Are You Ready for The Next Level? Sales Consultant?
If you are taking the time to read this entire article, you have already taken the first step. How many of us would be satisfied if all of our clients were to treat every vendor exactly the same?
Do you want to be perceived as a “Walking RFP or piece of Literature?”
Now put the shoe on the other foot, and look at your presentation skills and process from the eyes of those we work so hard to be consultative partners with. Are all your clients the same kind of people? Do they make decisions in the same way? At the end of the day, we do not want to be considered just like everyone else making a sales call, or introducing a new product.
Yet, in most cases, we have a tendency to present the material in the same way. Is this true with you? We fall into a style or process that is comfortable to us; we like a style or process that has worked before. Key words are “We feel comfortable.” After all, it has worked on Client A, so it is only natural that we perceive or assume it will work with Clint B. For most salespeople if it is not broken, then no need to fix it. Unfortunately, again, this is our perspective.
The best of the best understand that a true consultative salesperson does not communicate or present in a style that is the best interest of the person on the delivery side, but a process in the best interest of the Client. If you want to take your consultative selling skills to the next level then try some of these ideas.
Most of us have had some exposure to different personality styles, or Myers Briggs, or Dr, Marston and DISC. And the purpose of this article is not to re-teach personality styles in a single article. But see if this makes sense.
Selling to a Driver
A “Driver or Dominant” personality style is one that is very brief and to the point, driving, ambitious, and quick to make decisions. You know who they are. To take your presentation and proposal to the next level understand this Client. Make your presentations short and to the point. Correspondence shout also be brief, even bullet points or outlines as any more than a page they will not read anyway. In most cases this is not a place for chitchat about football, vacations or families. You do not have as much influence over their decisions as you might think. Put more time into your Presentation or Proposal than actual time explaining it, leave the highlights of the data there and they will make the decision.
They communicate well with Conscientious category, as they do not have much patience for salespeople with a lot of “Fluff,” or small talk. They also struggle with communicating to those in the Steadiness category as “Dominants” have no trouble with quick decisions or change.
Selling to Influencers or Emotive Assertives
The “Influencer” style is all about having fun, often charismatic, talking, magnetic, and very high on the emotional side but have a tendency to over-commit. This type of Client is not going to be swayed with a lot of data or facts, their minds usually do function in an analytical way but more likely be influenced by success stories or a shorter road to success not details. You might share the conclusions of the data more so than the data itself. You might even stay away from a lot of dialog on Spec Sheets. However, they are more than willing to talk there way through decisions as well make them in more of a consultative team oriented environment.
They naturally communicate well with those in the Steadiness category because of talking and relationships, but struggle with those from Conscientious because they simply do not have much patience for a lot of data or research.
Selling to those in the Steadiness Category
The “Steadiness” style is all bout patience and relationships. They tend to be steady pace, love security, and do not like sudden change. "S" individuals are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable and consistent. This is a place for more general dialog, families, vacations and the like. As much as you might like to push them to a decision, they cannot be pushed or rushed. In your presentations and/or proposals this is a good place for testimonials for those they know or respect.
Their communication with those in the Dominant category is often strained because they like to ease their way into a decision or change, often diverting the original subject. But communicate well with Influencers.
Selling to Conscientious or Analytical Styles
These folks are all about analyzing data and a specific process. People with high "C" styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. They tend to be careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, and tactful. They are heavy into data and process. Often times they delay decisions just to see if they might gain more data. They too cannot be rushed in a decision.
They communicate well with the Dominant category as both prefer straight style of communication without a lot of emotion or fluff, thus Influencers often drive them crazy.
So what does all this mean for us? I have many huge mistakes in my life and hopefully learned from most them. Many years ago I was in an extremely competitive sales scenario. I was a young hot shot salesperson with National Awards and Company Recognition, exceeded only by my ego at the time. This was an extremely large potential client, “Mr. F” we will call him here. He had given us a small portion of his business, but we had a great offer and high expectations.
I was personally selected by management to see this prestigious client. I was prepared, confident, enthusiastic and eager to show my stuff. I actually got myself (I am a textbook Influencer as I suspect many of you are) all psyched up in the parking lot before I entered his office.
I went in all fired up. It was not the first time I had met him, but I did not know him very well, but I knew my own style very well. I was knowledgeable, trained and extremely enthusiastic. As we moved past the dialog on the family pictures on his desk, what a mistake that was… I went into my act. I was enthusiastic, energetic, engaged, but unfortunately I was the only one. Have you ever had the feeling of “Crash and Burn?”
He sat there, almost disinterested, actually his eyes were open but I thought he may have been asleep. So, I cranked up the energy level. If one notch was good, then three notches had to be better! I was going deeper and deeper into the hole of crash and burn. He mercifully ended the misery for both us of with an excuse of a pending meeting.
I walked out not only empty handed, but we had lost his business, 100% of his business to a competitor. The more he did not react, the louder I danced. I messed up in a truly embarrassing way. I returned to my boss’s office with less than we had started with.
You see he was a Conscientious/Analytical and my “Influencer” style alienated him and rather than adjust my process to his style, I tried to increase my energies. Crash and Burn.
The next year I was a little wiser and a little humbler. I begged to get another crack at him, mostly to save my own dignity. In a moment of real weakness, my boss allowed me to go see him again. I called “Mr. F” who was cordial enough to me on the phone, and suggested I send him some information in advance. We had a “Booking” program that was about 5 pages long, and I added 10 pages of historical data, advertising dollars, his historical inventory turns, training information and almost anything I could think of that made sense.
You see, his style was to patiently and conscientiously review the data, and reach a conclusion on his terms and in his own way. Two weeks later I nervously called “Mr. F” to set up a personal appointment. He told me an appointment would not be necessary, he had mailed in his stocking order. Crash and Burn II?
“Mr. F” had purchased over 1,000 units, double his order from two years ago without my energy, charisma and excitement. And he requested in writing that I personally conduct a number of retails sales training workshops for his people, “He thought my enthusiasm would really rub off on his retail associates.”
So, if you have a client or a “Mr. F” in your territory that you are not sure you are really connecting with on a regular basis. Take a moment and their personality style. Consider presenting and proposing in way in which they would like to receive the information, rather than a way in which you like to present the information. That is what consultative salespeople do; put their Client needs first in every scenario.