If you are a small business owner or manager, you probably play the role of salesperson quite often. The better you are at sales, the more successful your business will be.
If you’re taking a “one size fits all” approach when dealing with prospects, you’re likely limiting your sales potential. You need to recognize different personality types and modify your presentation accordingly.
I divide prospects into 4 personality types and to make it easy to remember, I use animals and their behavior to help me remember them.
The animals are: owl, love bird, cow and rhinoceros.
Owls are wise. They get like that by asking questions. They want to know all the details.
So if you’re dealing with an owl, you better know your product. The good thing is that if you answer all of their questions, they are usually ready to buy.
Many salespeople get along very well with their customers. They talk about sports, remember their children’s names, and invite them to lunch whenever they can. These clients are Love Birds. It’s called relationship selling and it works. As you discover common interests with your prospect, you make a connection. When two people discover that they have things in common they tend to trust each other and we all know that trust is a very important factor in closing a sale.
The Cow personality type is a bit difficult to deal with. Cows have a herd mentality. They take their direction from what others around them are doing. They like recommendations and are probably the easiest to sell. But there is a problem with the cows. After a sale, if they talk to friends or even a competitor, they may have second thoughts: you know, buyer’s remorse and want to cancel or change their order. Therefore, it is better that you make sure that they understand the features, terms and conditions.
The rhino is our fourth personality type and can be the most difficult to handle. You are usually busy and want to get to the “bottom line” or price as soon as possible. They don’t have the patience to listen to your sales presentation and will want to take control of the conversation. So how do you drive a Rhino? Being a rhino. Show him that your time is valuable too. Get to the point quickly and convince him that it’s worth taking the time to review the benefits of your product or service.
To be successful in sales, you must be able to recognize and manage all 4 personality types. Ask yourself this question. What type of personality am I? Chances are, most of your customers are a lot like you. To be one of the best people in sales, you have to be able to sell all kinds of prospects. To do that, you need to recognize and adapt to the four personality types.
Once you master this concept, you’ll be on your way to becoming a great producer.