What’s on your customer’s mind? Read Christer B Jansson’s opinion based on George W Dudley and Shannon R Goodson’s research on sales styles and sales productivity.
“No two customers are the same”. For small business owners, this means they need close attention to what motivates customers to buy. Customers approach their purchases with their own agenda.
For example, some customers are looking for product features , others want to build a long-term relationship with the seller, or are looking for sellers who provide a guaranteed good service . This means that you as a seller need to tailor your sales technique to the customer’s primary reason for buying. Over the years, salespeople have often built up a sales style they prefer and feel comfortable with and have developed it over time. I have met many entrepreneurs in many different contexts and they do not always try to see the need from the customer’s perspective.
Six different behavioral styles
Via George W Dudley and Shannon Goodson at BSRP Inc in Dallas Texas USA, a company that researches salespeople’s fears and different behaviors, 300,000 salespeople in 11 different countries have been studied to see how they sell. Six different behavioral styles were found.
1. If the customer is detail-oriented , then show the features of your product and explain the benefits and meaning if necessary. If the customer is knowledgeable in the area, refrain from the explanations as the customer will understand it him/herself. Sometimes a customer just wants the facts and can lose interest if you ask a lot of questions about their needs instead of giving them the information they need. These customers are usually well informed about your offers as well as those of your competitors so pay attention to clues. If the customer’s office walls are covered with data charts or he asks for measurable results, chances are that he is above all interested in detailed information about your product or service instead of the relationship with you.
2. If the customer is more focused on the relationship , create a personal contact as early as possible. For some customers, this is more important than the product/service they are interested in buying. What matters most is the long-term relationship you establish. It bodes well for future business and requires excellent social skills as well as time to get to know each other before closing a deal.
“They will look for ways in which you care. From how you see each other (face-to-face, digital or email), how much time you devote to what they’re interested in, and what their work-life balance looks like? Here, as a seller, you should be curious and attentive!” Christer B Jansson
3. If the customer does not know what he wants, he needs to be guided and you must first act more as an advisor than a salesperson. Many customers do not really know what they are looking for or need. I learned that when I went from selling advertising space in Dagens Nyheter to selling outdoor advertising at the then ARE companies to the consulting industry. When I sold advertising space, the advice was more about fighting for the medium itself and its reach and how you could use it. In the consulting industry today, I am often faced with different situations and discuss these carefully in order to then tailor a solution that satisfies the customer’s wishes. Without that approach, it would never have been possible to sell. Understanding the customer’s needs is fundamental in this situation, otherwise it won’t work at all. These potential buyers require more guidance especially when it comes to products and services they are not well versed in.
4. If your client is looking for prestige , show your list of your A clients. Your reputation with other customers can make or break the deal. These clients sometimes ask about who else you work with. Many clients of this nature want to know if you have worked with similar companies to their own. As they are concerned about their own image, they do not want to buy an unknown company but one that gives a good reputation on the market and especially within the same industry. If it didn’t go as well as expected, they still bought one of the strongest cards on the market and their career is still protected. For these customers, references and a good customer list with good testimonials are essential.
5. If the customer focuses on guarantees , then strengthen your ability to deliver stellar service, i.e. service “top of the line” For some customers, it’s all about speed, quality and service. If potential customers ask about service and warranties, chances are they are very interested in what happens after they complete a transaction with the seller. This is when company policies and processes that guarantee fast processing times become especially important. Some companies have introduced that they must respond to customers within a certain time, which is about hours or even minutes after they make a request. For some customers, it is more important that you as a seller are always available than the price of your goods and services. In our company, we always respond as soon as we can and around the clock to give our customers the best possible service. We never say it can’t be done, but it can certainly be solved if it’s important and it will probably cost a penny. Let’s get back to you with the price so you know if it’s worth it.
6. If the customer is impatient and quickly gets “ants in their pants”, go straight to the end and close the deal. Study your customer’s signals carefully to see if they want quick action. If you detect impatience when asking questions, it may be time to get to the point. Closing a deal quickly is appealing to customers who buy certain products or services. When you sell certain financial services or insurance, some customers may be interested in the transaction being completed quickly. If it takes too long to close the deal, it may give an indication that you are not competent enough and are wasting their time.
These six styles can be measured via a behavioral test that measures how trained you are. It is likely that you have also established your way of selling which usually falls under one to two of these six different ways customers buy in.
Will you be a better salesperson if you master all six styles? Likely, because you can meet the different buying styles of all customers. It requires attention from you and I believe only your insight can contribute to an improvement in satisfying the needs of different customers in the meeting.
This article is written by Christer B Jansson, CEO and founder of Confident Approach a company specialized in sales productivity.
Article is originally published in Swedish on the SalesEffect portal.
