Understanding Two of the Important Personalities
You are Selling To
While these important players may have different titles or no title at all, it is critical to establish the relationships to solve their issues or problems. This is why you are there.
The Driver: The Business Owner or CEO
This person is like the lighthouse, guiding their company through the rocky shores of the business world. The Driver wants to know how your solution fits into the big picture of the company. They’ll make their decision based on bullet points of information, so don’t bother them with the details. Usually they’ll have someone else analyze the fine points of your product anyway. When you’re working with the Driver, give them your concept, your value proposition, and why your product or service will alleviate their pain. If you can show the Driver why you can solve their problem, then you’ll have a sale. But that means observing their personality type.
If you walk in that door with the wrong approach — say you’re all chatty or making too much small talk about things that have nothing to do with their business or him or her personally, then you might as well stay home. Do your homework before you walk in the door. If you don’t feel that you know what the Driver is looking for, then be prepared to ask high gain questions that will make the difference in your ability to close the deal. These high gain questions will give you the credibility you need to establish the relationship and make the sale.
The Analytic: CFO, Accountants, Engineers, IT
The description alone pretty much explains this person. The Analytic wants all the details. Again, when you walk in the door, no messing around. Of course in all situations you want to develop rapport, but not too much small talk. The Analytic wants to know why you’re there. Can you increase their bottom line? Can you decrease their cost? Do you offer a higher quality product than what they already use? Their job is to analyze all the options, so be prepared and have ALL your facts ready.
Your high gain questions may well be the same with any of the personalities, but the difference will be in how you approach each conversation. Like the Driver, the Analytic isn’t one for small talk. You’ll gain immediate credibility by providing a lot of facts, figures and information that isn’t fluff.
It is critical in sales to understand and study who you are establishing business relationships with. This information is all about helping them solve problems whether it is a small business, a corporation, or an entrepreneur just getting started.
