Sales Tips

Difficult Customers: Communication Styles

Have you ever been introduced to another person and decided that you didn’t like them very much? At work or in social circles, do you find some people very difficult to get on with?

Likewise, many salespeople ask what they can do with customers that are difficult to get on with. There is no single answer. However, rapport between salespeople and customers is often non-existent or very weak in these situations. One of the reasons may be the way the salesperson is communicating with the customer.

People communicate in manners or styles that reflect their personalities. Therefore, an understanding of the different human characteristics that make up the population can improve the communication process. In effect, this understanding may help to eliminate many of the internal communication barriers that occur due to the differences in the human population.

Human behaviour is predictable, because habits and attitudes control 90% of our actions. With study and practice, observations of other people’s behaviour can provide high accuracy levels in predicting their preferred mode of communication. Once identified, you can then adapt your mode of communicating, where appropriate, to provide a closer match to that of the customer. This will usually result in better rapport and more effective communication.

The four communication styles we use to relate to other people encompass:
1. The analytical function of organising and analysing information in a logical fashion.
2. The driver function of taking in here-and-now information and reacting to it.
3. The amiable function of personal and emotional reactions to experience.
4. The expressive function of imagination and abstract thought.

To receive an obligation free Communication Style package that will enable you and your sales staff to determine the Communication style characteristics of yourselves and others, please Contact Us