There have been so many methods of learning personality types and buying styles recently that I’m confused. Although I’m happy that most companies are embracing this science for hiring and coaching, in sales it’s not nearly as important as knowing the prospect’s mood at the time of the meeting.
Regardless of personality, being able to determine if your prospect is in task mode or socializing mode is a huge advantage. How do we do this? Below is a simple (ridiculously simple) technique to use
When your prospect greets you in the lobby, ask a simple question of “are you ready for …?” You pick the topic … are you ready for summer? Are you ready for 4th of July? Are you ready for football season? This can go on all year, btw. After asking the question, observe their response. In general, there are three types of responses…- If they answer immediately, and start rambling and sharing information, then they’re probably people-oriented and likely in a socializing mood.
- If they think about their answer for a few seconds and answer with concern and accuracy, then they’re task-oriented and likely will be in a task mood – most task masters don’t shift to socializer.
- If they don’t answer or cut you off briskly, then they’re in task mode. Regardless of personality, they’ve got something that is applying pressure and you need to be aware of this.
In a future post, I’ll share how to communicate with the two types of moods, but you probably know the basics. The challenge is know their mood. Use this technique with your spouse, your co-workers, your barista, etc. It’s pretty cool and will help your overall communication, not just your sales numbers.
