Sales – The Psychology Of Selling
The real art in selling is to ensure that the right prospect ends up with the right product. A factor in ensuring the success of this goal is the manner in which you approach, communicate with and relate to each prospect.
As a professional salesperson, you will always seek to ensure that you are talking to your prospect in their own language.
Your art, then, lies in matching your approach to your client’s personality type.
While everyone is different and is something of a mixture of all types, most people tend to display characteristics from one of the following types as their predominant behaviour:
• Self-assured, confident type
• Enthusiastic, outgoing type
• Warm, friendly type
• Serious, formal type
This being the case, you can maximize your chance of “connecting” with each new prospect, by taking the following concepts into account:
Self-Assured Confident Type
This type of person is usually all business and wants to control the conversation (a factor that you can balance using a questionnaire to maintain control in your hands). They:
• Have a strong personality and are secure in themselves and their abilities.
• Will test you to make sure you know what you are talking about, and will not tolerate incompetence (your knowledge of product and the procedures that surround it, is of prime importance here).
• Want facts and figures, and to be able to choose between alternatives (this gives them a sense of controlling at least some aspects of the situation).
Recommended Approach: Be very businesslike and confident in your presentation. You can close by assuming they have bought without their ever having said they have bought (to do so explicitly would be a win for you and a loss for them). They will be willing to take some risk and to be the first in their industry or district with your product.
Enthusiastic Outgoing Type
This type responds spontaneously to emotions. They:
• Are informal but will want to develop a relationship with you (the person, rather than the Company, that they’re dealing with.)
• They are talkative, easily bored, and will allow the topic to change rapidly.
• Facts and figures do not count as much as testimonials and incentives (special offers, value added features).
Recommended Approach: Be less formal in your approach, and allow your enthusiasm for your products to show through. Relationships count so this prospect will want to hear how you will work with them to achieve their desired result. Use stories about your other well-known customers and their satisfaction with your product. Special deals and the prestige associated with the use of your product will be inducements to buy.
Warm Friendly Type
This type likes an informal atmosphere but relies on trust. They
• Like doing business on a personal basis.
• Are sensitive to their emotions.
• Won’t take a chance on buying your product.
• Will be suspicious of you and your product.
• Will want to think things through, and will not be hurried by pressure.
• Will want repeated assurances about you and your Company.
Recommended Approach: Be friendly and easy in your presentation. Any fast talking is likely to close the door to the sale. Tell them as much detail as they appear to want about you and your Company and use small talk to fill in this picture. Explain – in detail – why your product is the best solution to their wants. Emphasize your guarantees and your service after the sale (ensure that they are clear that you bear all of the risk). Don’t assume the sale has been made, because they will see this as you trying to pull a fast one.
Serious Formal Type
This type is serious and reserved, organized and thrives on detail. They:
• Are likely to become very technical about your product (to them, features are benefits!)
• They want all of the facts and figures and are much more interested in cold data about the product than in people stories about its use or backup.
• They will look at your product from all angles and will not make a quick decision.
• They seek to avoid risks and so want constant assurance that you will be there after they have bought.
Recommended Approach: Be very confident in your approach, and stick to the business of your product’s features and benefits. Make sure you present your credentials and those of your company, early in the conversation. Go into detail about how your product works and how it can be made to work best for them.
Don’t offer any discounts or incentives as it will cheapen your product in their eyes. Instead, emphasize the high-quality and detailed follow-up service. If you gain their confidence, you can assume that the sale has been made.
Summarizing The Closing Phase
• The best closes are a part and natural extension of your presentation.
• Each closing technique has its place in the scheme of things. Some favour circumstances. Some favour personalities.
• Use old faithful, but know every way to close a sale for your product so that you can meet odd selling situations.
Respect the diversity that people display by varying your approach to reflect the needs of your prospect’s personality type.
Email us if you would like a template to work out your predominant personality type .
