Would you like to better understand the people you’re selling to so you can tailor your sales pitches to them?
Of course you would! It’s the best way to close more deals!
The DiSC profile is a well-known system that defines four types of people and explains how to connect with them. In most cases, it’s relatively easy to identify the DiSC “type” of someone you’re meeting with. Simply listening to what they say and watching how they act provides the clues to figure it out. Once you know which one they are, you can adjust how you sell to them.
The names of the four DiSC profiles correspond to the letters in the term:
D: Dominance
I: Influence
S: Steadiness
C: Conscientiousness
Let’s take a look at each one in greater detail so you’ll be able to identify people in the four groups. I’ll also provide tips on how to tailor your sales conversations with them.
Dominance
This type of person focuses on getting results, cares about the bottom line and comes across as confident.
You know someone is “Dominant” if they:
- Focus on the big picture
- Are straightforward or even blunt
- Accept challenges
- Get to the point
- Are driven to succeed
- Seem self-confident
- Come across as strong-willed
- Act in a fast-paced way
- Seem impatient
- Express concern about being taken advantage of
- Demand immediate results.
You know someone you’re selling to is a Dominance if they’re an Alpha-type business person.
How to sell to this group
- Focus on the bottom line
- Get to the point
- Avoid generalizations
- Don’t repeat yourself
- Recognize their status
- Talk about solutions, rather than problems.
The bottom line
Make it a point to hand Dominance people a BIG win.
Influence
This type of person likes to influence or persuade others. They appreciate openness and work to build relationships and consensus within groups.
You can tell that someone is an “Influencer” if they:
- Are enthusiastic
- Seem warm, trusting and optimistic
- Enjoy collaborating
- Encourage teammates to take action
- Dislike being ignored
- Are comfortable in groups and enjoy interpersonal relationships
- Coach, encourage people to express themselves and make people feel equal
- Seem disorganized and lack follow-through.
You know someone you’re interacting with is an Influence if they remind you of your favorite teacher or coach.
How to sell to this group
- Strike up a friendship
- Encourage group interaction and discussion
- Give them a chance to empower others
- Keep them focused
- Follow-up to ensure they take action after you meet with them.
The bottom line
When selling to i-style people, take a human approach. Share your relevant personal experiences with them. Let them ask questions and guide the experience. Focus on the positives. Avoid presenting too many details. Never interrupt them when they speak.
Steadiness
This type of person appreciates cooperation, sincerity, and dependability.
You can tell that someone is “Steady” if they:
- Prefer to take their time and dislike being rushed or pressured
- Act in a calm and level-headed way
- Appear focused and rational
- Are supportive of others
- Express sincere appreciation
- Are willing to help identify solutions to get things done
- Prefer stability and stable environments
- Appear calm, patient, predictable, deliberate and consistent
- Come across as indecisive and over-accommodating
- Dislike change
- Avoid offending others
- Are loyal to coworkers and friends.
You know someone is a Steadiness if they are calm and rational. They’re also concerned about change unless you map out how it will occur and explain how changing things benefits them.
How to sell to this group
- Acknowledge their background, accomplishments and position
- Explain that a new product or service won’t change the status quo, but simply make it better
- Allow them to control meetings and the flow of information
- Avoid confrontation
- Use storytelling, data and rational positions to close deals
- Explain things as clearly as possible.
The bottom line
When selling to people in this group, be friendly and personal. Take time to understand them and their needs. Make it clear how you can help them with their problems. Provide opportunities for them to ask questions. Be polite and avoid any type of confrontation. People in the Steadiness group appreciate thoughtfulness and good manners.
Conscientiousness
People in this personality type place an emphasis on quality, accuracy, competence and expertise. They prefer to work within current circumstances rather than seeking out revolutionary change.
You can tell someone is “Conscientious” if they:
- Are independent
- Appreciate logic and reasoning
- Care about details
- Dislike being wrong
- Appreciate learning new things
- Show their expertise
- Focus on quality
- Prioritize accuracy
- Prefer stability over extreme change
- Act in careful, cautious and systematic ways
- Is diplomatic and tactful
- May be overly critical and over-analytical
- Fear criticism and being wrong
- Dislike delegating tasks.
You know someone is a Conscientiousness if they come across as a straight-A student. The like learning new things, but never want to be called out for being wrong or not being the smartest person in the room.
How to sell to this group
- Focus on facts
- Provide details
- Avoid showing emotions
- Don’t “sell”; educate instead
- Be patient, persistent and diplomatic.
The bottom line
When selling to people in this group, facts and figures close deals. Take time to dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s. Any inaccuracies will cause them to lose trust in you. Never “sell” to them. Instead, educate them about your products and services. It’s the only way they’ll feel comfortable buying from you.
Next steps
As you can see, selling to each of the four DiSC profiles is a very different experience.
A sales enablement system, like the one offered by Mobile Locker, will allow you to develop a separate sales track for each one, with unique sales support materials that will resonate with the different groups. Mobile Locker’s system makes it fast and easy to find and download the right collateral as soon as you identify the DiSC profile of the prospect you’re meeting with, even if you don’t have access to wifi.
What are you waiting for? Contact a sales expert at Mobile Locker to learn how easy it can be to tailor your sales pitches to your individual prospect’s needs and preferences.
