Selling the Way Your Customers Buy

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Selling the Way Your Customers Buy

Written by Michael Wilkinson

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6 Steps to Closing a Sale

When I'm driving to an a appointment I'm not listening to the radio, I'm imagining how the sale is going to end up, me closing the sale. When I arrive at the appointment I sit in my car for a few minutes, close my eyes and visualize every thing happening just as I want it to. I see the prospect approving the contract, giving me the check and us shaking hands and smiling.

Ever heard the expression, “It’s not WHAT you say…it’s HOW you say it”?

Well, it’s probably safe to assume we all agree with the concept here, at least on the most basic level. Reality is, WHAT we say Is still important. But I’m sure if you took a moment you could think of several instances when it was HOW a person said something that made all the difference. The same applies in sales. To win the business, you have to speak the customers “language.”

Striking Gold
You have to figure out how each prospective buyer prefers to be approached…Do they want to skip the small-talk and get right into the details? Or, do they want to “shoot the breeze” a while first? Are they assertive or passive? Creative or analytical?

The answers to these questions will define your customers “buying style”. Once you master the art of adjusting your selling style to match your customers buying styles, you’ve struck gold!

DISCLAIMER: Whooooa…Ok – let’s pause a minute…I know there are at least 5.2 bazillion articles, books, training programs, and so on out there on the market, all attempting to convince you that their sales processes, platforms, strategies, models, techniques etc…are hands-down THE BEST. There’s “Strategic Selling”, “Solution Selling”, “CustomerCentric Selling”, “How to Master the Art of Selling Anything”, “SPIN Selling”, to name a few.

I’m not attempting to compete with those guys; quite the contrary, actually. While they focus on WHAT you do, this article focuses on HOW you do it. The goal is to:

Improve your success/close rate by up to 40%
Avoid costly mistakes
Recognize each buying style when you encounter them
Connect with prospects/customers immediately
Know what to do/not to do when selling to customers with different styles

In short, the “buying styles” philosophy will complement any sales methodology you currently use.

What are “Buying Styles”?
The “Buying Styles” philosophy is based on the D-I-S-C behavioral model. There are four basic buying styles. Granted, people use a combination of buying styles; but, in general, one of these four styles will dominate each of your customers’ buying patterns.

High-D: The High-D (Drive) buying style is direct and decisive. They want you to cut to the chase, tell them what you want them to do and let them know what’s in it for them. They will tune out if you take too long to get to the point.

High-I: The High-I (Influence) style enjoys engaging in conversation and discussing the big picture. They want the stage: they want you to get them talking about their needs and experiences and to engage them in how they will use your product. They will lose interest if you go into details or don’t keep the conversation interactive.
High-S: People with a High-S (Steadiness) style want you to get to know them. For a High-S, it is all about the relationship. They will buy from you because they like you and trust you. They will shut down if you become pushy or demanding.
High-C: Firstly, this group of individuals has nothing to do with the popular, juice-box drink. High-Cs (Compliance) want to be sure they are making the right decision. They want you to present information in a logical, linear fashion. They want the details and time to go through them. They will tune out if you make claims you can’t back up with hard data or try to force a decision before they are ready.

Here’s the wringer: most sales people sell the way they want to be sold to, instead of changing their style to align with their customer’s buying style. So what happens when a High-D (get to the point) sales person tries to sell to a High-S (get to know me) customer or when a High-I storyteller tries to sell to a High-C (give me the facts) customer? Usually nothing...nada…zip…zero…sale lost!

If you’re not adapting to your customer’s buying styles, you’re losing sales – not because the product doesn’t meet the customer’s need or because the prices is too high – simply because you’re selling using the wrong style.

Recognizing Buying Styles
Truth - More people than you think can use, can afford and genuinely do want to buy what you have to offer, but they are secretly desperate for you to sell to them using their buying style.
So, how exactly do you recognize a person’s buying style? It’s actually fairly easy once you train yourself to look for “the clues”. And people leave clues about their buying styles everywhere - in the things they say and do, the way they decorate their office, even in their voice mail messages.
For example:

If you call and get someone’s voice mail and you hear, “You know what to do ,” then you know right away, this person’s buying style is a High-D: you should be brief and direct. Get to the point; don’t waste time with idle chatter. And you know this from just four words!

Or, suppose you hear, “I am sorry that I am not here to answer, but your call is very important to me. Please leave a message and I’ll be sure to get back with you. Have a nice day.” You can tell from the language that this person is screaming “Relate to me” – a very High-S message. This person wants you to get to know them. They want you to take your time, understand their needs, and build trust. The point is people are telling you how to sell to them, if you are paying attention and know what to look for.

Harvesting the Gold
You’ve probably had some success selling using your own, personal style. Imagine how much more successful you could be if you recognized and adjusted to the way each of your customers buys. But, the message here is simple: adapt or continue to be much less successful than you could be.

Michael Wilkinson
		About the author:
		Michael Wilkinson is the founder and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, Inc. He is author of best-seller The Secrets of Facilitation, The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, and Buying Styles, and is one of the nation’s leaders in the facilitation industry. He is a Board member of the National Institute for Facilitation and founder of the National Facilitator Database. He has been awarded both the Certified Professional Facilitator and the Certified Master Facilitator designations for experience and demonstrated expertise in facilitation. In 2003 he was named Facilitator of the Year by the Southeast Association of Facilitators for contributions to the field. .