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How Will Your Customer’s Personality Type Impact Your Sales Strategy?
The golden rule of business is to “build good relationships.”
There’s no more important relationship than with your customer, so you must be sure you can relate to every possible person. There are millions of potential buyers out there, but only a handful of core personality types.
The perfect sales pitch doesn’t really exist. People are complex, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Gender, age, religion, ethnicity, income – all of these can play a part, yet none are infallible indicators of purchasing preference. The best way to pitch a sale is to know how your target audience thinks and feels, not how they look or how much they earn.
But how do you do it? With so many people to reach and platforms to use, the task can seem a little overwhelming. You may not know the individual customer, but you can be sure of the general audience. Let’s examine some key personality types and see what kind of pitch works best.
Analytical or methodical
Your most logical customer, this person won’t be thinking emotionally about their purchase. On the contrary, they’ll be looking for the facts and figures that support what you’re saying. You’ll want to provide verifiable data and numbers (the more visually friendly, the better).
Analytical customers want to know more and will proceed cautiously. Great customer service is a perennial demand for every business, but it really pays off with this personality type. You’ll be much closer to a sale if you’re there to answer their questions and provide the information they want.
When meeting with an analytical customer, always assume they’ve done their research on you. If you can’t prove your product will perform reliably and repeatedly, then methodical customers will look elsewhere.
Assertive, driven, or competitive
Also known as the Type A personality, these customers are go-getters who don’t like hold-ups. They like a pitch that is equally assertive, efficient and leaves no doubt about how they will benefit (and their competition won’t!)
Their goal-oriented minds are prone to fast decisions, so make it quick and easy for them to utilize your service as a competitive advantage. The philosophy and history of who you are aren’t as important as where you can take them in the future. The assertive type isn’t too interested in warm and friendly relationships, but they do value transparency.
For example, never prevaricate or provide half-truths in a pitch. If you’re asked a question from a Type A, and you don’t know the answer, say you don’t have that information, but you’ll find out and inform them.
When pitching to assertive types, avoid the pitfall of being over-focused on yourself or your product. These dominant personalities respect a healthy ego in others, but they don’t want to listen to someone else brag about how great they are. Make them the center of attention and remember not to confuse assertion with aggression.
Empathetic, socially inclined, or expressive
This customer has more of an emotional response to a sales pitch. They want a product or company they can empathize with and with whom they share values and principles. Emphasizing your mission over your product is a good way to engage them; even better if your product and mission are closely interconnected.
Empathetic customers care more about relationships than any other type. Present them with as many positive reviews as you can. The positive experience of their fellow customers is something empathetic buyers can really get behind. If you’re able to meet them in person, be genuine and speak to them as people, not prospects.
Video marketing is an excellent way to pitch to expressive, empathetic people. As many as 76.5 percents of marketers and business owners are getting results when adding a video to their pitch. Faces, voices and body language all contribute to some impressive conversion statistics, such as a 54 percent increase in brand awareness and 66 percent more qualified leads per year.
Creative or interactive
Nobody likes a dull presentation, but when it comes to pitching to a creatively-minded customer, you need to engage and entertain as well as inform. Your brand should be vivid and vibrant across every platform, and it should make you stand out from the crowd.
Interactive elements in your pitch show the kind of unique and imaginative approach that creatives thrive on. Apps, websites, and email can engage a potential customer and client by making them part of the pitch.
The creative approach falls under the term “experiential marketing” because that’s what it does. The pitch isn’t preached at a passive recipient but stimulates and rewards instead. Rewards can be the case if you choose to add a contest or gift to your pitch.
Remember that a diverse audience can require a diverse approach
As we said before, people are a complex bunch. Some of your customers will adhere to a single type, while many will combine traits that seem at odds. Over time as you interact with your audience, you will come to recognize the right pitch for the right audience.
If you’re interested in evaluating your current customer service and learning how to evolve it, download our free eBook, “The NEW Customer” and learn how to create the right experience for your customers.