Selling to the Four Temperament Styles
By John Boe
Have you ever wondered why you seem to hit it off
right away with some people, while with others it's more like oil and water? A
person's temperament style not only determines his or her energy level,
behavioral traits, body language patterns, and buying style, but it also
influences compatibility with other people. Yin Yang, the ancient Chinese symbol
for balance, depicts the strong attraction and complementary nature of
opposites. Just as oil and water repel, while magnet and metal attract, we too
are attracted or repelled by other people instinctively. For example, each of us
have met someone for whom we felt an immediate affinity or, for some unknown
reason, an instant dislike. In reality, we are intuitively responding to the
natural chemistry, or lack thereof, between temperament styles.
Today we
have access to revolutionary tools such as the Internet, cell phones, and video
conferencing all to support us in communicating effectively. Even with all of
these high-tech tools at our disposal, the alarming number of lost sales,
disgruntled employees, dissatisfied customers and failed relationships are
evidence that none of us are as effective at understanding people as we might
like to believe. For example, what about that sale you thought you had closed,
but for some unknown reason your prospect changed his or her mind and didn't
buy... or at least they didn't buy from you.
Chances are you lost that
sale, not because of a lack of effort or product knowledge, but because of your
inability to recognize and adjust to your prospect's temperament style. A
temperament style mismatch is often referred to as a "personality conflict."
Sadly, commission-based sales reps who don't know how to make adjustments to
their sales presentation to match their prospects' temperament style or "buying
style" end up with skinny kids!
Research indicates that there are four
primary temperament styles; Aggressive, Expressive, Passive, and Analytical.
Each of these four temperament styles requires a unique marketing approach and
sales presentation strategy. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is credited
with originating the basic theory of the four temperament styles twenty-four
hundred years ago. Since the days of ancient Greece, there have been many
temperament theories and a wide variety of evaluation instruments, but
essentially they utilize the four temperament styles that Hippocrates
identified. Hippocrates observed that these four temperament styles have a
direct influence on our character traits, personal preferences, and general
outlook on life. A person's temperament style is determined genetically and has
nothing to do with his or her gender, skin color, astrology sign, birth order,
or childhood experiences. Environmental factors don't create a person's
temperament style, they merely reveal it. For example, if you are born into the
analytical temperament style, you will be shy and reserved for your entire life.
This is why you can have children with different temperament styles raised by
the same parents.
If you're making a sales presentation to a prospect
with the aggressive temperament style, go with a "big picture" bottom line
solution approach. Under pressure, this temperament style can quickly become
aggressive, explosive, and ill-tempered. Can you say Mike Tyson? It's definitely
a good idea to give an aggressive temperament style prospect many options so you
don’t threaten their need for control. In addition, be very careful not to waste
their time with a long warm up or too much chitchat... get to the point quickly
and stick to business. While at the other extreme, the analytical temperament
style prospect has a need for detail and therefore requires a great deal of
information and a much slower-paced sales presentation. If you make the mistake
of going "big picture" with an analytical style prospect, they will feel that
you are not giving them enough information to make a decision. The analytical
temperament style is often referred to as having an engineer's mentality. It's
not that they want to be right; it's that they can't stand to be wrong. They
would rather research information than make a premature buying decision. Their
cautious, "numbers-driven" analytical nature makes them extremely susceptible to
"paralyses through analysis" and buyer’s remorse. It pays to give the analytical
temperament style prospect tons of facts, guarantees, testimonials, and
continuous reassurance that they're making a good decision.
Tips for
Selling to the Aggressive Temperament Style
• They tend to tell not
ask
• Their major weakness is "anger management"... hothead
• Oriented on
getting Quick Results
• They ask “what” questions. Keywords: Results, Bottom
Line, Speed, Save Time, and Control
• Warm up quickly and use a bottom line,
just the facts approach
• They may intimidate you with outbursts of
anger
• Give them options so they can be in control
• Stay big picture and
avoid details - use a colorful pie chart rather than a spreadsheet
• Expect
a quick decision
Tips for Selling to the Expressive Temperament Style
• They tend to tell not ask
• Their major weakness is "emotional
management"... crybaby
• Oriented on Entertainment and People
• They ask
“who” questions. Keywords: Exciting, Fun, Trendy, Improved, and
Enthusiastic
• Warm up quickly and use an entertaining, fast-paced
approach
• They may become emotional or talk too much
• Give them
compliments and ask for their opinion
• Stay big picture and avoid details –
use a colorful pie chart rather than a spreadsheet
• Expect a quick
decision
Tips for Selling to the Passive Temperament Style
• They
tend to ask not tell
• Their major weakness is "self-esteem management"...
doormat
• Oriented on Service and Family
• They ask “how” questions.
Keywords: Family, Service, Support, Peaceful, and Caring
• Warm up slowly and
use a low-key, harmonious approach
• They may withdraw if they feel “sales
pressure”
• Give them respect and show interest in family members
• Use a
step-by-step, detailed presentation – use numbers and or a spreadsheet
•
Expect them to procrastinate because they dislike change
Tips for Selling
to the Analytical Temperament Style
• They tend to ask not tell
•
Their major weakness is "stress management"... worrywart
• Oriented on
Quality and Accuracy
• They ask “why” questions. Keywords: Logical, Safety,
Precise, Craftsmanship, Economical, and Quality
• Warm up slowly and use an
analytical, detailed approach
• They may become aloof or sarcastic
• Give
them accurate and detailed information
• Use a step-by-step, detailed
presentation – use numbers and or a spreadsheet
• Expect them to want to
“think it over” because they are frugal and would rather research than make a
mistake and appear incompetent
While there are certainly many factors
that influence the selling process, by far the most important factor is to
identify your prospect's temperament style. Once you learn how to quickly and
accurately determine your prospect's temperament style, you'll be able to close
more sales in less time!
John Boe presents a wide variety of
motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings
and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business
motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry.
For more information, visit
www.johnboe.com.
