Selling to Customers, Best Sales Results, Types of Customers

Lets face it. We all have thosedifficult customers to whom we are required to sell. From the demanding,abrasive buyer to the individual who never seems to make a buying decision, weencounter challenging people on a regular basis. Part of the reason thishappens is due to the disconnect we have because of conflicting personalities.This article will look at the four key types of people and how to improve yourresults with each.

Direct Donna: Donna is very direct inher approach. She tends to be forceful and always wants to dominate or controlthe sales call. Her behaviour is aggressive, she points at you while she talks,interrupts you to challenge you, and she seldom cares about hearing the detailsof your new product or service. Instead, she demands that you cut to chaseand tell me the bottom line. Donna is very result-focused and goal-orientedand hates wasting time.

To achieve the best sales resultswith this individual you need to be more direct and assertive. Tell her at thebeginning of the sales call or meeting that you know how busy she is and howvaluable her time is. Tell her that you will get right to the point and focusyour conversation on the results she will achieve by using your product orservice. Resist the temptation to back down if she confronts you because youwill lose her respect. To Donna, it is not personal, its just business.

Lastly, be direct in asking for herbusinessyou dont have to dance around this issue.

Talkative Tim: Tim is a gregarious andoutgoing person but very ego-centric. He is often late for your meetings andhis constant interruptions and long stories cause your sales calls to go beyondthe scheduled time. He appears to be more concerned with listening to himselftalk which is frustrating because you dont always get enough time to discussyour solution.

Relationships are very important toTalkative Tim so invest more time in social conversation. Even if you dont seethe point in this, he will appreciate the gesture and will like you more. Thisperson often makes buying decisions on intuition and how he feels about thesales person.

Be careful not to challenge Timbecause he will feel rejected and when this happens he will shut down andbecome unresponsive. During your sales presentation, tell him how good yoursolution will make him look to others in the company or how his status or imagewill improve. In other words, appeal to his ego.

Steady Eddie: Soft-spoken, Eddie is anice fellow who seems more focused on his team and coworkers than on hispersonal results. He is very quiet compared to some of your other prospects andcan be difficult to read. But most frustrating is his reluctance to make abuying decision. Eddies mantra seems to be Im still thinking about butthanks for following up.

Structure and security is importantto these people and it is difficult for Eddie to make changes. He oftencontemplates how the decision will affect other people within the organization.That means you need to slow down the sales process, demonstrate how yoursolution will benefit the team, and remove as much risk from thedecision-making process as possible. Soften your voice and make sure your salespresentation flows in a logical manner. Use words like fair logical andyour team in your presentation.

Analytical Alice: She reads every pointand specification about your product or service and regardless of how muchinformation you give Alice, she always wants more, including written guaranteesand back up documentation. She is very difficult to read and it is extremelydifficult to get her engaged in an open conversation because personal feelingsand emotions do not enter the picture when Alice makes a decision.

Whenever possible, give Alice a written, bullet-point agenda of your meetingbeforehand. Ideally, email it to hera few days in advance so she can prepare herself. Make sure it is completelyfree of typos, spelling mistakes and punctuation errors. When you meet, followthe agenda in perfect order and if you make any type of claim, have supportingdocumentation available for her to read.

While the approach to use with eachof these people may not make sense to you or seem completely rational, it iscritical to recognize that how you naturally and instinctively sell, may not bethe best way to get results with someone else. Modifying your approach andstyle, even briefly, will help you better connect with your customers andprospects which means you will generate better sales.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses discover new techniques to improve their sales and profits. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com .