Good morning!
“Which personality type is the hardest for you to sell to?”
That’s the question I posted on LinkedIn recently. I gave four options:
- The Bully
- The Introvert
- The Chatty Cathy
- Other
Almost half of the respondents choose option 1, The Bully, and I get it. Pushy, overbearing customers are everywhere and can be challenging to manage and communicate with effectively. This is especially true when you are just starting out and trying to please everyone. Bullies will continue to push until you push back.
One of the more difficult selling skills to pick up is identifying a personality type and quickly changing your approach, tone, cadence, and words in order to connect, communicate, and ultimately, sell.
The first step in that process is to figure out which type of person you are selling to. Pre-call research using LinkedIn is the easiest and quickest source of information. Everything from the profile picture to posts and even testimonials can help you fill in the blanks. Consider this a window to their soul.
Of course, your best source of information is a face-to-face meet up. Doing so allows for visual and audible clues, but we don’t always get that chance. Most often, we need to assess and adjust on the fly. Therein lies the skill.
My best advice is to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Believe you are talking with a kind, caring individual until you are shown otherwise. Treat others like you would like to be treated. Be the kind of sales rep you would like to buy from. That way, you bring authenticity to the situation.
What’s important is not to change who you are once you figure someone out, but rather change how you are delivering information to that person. Players gonna play, play, play, play. Your job is to learn their game and adjust to their rules.
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“The Sales Vault has been a game-changer for me, equipping me with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in a competitive market.”
Carina Bieber, Sales Representative
May 2024