Here's another example of matching and mirroring:
You have a sales appointment with a woman named Janet Jones, who you believe has the personality style of an Analytic. Remember, Analytics are likely to enjoy the process of coming up with the right solution. They tend to be strategists, like detail, and think logically. They also tend to be cautious.
"I was thinking of meeting with you in my office," Ms. Jones says, "but it's a bit messy. I've got papers everywhere. I've got a number of projects that I'm planning before I go on vacation. Let's go to the conference room instead."
"That's fine," you say.
"Did you bring that literature?" she asks.
"As a matter of fact, I did, but I'd like to make sure that our product is going to be the right solution for your needs. It's possible it might need to be customized for you - in which case the brochure wouldn't be that useful. May I ask you a few questions?" She agrees, and you ask her four or five very important questions that allow her to ascertain whether the product is right for her needs. As it turns out, your standard product will work quite well.
You take some time to speak slowly, choosing your words carefully. You notice Ms. Jones often looks away from you as she thinks about the answers. You wonder whether she's telling you the truth, but then you remember that Analytics often need to take into consideration a lot of detail before coming up with something to say.
"Thanks for helping me go through that analysis," you say. "I can tell you want to make sure you're going to get the perfect solution for your needs. I don't want you to 'buy first and ask questions later.'"
Ms. Jones smiles and nods.
You continue. "What I'm going to give you is not only our brochure, but an analysis of our competitors' products. In the areas that are most important to you, you'll find that their offerings aren't as robust."
You hand the brochure and the analysis to her. She takes them and, sure enough, she starts flipping through them.
"One last thing I'm going to give you is an open-ended proposal with some options that we discussed today. All you need to do is tick off what you'd like, when you'd like it, and the financing option that works best for you, and we can accept this as a sales order. You can do this on your own, or we can fill out the form together now. What would work best for you?"
"I'll look everything over after you go," she says.
"May I give you a call Wednesday or Thursday to follow up?" you ask. "What would be best for you?"
Ms Jones thinks for a bit and says, "Thursday afternoon would be better. Thanks."
"Two o'clock?"
She looks at her calendar. "Sure. I'll just be getting back from lunch about 1:30, so that would be perfect."
Next week, general tips on how to work with Amiables and Expressives.
Send any questions, comments, stories, or sales problems to
dan@optimumbizdev.com, and I'll personally send you a response!
LAST WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Did you notice any Drivers that you ran into this week?
THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Notice those customers, clients and coworkers who tend to be analytical. What makes them most comfortable? What things do you notice that don't come naturally to them?
Please take a minute and let me know how you're doing out there. How have these tips been helping you?
