When it comes to making the sale, the most effective sales people already know the importance of building rapport, establishing trust, and building a connection with their clients and customers. It is important to establish a friendly relationship and learn to relate to your customers without being too personal.
When giving a sales presentation, ideally the first fifteen minutes should be devoted to listening to your client and getting to them. Learning about their hobbies or personal interests can be a great way to establish common ground and also help to break the ice when meeting clients for the first time.
Using active listening skills are one of the most important aspects of building rapport and developing an effective relationship with your potential client.
In addition, listening to the customer talk can also give you important insight into their temperament and give you direction in how to go about with the rest of the sales presentation.
When it comes to dealing with customers, there are basically four different types of personalities and behavioral styles to keep in mind: aggressive, expressive, passive, and analytical. Most people fall into one of these categories, and knowing which temperament you are dealing with can help you to build rapport and implement an effective sales strategy that is suited to their style.
The aggressive temperament is often impatient, very busy, and has little time for your presentation. These are your “just the facts” type of clients.
You want to keep your introduction and warm up very brief, be very straightforward, and tell them exactly what they need to know. People who are more expressive are often more talkative, enthusiastic, or emotional. It is important when dealing with an expressive temperament to include a lot of enthusiasm in your presentation and allow plenty of time for them to share their ideas as well.
The expressive temperaments are often impulsive shoppers and can make quick decisions concerning purchases. These types of temperaments are frequently concerned with what other think of them, and may have a difficult time focusing during lengthy presentations.
The passive temperament is often referred to as the “watcher.” They enjoy lengthy presentations, time to make a decision, and lots of information. Introverted by nature, it is important to give the passive temperament extra security and peace of mind through reassurance.
The passive temperament is often very sensitive to sales pressure, and extra warm up time may be needed in order to establish a common ground. These kinds of people do not like to make decisions, frequently procrastinate, and are often quite comfortable with the way things are.
On the other hand, the analytical temperament, or the “thinker” usually also prefers a more gradual presentation style and may also require more time to warm up and build rapport. In addition, these personality types often like to research or gather more information prior to making a purchase and enjoy making informed decisions. It is important when dealing with this type of temperament to provide as much information as possible and answer all of the client’s questions.
