Before we dig in, please understand an important point when it comes to D.I.S.C. It is imperative that you understand your own D.I.S.C. Personality Type. This is Step One. You will interact with different personality types and to do that you must understand how much you need to “act” (alter your style) around others – others that are not “like” you. Do yourself a favor and really get a good understanding of where you plot on the D.I.S.C. quadrant
People are different. That’s what makes selling so fun. If you want to consistently win deals, you must understand this and you must adapt. You cannot sell how you’d like to be sold to. You must adapt your strategy to your prospect or customer’s personality type. Dominant – Influencer – Steady Relator – Cautious Thinker
The 4 Personality Types and How to Sell to Each
1. Dominant
Dominant personality types are results-oriented, decisive & competitive. They are extroverts. They are also Task-oriented people – they love the task and getting the result. Some are assertive. They care more about results than personal relationships. They might not send you a holiday card, but if you deliver on your commitments, you’ll maintain a healthy business relationship. Dominants care about the bottom line. They tend to be impatient & controlling. They want information fast, so they can make a decision and move on.
Dominant people usually speak in declarative sentences & ask few questions, so if you notice your prospect says things like, “I’m looking for a new flip-n-flop,” rather than, “Can you show me your flip-n-flops?”, you’re probably dealing with a Dominant personality type. Their volume is also a little louder than average, & they use animated, confident body language. Sometimes they even “0ver-talk” people.
How to sell to Dominant people?:
Professionalism is always important – more-so when it comes to Dominants. Always be prepared for a meeting with a dominant personality type. If you don’t know the answer to a question, let them know you’ll follow up instead of trying to give a halfway correct answer. They appreciate efficiency. Don’t waste their time repeating facts or building up to your point – cut to the chase. Emphasize how your product will solve their business’ problems. Cutting-edge features won’t impress them unless you can show why they will be useful to their company.
Take advantage of their competitive streak & show them how your product will help their company compete with others in their industry. Avoid personal opinions & testimonials. If you’re citing a successful customer, talk about the ROI they saw rather than how much they loved the product. Since Dominants aren’t great listeners, keep your statements short and to the point.
2. Influencer
Influencers or expressive people are also sometimes called “humanists” – personal relationships are important to this personality type. They are also extroverts but lean towards being people-oriented rather than task-oriented. They are people-pleasers, but don’t be fooled – influencers have powerful personalities and use them to try and sway others of their strongly held convictions. They are creative, outgoing, spontaneous and rely on their intuition. They are risk-takers. They value mutual respect, loyalty & friendship. Don’t make offhand commitments to Influencers – failing to deliver on an offer could spell the end of your relationship. Influencers tend to be very enthusiastic and colorful. Trendy and emotional, too. They’ll want to bond with you and feel connected on a personal level, but like Dominants, Influencers are sure of their beliefs and speak more in statements rather than questions. They make great salespeople! Don’t expect details to be their strong suit.
How to sell to influencers?:
Have fun. Don’t be a clown, but it is OK to have fun with Influencers. Present case studies. Influencers want to be reassured that you’re looking out for them, and what better way to prove your track record than to show stories of how your business made an impact on other people’s lives? Emphasize an ongoing relationship. If your company offers exceptional customer service or maintains long-term partnerships with its clients, now is the time to shout it from the rooftops. Don’t focus too much on facts and figures. Data is important, but an Influencer (who is not into the details) will ultimately want to know how their buying decision affects their business on a human level. Summarize along the way. You want to continually get their buy-in, so ask questions like, “So, we agree that you can use Templates to automate the prospecting process?”
3. Steady Relator
People with Steady Relator personality types are . . . well, Steady. They value personal relationships and want to trust their business partners. They are more introverted than Dominant and Influencers. They are “people-persons” and are great with people. Many Customer Service professionals are in this quadrant (as well as H.R. Professionals). A good word to describe a Steady Relator is Chameleon. You guessed it, Chameleons change their colors to blend in with the environment. Steady Relators are very good at that as well. A Steady Relator is the best at adapting to the other three quads. They are also good salespeople.
They are loyal, reliable and trustworthy. They want to establish rapport with the people they do business with and will likely seek out the help or approval of multiple team members. Expect a longer sales process than usual.
They are great listeners and might ask more personal questions in an attempt to get to know you outside of your professional role. They will be friendly, calm, and patient during meetings. Conversations with Steady Relators are generally laid-back and informal.
How to sell to Steady Relators?:
Pitch a vision. Help them visualize the outcomes their business could achieve with the help of your product or service. Take time to build rapport. They will need to feel safe in their relationship with your company before they’ll be comfortable doing business with you. Bring up examples of similar clients who have successfully used your product. Flesh out the story – why did client X come to you? What tipped them toward your product? Which features were most important? Details like these are helpful for Steady Relators.
Take the role of an expert and walk them through the decision-making process. Instead of overwhelming them with information, help them through the process and act as an advisor. Give them personal guarantees. For example: Since Steady Relators are risk-averse, promising them your company will refund their purchase if they’re not satisfied, or they can cancel at any time will calm their anxieties and make them more likely to buy.
4. Cautious Thinkers/Conscientious
Cautious Thinkers and Conscientious people have an analytical personality type that loves data, facts, and figures. As no-nonsense people, they will look past a flowery pitch and get straight to the facts. Be prepared to field a lot of detailed questions, and don’t be surprised if it seems like they already know you – they will research you and your business before meeting. Many engineers and financial roles are filled by Cautious Thinkers. They measure 4 or 5 times and cut once! They stick to their deadlines, but they do not make decisions quickly. They care about thoroughly vetting and understanding the options available to them, and won’t jump the gun on a decision. They are more logical and cautious than any other personality type – but once they make a decision, they won’t reverse it
They are less expressive than other personality types. They are concerned with facts rather than emotion, and likely won’t spend time getting to know you on a personal level. In conversation, this group is serious, direct, and formal.
How to sell to Cautious Thinkers?:
Never rush them. Be patient. Tone it down. Be prepared for a longer selling process, as they will take as much time as they need to gather all the facts they feel are necessary to make a decision. Assume they are prepared and have done their research. This doesn’t mean you should skip over introductory information, but you can expect to spend less time talking about basic features, and more discussing custom, personalized solutions for their business. Avoid making high-level claims. Always provide data when you make an assertion, or risk losing credibility. Overhyping your product might make this quadrant suspicious that you’re using flowery language to mask flaws.
Provide as much detailed information as possible. Instead of saying “Our product drives growth for many companies,” say, “Our product increased sales in 14 Fortune 500 companies by 25% or more year-over-year.” You can offer more information than they ask for without risking them becoming overwhelmed – in fact, they’ll probably welcome it. Do not try to force a relationship that is not there. Analytics might become annoyed by those they feel are overly flattering or gregarious.
Keep in mind that most prospects will be a mix of these personality types and won’t fit neatly into one of the four categories above. However, once you’re familiar with these core personalities, you should be able to tailor your selling strategy to fit any situation you come across.
And remember . . . Step One: get a good grasp of your own D.I.S.C. Personality Style.
