One of the best practices of field sales is knowing your customer and tailoring your sales pitch to their personality. Whether you work in Australia or Colorado, there are four personality types you’re likely to see in field sales:
People with an assertive personality type are generally goal-oriented and driven. They're the "get stuff done" personalities. They focus more on the results than on the details. They know what they want, and they're less interested in how it works.
You can usually tell when someone has an assertive personality by the way they communicate. They're often very direct, they speak in declarative sentences, and they want information quickly so they can make a decision and move on to the next task.
People with an assertive personality tend to appreciate efficiency. When working with them, be sure to use direct, straight-to-the-point answers. Instead of talking about the features your product or service has, you will want to focus on the ROI it provides.
People with an amiable personality type will most likely be less formal and more patient than people with assertive personalities. Amiable people usually like to get to know you and may ask more personal questions in order to build rapport before a sale. Unlike an assertive personality who focuses on how much ROI your product or service provides, amiable personalities are more concerned with whether or not they can trust you.
When working with amiable personality types, you should expect the sales cycle to take longer. People with amiable personalities are usually risk-averse and will need to know they can trust you before being comfortable doing business. Think of your role with them as less of a sales rep and more of an advisor. Take the time to build trust and then guide them through the decision-making process.
Similar to amiable personalities, people with expressive personality types also value personal relationships. But like assertive personality types, they also speak more in statements instead of questions. Expressive personalities tend to rely on intuition when making decisions, and they care about how their decisions will affect other people. Expressive personality types are hard to miss. They often have big personalities and strongly-held convictions.
Data is less important to a person with an expressive personality, so don't focus too much on facts and numbers. They're more motivated by how their buying decision affects their business on the level of their own colleagues and customers. If you're working with someone with an expressive personality, your best bet is to present them with case studies. These can reassure an expressive personality type that your product or service can make an impact on people's lives.
People with an analytical personality type are no-nonsense people who prefer facts and data. Like the assertive personality, analytic people are motivated by results. But like amiable people, they're also risk-averse and more cautious in their decision-making. You’ll recognize someone has an analytic personality type by their communication style. They tend to dig deep into the details and want to understand how your product or service gets them the results they’re looking for.
Similar to the amiable personality type, analytic personalities will want to take more time before deciding whether or not to buy. Be prepared for a longer sales cycle, and give them as much information as they need to make a decision. You should also be as prepared to provide as much detailed information as possible, since analytic personalities will walk in having already done their research. You should avoid flowery language and be able to back up any claim you make with data.
As you've probably already figured out, most people are a mix of these four personality types and won't fit perfectly into one category. But if you’re familiar with these core personality types, you can fine-tune your field sales strategy for anyone you meet.
Keep in mind, your field sales approach is only one piece of the puzzle. Good sales tracking and management with the Perenso Field Sales Enablement tool can help you turn your sales strategy into success.