The Key to Developing Trust and Credibility

Buyers have many different likes, dislikes and motivations. Top performing sales professionals know that the key to developing trust and credibility is to expertly determine the likes, dislikes and buying styles of their prospects and to adapt their communication style to match that of their buyer.

Some buyers:

• Like to have fun.
• Like new products.
• Like proven products.
• Like a lot of data.
• Like you to be direct.
• Like personal talk.
• Like time to think.
• Like to negotiate.
• Like showy products.
• Like traditional products and
• Some don’t…

Buying styles are nothing new. Hippocrates first observed this around 460 BC when he first categorized the four styles of human behavior. Even though the terms have changed over the years social psychologists still agree that there are four distinct behavioral styles.

Let’s take a look at the characteristics of the four basic styles, how to recognize them and how to effectively communicate with them:

The Driver

This extroverted buying style is a very bottom line cut to the chase type of buyer. They are direct, forceful, aggressive, decisive, competitive, results oriented, impatient and are quick decision makers.

They are primarily interested in the answer to the question “What can you or your product or service do for me?”

Examples of this style are Ross Perot, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Walters and Fidel Castro.

When communicating with these buyers be clear, specific and to the point. Don’t ramble or waste their time. They are interested in new and innovative products and services. When talking with these folks stick to business and avoid any effort to socialize or chit chat.

The Social

This buying style is a super extrovert. They are very talkative, socially engaging, enthusiastic, charming, gregarious, optimistic, inspiring, and tend to be impulsive decision makers.
They are primarily interested in the answer to the question “Why should I do business with you or your company instead of someone else?”

Examples of this style are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey, Andre Agassi, Dolly Parton.

When communicating with these folks allow time for some socialization and don’t be cold or curt. Ask them questions that allow them to talk about their goals. Don’t dwell on facts and figures. Provide testimonials from people they view as important or prominent.

They are interested in new, showy, and innovative products and services.

The Amiable

This buying style is introverted and reserved. They are relaxed, serene, non demonstrative and are shy and hesitant to open up or share any information about themselves or their situation.

Because they are hesitant and slow to develop trust they want to know “Who else in my industry are you working with?”

Examples of this style are children’s television host Mr. Rogers, Mother Teresa, Magic Johnson and Tom Brokaw.

When communicating with these buying styles patiently listen and be responsive. Provide plenty of proof and statistics. Take it slow and easy and don’t force a quick decision.

They are slow decision makers who like traditional, proven products, guarantees and assurances.

The Analytical

This introverted buying style is methodical, very skeptical, cautious, evasive, analytical, systematic and precise. They will ask a lot of questions and not want to reveal much of anything.

They are perfectionists who want to know “How does this exactly work?” and “Why is it done that way?” and “What data do you have to support your claims”?

Examples of this style are Diane Sawyer, Jack Nicklaus, Ted Koppel. Because of the exacting nature they tend to be in such professions as accounting, architecture, banking, engineering and law.

When communicating with these buying styles approach them in a direct, straightforward way and be very specific and have data to support everything you say. Use a logical approach. Present specifics and details. Provide them with the information and the time they need to make a decision.

They need a lot of proof and background information before they will make a purchasing decision and they need plenty of time to absorb and digest facts before making a decision.

They are extremely slow decision makers and are highly suspicious of new and unproven products. When presenting to them use plenty of research information and testimonials.

Questions for You to Consider

• What is your natural selling style?
• Which buying style is the most difficult for you to connect with?
• Which style do you tend to avoid?
• What do you need to do to become a more skilled communicator?

Recent research and field data from Princeton University support the premise that Emotional Intelligence is a major contributing factor to sales success. Daniel Goleman and Cary Cherniss in their book The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace evaluated three predictors of job success; Relevant Experience, Emotional Intelligence, and Outstanding IQ. They found that job success could be predicted:

> 71% of the time by the candidate’s Relevant Experience
> 74% of the time by the candidate’s Emotional Intelligence
> 48% of the time by the candidate’s IQ

Goleman and Cherniss go on to say that the higher and more significant the position, the greater the role Emotional Intelligence plays. In fact, at the Top Sales and Senior Executive level, EI factors are as much as 80% responsible for long-term success.

According to Stephen Blakesley, President of Management Systems, Inc., numerous studies specific to sales and Emotional Intelligence found:

In one organization, sales reps with high EI were 127 times more productive than sales reps that had average EI.
 
In another large, multinational organization sales people selected on the basis of Emotional Intelligence sold, on average $91,370 more annually than other sales people in the organization.
 
Additionally, those selected on the basis of Emotional Intelligence had 63% less turnover during the first year than those selected based on experience.
 
No doubt about it. Emotional Intelligence is more important than experience when it comes to success in sales.
 
Want to find out how to Hire Sales Superstars?

Good Selling

Steve Clark
 

Here is a powerful quote on developing trust and respect. I think it gives us all food for thought.

“What few managers realize is that intuitions, emotional contact, influence, trust, believability are all processed in the preconscious areas of the brain — in particular, the limbic system, which servers not only as a gateway to the sites where cognition, or thinking, takes place but as the brain’s emotional center.

Whereas the cognitive brain centers devote their time sifting through words, concepts, and analysis, the emotional brain continuously scans for meaning and judgment from thousands of subtle nuances in voice tone, gestures, eye contact, and a wide range of other behaviors that the cognitive brain centers scarcely register or understand. The limbic system works approximately 80,000 times faster than the conscious cerebral cortex.

The conscious mind can process only 126 bits of information per second and only 40 bits of human speech, yet our senses can receive up to 100 million bits of input per second. The limbic gives us an instantaneous ‘reading’ on believability and trustworthiness during each of our interactions with others. In short: Without believability, we are neither heard or trusted.”

~ Executive EQ, by Robert Cooper, Ph.D.

According to Joseph E. LeDoux, Ph.D., a world-renowned neuroscientist at New York University, trust is a social emotion. It is the ability to put yourself in the mind of another and predict what they are thinking or what they will do. Psychologists call this the “theory of mind.”

To provoke trust, a sales person has to be able to put himself in the mind of the prospect and then perform to the expectation of the prospect. The more “predictable” a salesperson performs to the prospect’s expectation the better the prospect feels. Therefore, a sales person who doesn’t startle prospects with unexpected behaviors will do better and sell more.

How good are you at reading prospects and responding to what they need and expect?

Suppose you are the CFO of a medium sized manufacturing firm and you have plans to meet with two agents from difference insurance agencies.

The agent from agency A sits down and does a few things to establish rapport. Then he starts telling you about his company, its reputation and commitment to quality service. Soon he goes into his presentation about their standards, number of markets and risk management philosophy and asks you for an opportunity to provide a competitive quote and see how they do.

The agent from agency B comes in, and after doing a few things to establish rapport, begins with a brief story to gain some credibility and then asks a few questions.

Producer: “Recently during a meeting with the executive of a manufacturing firm, the CFO told me his greatest concern was that all of the services available to him were poorly coordinated and because of that he didn’t feel he was getting all that he was paying for. What he said he wanted was a more defined annual service plan that was proactive in nature and would help him exercise maximum control to prevent and manage losses. We gave him that and as a result his cost of losses has decreased by over 37%. I don’t suppose that you are concerned with anything like that are you?”

Prospect: “That’s been a significant challenge. I don’t have the time to really manage all the aspects to make sure they happen.”

Producer: “Just out of curiosity, when your agent came out at renewal time to go through your service plan and laid out when he would deliver policies, review claims, review your mod worksheet, review payroll, and set up a renewal strategy so you wouldn’t waste your time or overpay for insurance, were you comfortable with how they laid everything out?”

Prospect: “It’s never been that formal a process.”

Producer: “Well, maybe it’s not that important because you’ve never had an unpaid claim or an extensive audit.”

Prospect: “Wait a minute - this is important. If we had been doing this last year we wouldn’t have had the surprise with….”

Which of these approaches best describes your selling style?

Remember that people like to buy but they don’t like to be sold. The only way they can do that is by selling you why they want to buy. Instead of trying to persuade, convince or pitch someone why they should buy your product or service, learn the Art of Negative Sell and let them sell you. You’ll make more sales and have a lot of fun doing so.