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It can be hard to know how best to talk to prospective customers so that they are receptive to your presentation. They will feel more at ease with people who show similar behaviours.
I hope this post will give you some ideas on how to adapt your approach to each of the 4 very different personality styles identified in the work of Dr David Merrill, co-author of Personal Styles and Effective Performance: Make Your Style Work for You
Driver – interested in seeing a bottom-line advantage
Be punctual for your meetings and make sure your presentation is well prepared and organised. Small talk will irritate them, so get to the point quickly with this personality type and emphasise the key results they will get. Show them plans and outlines; give them clear, specific and brief points without going into too much detail. Drivers do not like being told what to do.
You will recognise this personality type through their tendency to make direct eye contact and give a strong, assertive handshake. They use direct language and speak fast and forcefully, showing little emotion in their facial expression.
Expressive – respond well to humour and are outgoing
Allow time for socialising in your meetings with Expressives. Focus on developing a relationship with them. Recognition is important to these people so try to show how your ideas, products or services will improve their standing within the company. Your presentation should be enthusiastic and just give the big picture, they will not appreciate lots of detail. Ask for their ideas and suggestions and if possible support your presentation with testimonials from people they know.
This personality type speaks quickly and animatedly, using rapid hand and arm gestures, and has a wide range of facial expressions.
Amiable – will spend time talking and getting to know you
Take your time explaining your product or service and provide a written plan of your idea, without too many facts and figures. Involve them by using “we” often in your presentation and be sure to ask for their opinions and ideas. Listen more than you talk. Amiables dislike being pressurised into making quick decisions.
An Amiable personality type will have a friendly facial expression and make eye contact often. They speak in soft tones and are supporting and encouraging. They are very easy to get on with, despite giving an initial impression of being more reserved than the Driver or Expressive.
Analytical – generally quite reserved
Punctuality is important to this personality type who are polite and reserved; they do not like sharing personal information. Your presentation should contain lots of facts, detail and logic so show them charts, graphs, statistics. Give them a written proposal as well as a summary, showing how your product or service will minimise risk. Analyticals can be very slow to make a decision because they have to be sure of being right.
You will notice that this personality type uses precise language and has little inflection in their voice, perhaps even tending towards a monotone. They will not show much expression in their face and their gestures are slow and controlled.
How to Use this Information
Most people will demonstrate a dominant personality type, some will exhibit characteristics from more than one but rarely from all four.
Take a look at your existing customers and identify their personality styles. Decide what changes you can make to your approach with them, include these changes in your next meeting and observe the results.
What's your experience of selling to different personality types? Please share in the comments.
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