The Ultimate Guide to Personality Types of Customers for Better Sales Conversion

In this educational blog, I’d like to dive deep into a crucial topic for anyone in sales or business, and that is increasing your sales conversion by understanding the personality types of customers. I’m going to explore why it’s important, discuss a common pitfall that people make during the sales conversion process, and break down the four main customer types with specific strategies to engage each one effectively. Make sure you read till the end, because I have a last bonus tip that you don’t want to miss! For further insight into optimizing your business strategies, consider exploring “The 3 Key Levers in Business: Time, Talent, and Money”, which provides foundational knowledge that complements customer understanding.

 

What are customer personality types?

Customer personality types are categorizations that describe the predominant traits and behaviors of customers during their buying journey. These classifications help sales and marketing professionals adapt their strategies to align better with the individual needs and decision-making processes of different customer types. Recognizing these types helps you anticipate customer expectations, improve communications, and significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Why do customer type segmentation?

Segmentation by personality type allows businesses to craft more personalized, effective sales and marketing strategies. By understanding the different customer types, companies can offer more precisely targeted products and services, communicate in a more engaging manner, and ultimately, build stronger relationships. Types of customer segmentation and customer relationship types both play a crucial role in creating a customer-centric strategy that fosters higher conversion rates and customer loyalty. For a deeper dive into effective team dynamics that support such segmentation, read “Empower Your Business by Trusting Your Managers”.

 

An Example of a Missed Sales Opportunity

Before we delve into the details, let’s look at a common pitfall that business owners or salespeople get into when they are making a pitch to their potential customers. This will demonstrate why understanding your customer type could make all the difference. Learn more about how strategic alignment in your approach can boost your outcomes by checking out “What is the difference between strategic planning and business planning?”  Imagine you’re a builder and you’re doing a first-time consultation with a potential customer. You eagerly start showcasing the company’s latest work, emphasizing the advanced building materials and construction techniques with all the science behind it.

As you guide the customer through the building science of your latest projects, you notice their eyes glazing over. Despite your enthusiasm and detailed explanations about insulation, roofing materials, and the energy efficiency of the windows, the customer seems disengaged. They nod politely but don’t ask many questions or show the excitement you expected.

Finally, after an hour-long tour, the customer thanks you and leaves, promising to “think about it.” But you never hear back from them. What went wrong?

The key issue here is that you didn’t tailor your approach to the customer’s personality type. Instead of connecting with them, you overwhelmed them with technical details and industry jargon that they didn’t care about. This customer might have been more interested in how the home could suit their family’s lifestyle, the comfort and coziness of the living spaces, or the styling and layouts of the home.

By not recognizing and adapting to the customer’s personality type, you missed the opportunity to connect with them on a personal level and address their specific needs and desires. Understanding different customer types and adapting your sales pitch accordingly can prevent such missed opportunities and significantly boost your conversion rates. For additional insights on how personality types affect business, read this Forbes article on the topic.

The 4 Customer Types and How to Sell to Them

To effectively engage your customers, it’s essential to recognize and understand the four main customer types: Analytical, Amiable, Expressive, and Driver. Each type has unique characteristics and requires a tailored approach. Let’s explore each one in detail.

Analytical Customer

Characteristics: Analytical customers are thorough, detail-oriented, and natural problem solvers. They make decisions based on thorough research and need all the information before committing to a purchase. They value logic and evidence over emotions. You might know someone like this – the friend who has a spreadsheet for everything.

Sales Tips:

• Ensure Information is Accurate: Analytical customers will fact-check you. If they find inaccuracies, they’ll lose confidence in everything else you’ve provided, making it difficult to help them. They want to know they’re working with an expert.
• Acknowledge Their Input: Analytical customers often do their own research before reaching out. Acknowledge their effort to show that you understand their perspective and to speed up interactions.
• Forgo Casual Conversation: These customers are not interested in small talk. They have something they’re trying to solve and want to do so quickly and efficiently. Focus on the solution.

Analytical customers can be intimidating, but as long as you’re prompt, accurate, and keep the conversation focused on the task at hand, they will be satisfied.

Expressive Customer

Characteristics: Expressive customers are enthusiastic, outgoing, and make decisions based on emotions and personal impact. They come off relaxed and spontaneous, even playful. Because of their gregarious nature, interactions can run a little long. Picture the person in front of you in line who sparks up a conversation while deciding what to order.

Sales Tips:

• Get to Know Them: Expressive customers like meeting new people and sharing about themselves. Asking questions about their lives outside of the issue at hand makes them feel valued.
• Acknowledge Their Efforts to Connect: Let them know when you’re enjoying the conversation or are thankful for their input. This helps them feel seen and valued.
• Avoid Making Things Strictly Business: Ensure their issues are handled timely, but avoid making them feel rushed. They may feel alienated if you’re too pragmatic.

Expressive customers can be chatty, but they’re often a bright spot in your day. Embrace their personality, and you’ll have a positive interaction.

Amiable Customer

Characteristics: Amiable customers are team-first and appreciate forming bonds. They won’t make a decision until they get your input and often value your opinions. They are somewhat similar to expressive customers but are more focused on forming a collaborative bond.

Sales Tips:

• Get Personal: Offer information about yourself and ask about them. Amiable customers want to feel like they’re part of a team.
• Avoid Conflict: Amiable customers are very conflict-averse. Try to ensure interactions go smoothly and, if conflict seems imminent, change course to avoid it.
• Embrace Collaboration: Show them that you’re working together toward a resolution. Creating a team environment is important to them.

Working with amiable customers can sometimes take a little longer, but they will always be on your side. Having their support is almost never a bad thing.

Driver Customer

Characteristics: Driver customers are goal-oriented, decisive, and prefer efficient, no-nonsense communication. They value speed and control. Think of that confident friend who knows what they want and can be a bit blunt.

Sales Tips:

• Don’t Waste Time: Direct customers don’t like wasting time. They expect prompt responses and results. Avoid small talk and get straight to the point.
• Be Transparent: Let them know what you’re doing and when it will be done. Detailed timelines and steps help them feel in control.
• Offer Options: Giving them choices puts them in the driver’s seat. They prefer having the agency to make decisions.

Direct customers can be intimidating, but focusing on speed and transparency will make the interaction successful.

Final Bonus Tip: Assessing Customer Types Early

You might be thinking, this is great to know the 4 different type, but how do I know which type they are if I just bet them? Here’s how to assess customer types quickly:

• Listen to Their Language: Pay attention to the words and phrases they use. Analytical customers often use precise, technical language, while expressive customers might use more emotional and descriptive terms.
• Observe Their Behavior: Notice how they interact. Are they getting straight to the point (Driver), or do they enjoy some chit-chat (Expressive)? Do they ask detailed questions (Analytical), or do they seek your opinion and show interest in teamwork (Amiable)?
• Ask Clarifying Questions: Simple questions about their preferences can provide insights. For example, “Would you like a detailed breakdown of the features, or would you prefer a quick overview?” Their response can guide your approach.
• Find out what kind of occupation they are in: Yes, what type of career people pick can tell you a lot about their personality type. For instance, if they are an engineer, computer programmer, or accountant, then they are most likely the Analyst type. If they are a nurse, a teacher, or a sports coach, they have a high chance of being the Amiable type because those jobs are typically about supporting others and the reward they get is when the people they are serving succeed. If they are a business owner, CEO, or Manager, they most likely will be the Driver because they have that decisiveness and goal-oriented nature to manage a business or a team. And lastly, if they are a salesperson or an event host, then they may be the Expressive type. These jobs have many opportunities for them to have fun, meet people, and build relationships.

By quickly assessing the customer type, you can tailor your interaction to meet their needs from the start, improving the likelihood of a successful conversion. For those interested in a deeper dive into personality frameworks that can augment understanding in this area, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Official Site offers extensive insights into personality typologies that can be applied to customer interactions.

Understanding your customer’s type can dramatically improve your sales conversion rates. By tailoring your approach to meet their specific needs and preferences, you create a more personalized and effective sales experience. Each customer type requires a different strategy, and mastering these can set you apart from the competition.

Boost your sales conversion by training your sales team to recognize and adapt to the different customer personalities which I talked about here. If identifying and adapting to different customer types seems daunting, our Custom Tailor (1-to-1 Coaching) program might be just what you need. This personalized coaching is designed to hone your sales strategies and interaction skills, dramatically enhancing how you engage with each type of customer and boosting your overall sales effectiveness.