dependable: They will follow through with what your agree on.

• Organized: When you give them details, they will analyze and follow them exactly.

• Independent: They can do things alone.

• They rarely miss a deadline.

• Focused on the DETAILS.

Analytics: Challenges

• Indecisive. They must have ALL the facts before they make a decision.

• Stuffy at times: Hard to establish rapport.

• Logic sells: Emotion does not.

• Picky: They become irritated easily with glitches.

• Serious: Humor usually doesn’t work.

Analytics: Examples

• College Professors

• Doctors

• Engineers

• Architects

• Accountants

• Parallegals

Famous Analytics

• Spock from Star Trek

• Sherlock Holmes

• Sergeant Friday from Dragnet

• Albert Einstein

• Frank Lloyd Wright

• Sigmund Freud

Analytics: Tactics

• SLOW DOWN! They like to write down everything and make sure they have all the information.

• Don’t be afraid to give them all of the data they want. The more the better.

• Be very precise with all of your information.

Directors

• Strong willed.• Independent• Practical• Decisive• Efficient• High Achievers

Directors

Directors: Positives

• Quick to respond - no need to guess with these people.

• A scripted presentation will greatly increase your chance of selling premium services.

• Directors truly appreciate professionalism.

• They accept challenges easily.

Directors: Challenges

• Inflexible: “This is NOT Burger King…”

• Impatient: “Just the facts…”

• Tend to be non-empathetic: Intolerant of feelings and inadequacies.

• Poor listening habits: In one ear and out the other.

• Never seem to relax: Everything is competition.

Directors: Examples

• Military Officers

• CEOs

• Police Officers

• Stock Brokers

• News Reporters

Famous Directors

• Bryant Gumbel

• Captain Kirk or Picard from Star Trek

• Dirty Harry

• Bill Gates

• Barbara Walters

• Norman Schwarzkopf

• Colin Powell

Directors: Tactics

• Establish rapport quickly, but don’t try to become friends.

• Keep your presentation moving steadily.

• When you close and get a commitment, GO!

• Always use the proper title and last name.

Conclusion

• Tailor your presentations to coincide with your customer’s personality.

• Let the customer’s personality work to your advantage, not theirs. This leads to: