Articles
People are Strange
"For the adult, all the world is a stage, and the personality is the mask one wears to play the assigned role." ~ Sam Keen
The world of sales is not unlike the role of a Surgeon. Different surgeries need different tools and a knowledge of the body parts where the process begins. Success in sales depends largely on the salesperson’s ability to adapt his or her skills and pitch when selling to different personality types. The process isn't a one size fits all. Imagine if the surgeon used a 10 blade regardless of the type of surgery. Their success rate in surgery would be drastically reduced.. Sure, the 10 blade would solve many problems, but in other applications, it would be a disaster. Proper and professional selling requires study of the many variables you will encounter. Don't expect the edge you may have that seems effective at least 1/2 the to product results with everyone. You have do study and explore the mechanics and the psychology of the people involved,
Here’s a deeper dive into the four major personality types you may encounter during your sales career, as well as advice on how to handle each.
1. Analytical (Beaver)
Analytic types care deeply about data, facts, and figures. They’ll probably ask detailed questions, but don’t be surprised if they already know the answers. They will have definitely done their research beforehand. This personality type is looking for straight facts, not a fancy pitch. Consider them "matter of fact" and somewhat detached from you, D'Addario and the product.
Although they stick to deadlines, analytical types usually have a longer buying process. This is to ensure they have fully vetted and understood all their options and are 99.9% sure of their decision.
Sales Tips for Analytical Personalities:
- Avoid making high-level claims. Demonstrate specific benefits in a factual manner including statistics, survey results, and percentages. They want all the details.
- Don’t push them towards a deadline that you have in your head. These buyers require patience and a case prepared for the result you desire.
- Include reliable data and don’t make claims that can be proven to be false, Using too much flowery language can cause them to feel you are being overly flattering and they will lose confidence in your knowledge.
- Get an upfront contract that clearly spells out the data they need and the comfort level they desire in order to make a decision.
· "What information is important to you Brad to make this decision? In order to go ahead with this purchase, I realize you will need to be comfortable - I am prepared make certain that this product is right for you,"
2. Amiable (Otter)
People who lean towards the amiable (the Nice Guy) personality type value personal relationships, trust, and empathy in the sales process. They don’t make decisions quickly. They want to first develop a relationship with the seller, then seek out help and approval from those they are accountable. Expect a great conversation, a few jokes and then a feeling of success at the end of the meeting. Then you will notice there is no further action or follow-up planned. The sales process is more laid-back and informal. You get to be their buddy quickly.
"Amiables" actually enjoy the sales process because the time and exposure to people. Many sales people fit this personality - which leads to many unproductive conversations. At some point the talk needs to end and a decision needs to be made. Always assure the "Amiable" purchaser that the relationship with D'Addario will continue to grow and that there are many people that will support their decision.
Sales Tips for Amiable Personalities:
- Take time to build rapport. "Amiables" value relationships over everything and will not buy from someone they don’t feel connected to or trust. Give them personal guarantees to calm their fear of disappointing their boss and organization.
- Take the lead as the expert, because you are! Information overload will not be productive in this situation. Walk them through the decision-making process acting as a consultant or advisor instead of a seller.
- Pitch a believable vision that they can see working for their organization. They want to please everyone - but mostly they want to hear the words "Good Job".
3. Assertive (Lions)
Assertive personality types are not afraid to tell you exactly what they are thinking and feeling at any given moment without apology. They will also take the time to listen to the other side. They come to you knowing exactly what they are seeking. They are quite conscious of milestones and deadlines, and most often have quicker sales cycles. The bottom line is most important to them. They are goal-oriented, competitive, and decisive.
Sales Tips for Assertive Personalities:
- Professionalism must be taken to a new extreme with assertive personalities. Be prepared for the meeting and any questions they might ask. If you don’t know an answer, honestly communicate that, and ensure them that you’ll follow up (and make sure to do so!).
- Don’t spend too much time on the introduction or simple facts, get to the heart of your pitch right away. "Assertives" value efficiency and don’t want their time wasted with repetitive facts.
- Use their highly competitive nature to your advantage by showing them the ways your product could help them win an edge over their competitors.
4. Expressive (Golden Retriever)
"Expressives", like "amiables", value personal relationships. Respect and loyalty mean a lot to them. They care deeply about others. Therefore, they will want to know how their decisions will affect their organization as a whole. Although they often tend to be people pleasers, they have strong personalities and rely on their intuition. They are highly confident and able to move on to the next idea or point very quickly.
Sales Tips for Expressive Personalities:
- Ensure them that the sales cycle will include an ongoing relationship. Give a shout out to your customer service team and explain how you will work to support them after the initial sale. This can also be done by showing case studies that exemplify how your business made an impact on other organizations.
- Don’t spend too much time on facts and figures. "Expressives" are more interested in how their buying decisions will affect their business on a human level.
- Ensure that you are on the same page as you by summarizing throughout the process. Do this by saying “So, we agree that you can use scorecard to help reps track their progress?”.
It’s important to remember that most people will be a mix of these personality types and not fit into a single category. Making yourself familiar with the core personality categories will help tailor your presentation and sales process to the specifics of the buyers.
Always remember, left untrained or undisciplined, a salesperson will likely only feel comfortable selling to their own personality type. The other personalities will take extra focus. A salespersons great trait is humility followed by a good dose of arrogance. It's truly a paradox.
Worry-Concern-Control
Fear is often our immediate response to uncertainty. There's nothing wrong with experiencing fear. They key is not to get stuck in it." - Gabrielle Bernstein
As I was preparing to head into a doctor appointment to find out the results of a recent test, I was struck by how much uncertainty we are dealing with in life. The global economy, our elections, the continued effect of the pandemic, how much inventory we will have for our accounts and our own personal uncertainties - like test results from a doctor appointment. This uncertainty can drive people to depression, anger and even violence. For others, the uncertainty can result in super-human problem solving skills and a new sense of inventiveness. Some people are natural problem solvers. They see a situation and immediately their minds kick in and say "how can I fix this?". This is our natural desire to control outcomes. The result of this thinking can include actually solving some big issues or at least making them less of an issue. The third possibility is the realization you can't control the outcome. The situation is something you just can't "Fix". Now what? This is where humility enters our life. The realization that the issue is bigger than us. At this point the key is to not let the depression, anger or even violence take over. The answer is to understand the situation and learn to live within it's constraints. This is where we need to be the most creative. Learn to adapt and learn to move forward. Stephen Covey writes about two circles - one is the Circle of Concern (the election, climate change, our inventory levels) and the other is the Circle of Influence. (customer promotions, sell through, prioritizing our work day). The more time you spend in your Circle of Influence the more in control you will feel. If you dwell in the Circle of Concern, you open yourself up to negative thoughts, depression, anger and frustration. These are items you cannot influence.
Where are you spending your time and mental energy? What is frustrating you?
- Is it in your Circle of Influence or Concern?
- If it is in your Circle of Influence - do something about it.
- If if is in your Circle of Concern - decide if you can actually influence it even in "doing your part" like voting or green initiatives, and then move on. Don't dwell here and you will find yourself in a better mental place.
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Time passes
without a sound
As the seconds pass,
We look back
At what our lives have held.
As the minutes pass,
We see what fell through the cracks.
Parts of our lives we withheld.
As the hours pass,
We think of what we learned,
What we have taught,
What we have forgot.
As the days pass,
We wish a lot could be returned.
We wish we would have never fought
You hope they forget me not.
As years pass,
You stand alone.
They have all grown,
Married and gone
Or on their own.
As your life passes,
You stand proud,
Looking how well they raise their own.
You did well.
Live on...
by Jenni-fiere M. Bivens
One Focus for today:
Time doesn't make a sound. It sneaks by without even a whisper. Your work takes your time and your work steals time from others. How do you put a value on the time? The only real currency for time is care and excellence. Do you take your work to heart? Do you care about the outcome? When you start a project or a sales call, do you understand the value of what you are taking?
Excellence is how YOU add value. When you put excellence into your work, you are demonstrating that you value your time and the time you are taking from others. Don't cut corners, or sacrifice quality. Carve out the time necessary to produce excellent results - be it a sales report, a meeting agenda, a presentation deck. All of the work you do requires time and if you don't stop to think about it, the time tip toes by and your work is finished before it can claim excellence. Excellence takes focus and intent. Go into each project planning for excellence. Plan to do your best work and carve out the time necessary. I know we are all busy and we are all in a hurry - well hurry into your best. Time isn't going to get louder when it is running out. Time has one volume setting.
So - what does all this mean? We all have the same number of hours in the day. Use some of that time to make a plan. Plan your Plan, then work your plan. At the end of the day, sum it all up and find your successes and celebrate them. Your To-do list isn't just words on paper - it is a summary of how you will use your time. Make it count and make it excellent.