Sell the way your customer buys

Liz Wendling //August 27, 2014//

Sell the way your customer buys

Liz Wendling //August 27, 2014//

Countless hours and thousands of dollars are spent on developing strategies and presentations to entice, influence, inspire, motivate or convince a potential customer to say “yes.” These days a sales call or sales meeting is too expensive to waste. With competition increasing at an accelerating rate, salespeople on the front lines need new methods for connecting and selling. They need to know and understand why people really buy. This old and true statement from Zig Ziglar sums it up. “Customers buy for their reasons, not yours.”

Great salespeople know that the most important aspect in selling is making a connection and building solid long-lasting relationships with customers.  No connection, no sale!

Business owners lose revenue every day because they sell their products or services using a style that is different from their customers’ buying style.  Tuning in to customer buying styles helps salespeople recognize why their selling approach causes certain people to move to action but others to turn away.  If you are struggling with turning a potential customer into a happy paying customer, your approach could be sending them running to your competitor.

To build rapport and gain customers’ trust and confidence, you need to “speak their language.” Speaking your customers’ language provides a competitive edge so you can better understand and effectively connect with them to achieve positive results.  The words people use are powerful indicators of their natural buying style.  If you listen carefully, you’ll be able to identify immediately which personality they are. Then you can connect with them in the way “they buy,” not the way “you sell.”

Have you ever experienced an immediate connection with one customer while another seemed to rub you the wrong way?  Why do people buy the way they do, or make buying decisions the way they do?  Why are some people easier to read than others?  Once you know a person’s personality buying style you can start to predict their behavior and communication style and then implement a suitable approach to sell to them more effectively.

Behavioral psychologists tell us there are basic motives that move a person to action – in the case of the salesperson, that cause them to buy. An understanding of these motives and how they apply to your customers at the time a buying decision is being made can give you a tremendous advantage.   This information should not be used to stereotype a client it should only be used to make a better connection.

Below are the descriptions based on the DISC Profile:   

Dominance: They’re impatient and goal-oriented and prefer a fast, bottom-line presentation style. Be on time and well prepared. Avoid small talk and get right to business. They are quick to make decisions and like to control the sales process.

Influence: They’re playful and friendly and prefer a fast, upbeat and entertaining presentation style.  Keep them focused on the subject and allow time for them to express their opinion.   Keep your presentation big picture – avoid details, numbers and lengthy analysis.

Steadiness: They’re cautious and frugal and prefer a slow, detailed presentation and require time to warm up. They will “shop your numbers” to make certain they are getting the best deal possible. Reduce their fear of making a mistake by giving them evidence and guarantees.

Compliance: They’re systematic, structured, stoic and prefer a slow, deliberate presentation. They require time to warm up and to trust you.  They have a need to accommodate others and are natural born procrastinators. To them, not doing anything and not making a decision is actually a decision.  They do a lot of “thinking it over.” 

You can start building your awareness and ability to determine customer personality styles by listening and watching for clues on every sales call you go on.  The clues are there – you just have to pay attention long enough to pick up on them.  Salespeople who sell on auto-pilot never develop the ability to connect, engage and close the sale. Once you learn how to quickly and accurately determine your customers’ buying style, you will be able to develop trust and rapport quickly and dramatically increase your sales effectiveness!