Four Styles for Making More Sales

Salespeople are specialists in relating to people. By using their innate gifts for pacing, adapting, and leading the prospect’s personality, they can often control the selling environment long enough to close the sale. Almost all salespeople have certain personality types they feel more comfortable in selling to. There are also selling situations where the salesperson finds the prospect’s personality impossible and uncomfortable to match. When this is the case, the smart salesperson can rely on the following personality guide to peg the prospect’s style, and decide the proper way to match it for maximum sales effectiveness.

The four personality styles listed below provide a good starting point for assessing your prospect’s personal style. But before deciding on the style your customer has, find your own and get to know its strengths and weaknesses. Each of the four styles has them. Once you become familiar with all four, you’ll be in a good position to use the strengths when you need them. You’ll also be able to downplay your own weaker points, while using the customer’s to your advantage. The skill with which you can use your own and your customers’ styles may determine the close of many future sales.

1) THE ANALYTICAL STYLE

Analytical types are logical thinkers. They take a precise, deliberate and systematic approach to their work. Before acting, they will gather and evaluate a lot of information. Analyticals are usually industrious, objective, and well organized. But taken to extremes, these strengths become weaknesses. Analyticals can be nitpickers spending too much time on better-than-needed quality on a low priority item. And their desire for order can snowball into inflexibility.

To sell to analytical type personalities, study their needs in a logical, practical manner. Be systematic, exact, organized and prepared. Document how your product has helped others. List the advantages and disadvantages of buying at this time. Be prepared to answer all their questions. Analyticals are suspicious of anything that looks too good to be true. The more numbers you can present, the better off you’ll be. Send a follow-up letter on service and benefits and don’t rush your close.

2) THE AMIABLE STYLE

Amiable types are outstanding when it comes to being empathetic and sensitive to what lies below the surface behavior of another person. Their trusting nature can bring out the best in customers, friends and subordinates. Carried too far, though, they can be overly conforming and permissive, refusing to challenge policies and actions they know will have a negative impact on their company.

Amiables are difficult sells. They dislike change and therefore like to stick with what they have. Spend a lot of time building rapport with people of this type. Show that you are interested in them as persons. Be supportive of their feelings. Offer them your personal assurance of support after the sale. Allay their fears of taking risks by being sympathetic to their feelings and needs. Offer guidance and don’t rush the close but be definite when you do close.

3) THE EXPRESSIVE STYLE

Expressives, those flamboyant, spontaneous types, are terrific at seeing the “big picture.” They’ll take fresh, novel approaches to problems and will take risks to seize opportunities and realize their dreams. Their ability to charm, persuade, excite and inspire people makes them great motivators. Unfortunately, nitty-gritty details that require daily attention get left by the wayside. Furthermore, their need to fulfill their dreams can push them into becoming overbearing and unrealistic.

Expressives are easy to sell because they are comfortable with people and with themselves. Get them talking about themselves and the rest is a coast to the close. Show them how your product can make their dreams come true. Since expressives tend to forget details, discuss them later, and focus instead on the personality of the sales call. Expressives like new ideas, so be bold in your approach. Often Expressives will buy without even a formal contract or proposal. Close when the time feels ripe.

4) THE DRIVER STYLE

Drivers are task-oriented; they know where they’re going and what they want. They must “get to the point” quickly, express themselves succinctly, make independent decisions and get results. Their ability to take sound risks and get things done makes them valued workers. But all this emphasis on the short-term can undermine long-range gains. Taken too far, the Driver Style person becomes domineering and unfeeling.

The Driver doesn’t want you to waste his or her time. Get to the point. Let the driver know that you won’t waste valuable time. Be precise, effective and organized. Stress the benifits for the company and prospect. Back up your statements with solid information and facts. Focus on the driver’s goals and the company’s goals. Assure him that your product can meet the goals, and follow up after the sale with confirmation of your facts, and emphasize that the benefits will be there as promised. Define pros and cons of a buying decision clearly. Be definite about closing. Be firm and sure of yourself with a driver.

YOU’RE AN INDIVIDUAL

We are all four-style people. Yet everyone has one style that he or she feels most comfortable with – one that requires less energy and produces less stress than the others. Although we may alter our predominant style through effort and training, our basic pattern remains intact. We must change in order to grow, but not by changing our style – just by using it to our advantage. Remember that each person is in some ways is like all other people and like no other person.

BUILDING BRIDGES

Your automatic response to a situation isn’t always your best response. Now you can use the four-style guide to develop more flexibility with more clients. The rewards are just waiting for you. It is not necessary to change yourself; only to accent the behaviors you have in common with your prospect.

For example, a driver who had to communicate with an amiable decided to alter his usual style in three ways. He consciously spoke more slowly and left more periods of silence in the conversation. He invited the amiable to state his opinions and refrained from judging any part of what the amiable said until he fully understood the whole idea. The driver stated his opinions less forcefully than usual. These changes contributed to a much more productive working relationship. It was worth it to the driver to be flexible. Cooperation with this amiable-style prospect was essential to the driver’s own success.

As a caution, keep in mind that people who always adapt their behavior to the “room” may be viewed as untrustworthy or insincere. The important word here is style cooperation, rather than style submersion. A discussion with a major customer, a price increase in your company’s product, a meeting with a company president, are all situations where you’ll want to use style flexibility to achieve your objectives.

Be flexible in your style when you see signs of high stress in another person. Use it to avoid creating additional tension that could push that person to tune you out or to overreact.

The beginning of a conversation is often very stressful for people and can set the tone for the rest of the conversation. This is a time for building rapport. If you temporarily adopt a similar social style, you’ll put the other person at ease.

SUCCEEDING WITH YOUR SOCIAL STYLE

No matter which social style you use, you can be a success. By emphasizing their strong points and playing down their weaknesses, these famous people developed talents that might have been lost – if they’d let their style run wild.

“Analytical” Thomas Jefferson

“Driver” Mike Wallace

“Amiable” Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Expressive” Liza Minelli