How to really annoy your customers and get less sales…(Part 1 – Different Styles)

Different people buy in different ways, well dahhh!!  But how well do you recognise the differences?  Those who need detail, those who need nurturing, those who want just the headlines, those who want you to persuade them.

You should be able to alter your presentation subtly according to the style of your prospect.

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I was talking to my bank on the phone today and mentioned I wanted to open a new account.  The conversation started to go downhill.  A stream of account names that sounded as if they would all do the same thing.  Lots of value words like ‘gold’ and ‘diamond’, add in a handful of benefit words such as ‘reserve’, ‘reward’ and ‘premium’, and squeeze “First” in there and you have a banking product.  I thought I should choose the “Last, tin, no reward account” but they were sold out.

Reluctantly, I asked what the difference was.  Then came the jargon, but the bottom line is that with rates the way they are nowadays, I could choose between no interest with immediate access or zero interest requiring notice…or something.

What I really wanted is for someone to tell me which product I should have and why.

It was an uncomfortable conversation and it left me frustrated and annoyed at my choice of bank.  Perhaps this is just me, I am an awkward customer.

The bank must have a department to create jargon, terminology and indecipherable processes.  But ask who is in charge of the customer experience and they will tell you the call centre reps are where the buck stops.

What am I talking about here?  There are two topics up for consideration, one is the experience of doing business with you and your business and the other is the differing style of each of your customers and prospects.  They are closely linked.  In Part 1 I will be discussing different styles and in Part 2, the “experience”.

Many of you will be aware of the variously named personality styles.  Personality styles either fall into 16 types or, in the simpler form, 4.  Let’s stick to the short version for now.  I find the simplest way to identify each of the 4 styles by noticing emotion against influence.  A quick assessment against these two traits is usually possible within a few minutes of meeting someone.  Does the subject show or hide their emotion?  Does the subject seem to try to influence or comply?  In this way, the ‘subject’, in this case a prospect or customer, can be identified in one of 4 quadrants.

At a more profound level, of course this is a complex study.  It is also important to remember that we are all capable of fitting into any quadrant with differing degrees of versatility, but it is believed that people revert to their dominant style when under pressure.  Being in a potential sales meeting with someone they don’t yet know well may be sufficient pressure to assist in identifying their natural style.  Once identified, it becomes easier to tailor your conversation to account for those aspects your prospect is most likely to react to favourably.

Briefly, for the sake of this article, let’s identify some of the key traits of the 4 styles, then I will offer some tips of how to relate best to each individual.

1  High emotion and a strong influencer is known as an “Expressive”, “Socialiser” or “Speaker”.  Friendly, they appreciate relationships and debate, as long as you don’t dominate the discussion.  They can be impatient and they are not shy to express their thoughts and feelings.

Building empathy and rapport is essential as long as you keep on task, they are happy to divert you.  Words that should strike a chord include fun, enjoy, convenient and trouble-free.

2  A similarly strong influencer, but who does not express their emotion readily is a “Driver”, “Director” or “Doer”.  Drivers are dominant, strong willed and independent.  Typically high achievers, they also tend to be efficient.  They will not suffer fools gladly.

By appearing professional with a well thought-through solution, you can expect a quick response.  But don’t ramble as they will move on quickly.  Establish rapport, but don’t linger on this.  By all means appeal to their ego and success.  They will love to hear words such as best, biggest, unique, powerful, fast.

3  Offering low emotion, but showing compliance would be an “Analytical” or “Thinker”.  Analytics can appear quite serious and are detail oriented.  Typically well organised and self-sufficient, they are also inclined to do things alone.  Give them the facts, don’t spend much time on niceties, and as I have found to my cost from time to time, humour is not my greatest ally with an Analytical.  Be prepared to support your solution or suggestion with data.  Be precise, now is not the time to bluster or err.  Take your time to ensure they have all the information they need.

They will like to hear words like proof, evidence, facts and research.

4  Showing a low need to influence but happy to express emotion, is an “Amiable”, “Relator” or “Listener”.  They find it easy to get along with anyone and like to agree.  But be warned, this compliance doesn’t translate into a closed deal, they may well wish to consult others, but saying “no” might offend, so they are more likely to say “maybe”.

Be patient and reassure them that they are making a good decision.  They like the words security and guarantee and also like to hear “tried and tested” or “proven”.  This supports the idea that others would endorse their decision.

I started this article by relating a phone conversation with a bank call-centre.  How often have you experienced someone from a call-centre appear to respond appropriately to you and your style?  Do you think this is a typical part of their training or does their scripting negate such efforts?

This is a very brief glimpse at a vast subject, but is designed to get you thinking.  Understanding personality styles is a really good starting point to understand the experience that you are delivering to your customer…but more of that in Part 2.

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