trust in you. CFOs and other high Cs take longer – and their trust must be earned.
Corporate culture also determines the personalities that reach high re- sponsibilities, notes an organizational expert. She suggests you look for body language, how well prospects listen, and eye contact. “If a prospect listens closely, leaning forward, she is unlikely to be a high D.” Décor in the prospect’s office may
also provide clues. Expressive per- sonalities have disorganized offices. Analytical types have clean and spot- less offices. Tone, energy, and speed of voice are significant. Even on the phone, speed and sentence length matter. “Team builders talk slowly and listen well,” she says. Shape opening calls or subject lines of introductory emails accord- ingly. Dominant types want the main points fast to make rapid decisions. Shape questions the same way. For high Ds, ask, “What is the most important thing I can tell you about my product?” For high Cs, ask how they analyze their challenges, so you can help solve them. You can engage most people by asking about their personal lives, but high Ds may not have time to answer.
One sales trainer has his own categories of prospect personalities that overlap with the ones men- tioned above but reflect types of sales relationships. First there are the instinctive believers, who are almost too easy to work with. But be careful – they may like your product and company but feel you are taking them for granted. “Do not short-sell them; do your whole presentation,” he emphasizes.
Next come wheeler-dealers who always want free extras. Let them feel important and praise their sharpness, but do not give away too much – and clear any extras with your boss. Pure purchasers have little daily contact with anyone except sales reps and will not risk liking you too much. “Give no-fluff presentations, don’t get too familiar, and stick to the facts.
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Everything I worry about would be better if more people could read, write, and comprehend. – BARBARA BUSH
They will remember and respect you,” he says.
Evasive prospects do not return calls, they postpone meetings, and they keep you waiting while they shop around. These people are very frustrating. Work with their staffs to get through. Then create urgency; for example, offer them a temporary deal, he offers.
The perpetual gripers are the absolute worst types. The trainer says it may be better to simply drop them. But, if you cannot or will not, try to listen – and keep gripers on a short leash. Call a few minutes before lunch or closing so they will have to keep griping short. “If they call you, tell them you are heading out for an ap- pointment, and ask what you can do for them in five minutes.” Analytical prospects mean you must handle all details in writing, always be punctual, double-check everything, send messages before and after meetings, and generally treat them as they treat others. Above all, “be dependable,” urges the trainer. Domineering prospects require you to do your homework – and do it well. They want compliments for their positions in (and value to) their firms. Other employees may avoid these dominators, but reps do not have this option. “The upside is, once you win them over, they can be extremely use- ful in helping you with other people in their company.” Controlling prospects are often self-anointed experts who do not delegate. Instead, they micromanage everything and interrupt sales meet- ings to take calls or give instructions constantly. Be polite, look to secretar- ies for help in cutting interruptions,
and try to meet outside the office for fewer distractions. Cynical prospects, who are often part of the buyer’s old guard, ques- tion every point you make and seek to continue doing things the same old way. Compliment them on their brainy objections and then provide many references – both names and compa- nies – of well-respected and happy customers. “If you are having difficulty winning them over, your competitors will, too, and could become discour- aged,” he notes.
FIND CARETAKERS FIRST Lois Gardner earned both under- graduate and graduate degrees in psychology, but she’s been selling most of her life. As a business devel- opment manager for a technology company, she helped her firm close a $200 million deal with a federal agency – the largest contract in her company’s history at that point. She uses a kind of practical psychology as just one layer of her approach to major government contracts. Gardner tries to learn as much as possible about the identities, agen- das, and personalities of the govern- ment panel that will make the buying decision. She first divides the panel into approvers, deciders, influencers, and recommenders. For each, she must figure out what their particular goals are. Some panel members will be concerned with customer satis- faction, for example, while others are looking to minimize costs or to change business processes. These are the formal roles and responsibili- ties of the panel members. Next come the informal criteria. Gardner will attempt to understand
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