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Successful Salespeople Know What Their Customers Are Thinking

Imagine how successful you’d be if your salespeople knew what your customers were thinking, felt the way your customers felt, looked at the world the way your customers looked at the world and knew exactly what your customers needed.

A few great salespeople seem to know this intuitively but most get it right only a quarter of the time. This is because they make the fatal assumption that their customers want to be treated the way they want to be treated themselves. The trouble is, overwhelmingly, data shows people are fundamentally different from each other and cannot be treated the same. Indeed, people are so different, it's almost as though they were painted in four different colours.

1. Blue customers want performance and cost. They expect brief, clear and precise facts in a logical format. Have your numbers ready and expect them to be challenged and debated.

2. Red customers want to be loved and are more concerned about people than performance. They expect a personal touch. Loosen up, pay attention to nonverbal communication and make eye contact.

3. Green customers want safety and control. They expect practical details including who, what, where and when and proof that you've done it before.

4. Yellow customers want to be admired and leave a legacy. They expect you to show the big-picture, not the details. Use imagination, metaphors, pictures and have fun.

As you can see, the needs of each colour can be the exact opposite of each other and this is why, when salespeople assume everyone wants what they want, they fall on their face three times out of four.

It does not have to be this way. While great intuitive salespeople are rare, everyone can learn these skills. It is not magic (although it appears so). It is the result of learning simple skills that take no more than a day to learn.

If you'd like your salespeople to score four out of four opportunities instead of one out of four, see. These are odds you can't ignore. Bruce Holland, Virtual Group.