Modifying Your Sales and Customer Service Approach for Varied Personalities
We will explore the following customer types, what they want from the service provider, and how we should modify our service to match their needs.
We will explore the following customer types, what they want from the service provider, and how we should modify our service to match their needs.
Modifying Your Sales and Customer Service Approach for Varied Personalities
We will explore the following customer types, what they want from the service provider, and how we should modify our service to match their needs.
PERSONALITY #1: The Sweet and Talkative Type
This customer is why many sales representatives and customer service providers love their job! This customer allows you into their world on a regular basis, giving you updates on family, friends, vacations and more. More than likely, they are also interested in your life outside of work as well. While this customer can be a delight on some days, as a customer service trainer and speaker, I often hear from my participants how they can turn into a nightmare on other days! You know, the busy days when you really don't have time to discuss the part their five year old granddaughter played in the preschool play!
What does this customer type want from you as the service provider? Only two things: TIME and ATTENTION!
Maybe you work at a financial institution and this is an easy thing to provide on Tuesday afternoon. But what about when the customer comes back to tell you the rest of the story on Friday afternoon when you have peopled lined up out the door?! You have to remember that they are sweet, so you can tell them what you need to do: "Mrs. Jones, it is always such a pleasure seeing you. I know you are proud of the performance little Suzy gave at school. Gosh, we are so busy today. I would love to talk more but duty calls. Please come back and see me next week!" Mrs. Jones will likely apologize for holding you up, and that might even start her down another conversation trail unless you quickly address the next customer waiting for your attention. Note that you should specifically say when you wish to continue the conversation (in this case 'next week') or she is likely to stand off to the side and wait for the next chance to engage you in further conversation.
The key is to modify your customer service for the customer and the environment. Be careful doing this. Often times our customer service is not rated against a competitor but rather against our last customer service encounter. If we regularly DO give Mrs. Jones a lot of time and attention, we DO need to excuse ourselves on the days that this is not possible.
Another caution here: Be careful not to become a professional visitor instead of a professional salesperson. No matter what your official title in your organization, the main goal is to match your customers with products and services you offer. The sweet and talkative customer type often leads us down a side road. It is our job to help them turn back onto the main highway and take cues from their personal ramblings that we can turn into sales opportunities. In this case, if Mrs. Jones was talking about her grandchild, I might mention Junior Savings Accounts available at the financial institution. If I was an insurance salesman, I might ask if the child's parents had life insurance. I have now fulfilled Mrs. Jones need for time and attention while at the same time fulfilling my responsibility as an income producing member of my organization!
PERSONALITY #2: The Number Cruncher
Do you ever have nightmares that you are back at school and you didn't study for the test you are about to take? In my nightmares that test is always an accounting final! You see I was a marketing major. To me the marketing classes were a piece of cake... but accounting? That was another story! It led me to come to the conclusion (a bit of an over-generalization I would admit) that there are two types of people in the world: PEOPLE people and NUMBERS people. I definitely fell in the former and have always been pretty intimidated by the latter. I did take some comfort in the fact that my accounting friends asked me to help them with the marketing problems that for some reason they found difficult! :)
As a customer service trainer and consultant, I often see that my participants are divided into these two "classes". The front line staff are often (and should I say hopefully) PEOPLE people and the operations staff are often NUMBERS people. This sometimes causes a problem when a front line staff person has a close encounter with a NUMBERS person as his customer. What are the warning signs that Personality #2 has entered your world? Perhaps she walks in with her latest statement and is quick to point out that your interest charges were once again off by three cents. Even better, she asks you whether your interest charges are simple or compounding. WARNING WARNING... let the alarm sound. If you have no idea which type of interest it is or how it is calculated, you DON'T want to tango with this customer. Why??? Simply because a NUMBERS person will eat a PEOPLE person for lunch if given the chance. What does the number cruncher want from you? This customer not only wants but demands accuracy and a detailed understanding of how all your numbers came to be.
This brings up a fairly interesting concept regarding your company. There is a reason we have different departments and a reason that your HR manager has spent countless hours searching for the perfect person for each job. Ms. Numbers will get along famously with Paul in Accounting who lives for the perfectly balanced balance sheet. They are simply cut from the same cloth. Here is where customer service merges with teamwork. My responsibility as the customer service provider is not to share my lack of knowledge of this arena, but rather to introduce the bull fighter into the arena and in so doing tell what an amazing red cape he is wearing. "Mrs. Numbers, I want to make sure that you talk to the person responsible for your statement. We mere mortals live in awe of Paul Johnson in Accounting. I will transfer you to him now. I know he will be able to provide you with the exact information you need on your statement!"
Obviously I can't finish this post without a comment on the reverse situation. If YOU are the number cruncher in Operations and have to dialogue with a PEOPLE person customer, you may want to go grab one of those irritatingly mushy, talky, comfy front line folks to help you out!
PERSONALITY #3 The Connected Customer
This customer is not very impressed with you, but he is certainly impressed with himself! After all, he is ëCONNECTED' to someone higher than you in your organization. He or she is more than happy to share this connection with you! The dinner party with the president of the company or the round of golf with the member of your board is sure to make its way into your conversation.
So what does this person expect or want as a result of their connection? First and foremost, they wish to be treated as someone important! They would probably expect that not just from you but from anyone else they happen to pass on their way to you. When they finish telling you about the party or the golf round and get around to what they want from you, the expectation is that your head will nod yes like those bobble head toys as you navigate the customer service road. Here's the tricky part. Do you say ëYES' just because they expect it no matter what they ask?
They don't expect to pay any of the normal fees or costs associated with doing business with your company. "Darling, I know you normally charge a $250 expedited shipping and handling fee, but I am sure you can take care of that for me...." (Did they really think the 'darling' part would help?!)
So what is the response? "Mrs. Smith, we certainly appreciate your business. I know our company would not be the same without it! Of course to insure that we are always here to serve important customers like you, we must cover our order processing costs. You could lower your shipping to only $25 if regular delivery would work this time. Which delivery date works best for you, the 15th or the 20th?" Imagine how much better the response to this than what you might be tempted to say... "If you want your order there by the 15th you will have to pay the $250 expedited fee." Keep in mind that a customer never has to do anything for you including giving you their business! The first response also used a technique that is often used in closing sales: the choice. Giving the customer a choice, even between two alternatives that are equally undesirable in their eyes can keep conflict to a minimum and can move the conversation forward toward a resolution. Customer service training in this area should role play specific scenarios like the one shown here. Only after such customer service training will front-line staff feel comfortable handling this difficult customer type.
You notice that providing excellent customer service to this customer type is a bit like tap dancing. You have be light on your toes and on their feelings, yet every now and then click your heels in and let them hear how it is going to be. One word of caution here: some companies actually have special policies for special customers. If you are in management, be sure this is communicated to front line staff so they are not put in the awkward position of giving standard info to non-standard customers. If you are on the front-lines, be sure to ask if there are any standing exceptions to normal policies for individual customers.
No matter what the accepted practice, the way you treat this customer should always be front and center, like entertaining royalty from another country at the White House.
PERSONALITY #4: The Cheapskate
No matter what our profession, if we are selling a product or service, we are at some point asked to justify the cost. The Cheapskate is the first in line to question our price and has no qualms about asking us to reduce it just for them! When you are in a business where price can be variable or fees can be waived, navigating and negotiating with this type of customer can not only be tricky but sometimes a bit aggravating.
Before we talk about what to do with this type of customer, let's think about their motives and desires. I believe their first motive is not that lower price, but rather playing the negotiation game. If you have ever been to an open air market in Mexico, you know what I am talking about. There is a bit of an adrenaline rush for certain personalities in the price war game.
Instead of letting the hair rise up on the back of your neck as you get irritated by the price reduction question, focus instead on making price a non issue. How do you do that? By focusing on the customer's need matched with your quality and value, you move the conversation to a different level. "Your forklift is 20% higher than the competition", says the potential client. "You mentioned that a high safety rating was important to you... has that changed?" you reply.
Creativity is king in this kind of discussion. In sales training, I like to emphasize that the most important thing you bring to the conversation with this type of customer is a confidence that your product at your price is what is best for the customer. If you are not certain, it is very unlikely that you will be able to convince a customer to buy.
PERSONALITY #5: The General Patton of Customers
I saved the best for last...General Patton is much too important and much too busy to be dealing with you or your front line staff! He or she is always in a hurry and certainly doesn't have time to be bothered by the personal conversation that other customers thrive on. So what does he or she want from you and your customer service team? Here is a list:
If this customer does not receive all of these things, they are likely to find something to complain about. It is just their nature. Especially note the last one regarding the demeanor of the customer service representative. If this customer even mildly senses that the customer service rep is unsure or lacks confidence, The General will walk all over them!
Another great challenge in dealing with this type of customer has more to do with the previous transaction than the transaction with this customer. Let's say this customer is waiting in line and Customer Type #1 Mrs. Sweet who we talked about in an earlier post is in front of them going on and on about the great dinner her daughter made last night and everything that is in the recipe. This will drive The General NUTS!! If he has to listen through this conversation he WILL find a conflict by the time he gets to the customer service representative. But this is real life, isn't it? If you are in a profession that requires you to serve multiple people then you also have to serve multiple personality types - and sometimes all at once!
The key is managing them and adjusting your service projection to mirror their image. So how do you get rid of Mrs. Sweet so that The General doesn't completely lose it? Remembering that she is Mrs. Sweet, you tell her how much you appreciate her telling her about this fantastic dish and ask her to send you the recipe so you can make it for your family. You then will quickly pivot to tell her that you see Mr. Smith (The General) behind her and that he seems to be in a hurry and you better get to him. Being Mrs. Sweet she will probably apologize for keeping you so long! You then adjust your tone and body posture to a much more formal one and greet Mr. Smith with a confident, "Hello Mr. Smith, how may I help you today?" Notice that I didn't say, "How are you today?" as I would have with Mrs. Sweet. He would feel that was totally irrelevant drivel!
I hope you don't feel using this personality adjustment technique makes you a 'phony' in any way. What it actually does is show that you care enough about your customers as individuals to provide customized service to each and every one based on their unique needs!
We will explore the following customer types, what they want from the service provider, and how we should modify our service to match their needs.
- Personality 1: The Sweet and Talkative Type (the subject of this post)
- Personality 2: The Number Cruncher
- Personality 3: The Connected Customer
- Personality 4: The Cheapskate
- Personality 5: The General
PERSONALITY #1: The Sweet and Talkative Type
This customer is why many sales representatives and customer service providers love their job! This customer allows you into their world on a regular basis, giving you updates on family, friends, vacations and more. More than likely, they are also interested in your life outside of work as well. While this customer can be a delight on some days, as a customer service trainer and speaker, I often hear from my participants how they can turn into a nightmare on other days! You know, the busy days when you really don't have time to discuss the part their five year old granddaughter played in the preschool play!
What does this customer type want from you as the service provider? Only two things: TIME and ATTENTION!
Maybe you work at a financial institution and this is an easy thing to provide on Tuesday afternoon. But what about when the customer comes back to tell you the rest of the story on Friday afternoon when you have peopled lined up out the door?! You have to remember that they are sweet, so you can tell them what you need to do: "Mrs. Jones, it is always such a pleasure seeing you. I know you are proud of the performance little Suzy gave at school. Gosh, we are so busy today. I would love to talk more but duty calls. Please come back and see me next week!" Mrs. Jones will likely apologize for holding you up, and that might even start her down another conversation trail unless you quickly address the next customer waiting for your attention. Note that you should specifically say when you wish to continue the conversation (in this case 'next week') or she is likely to stand off to the side and wait for the next chance to engage you in further conversation.
The key is to modify your customer service for the customer and the environment. Be careful doing this. Often times our customer service is not rated against a competitor but rather against our last customer service encounter. If we regularly DO give Mrs. Jones a lot of time and attention, we DO need to excuse ourselves on the days that this is not possible.
Another caution here: Be careful not to become a professional visitor instead of a professional salesperson. No matter what your official title in your organization, the main goal is to match your customers with products and services you offer. The sweet and talkative customer type often leads us down a side road. It is our job to help them turn back onto the main highway and take cues from their personal ramblings that we can turn into sales opportunities. In this case, if Mrs. Jones was talking about her grandchild, I might mention Junior Savings Accounts available at the financial institution. If I was an insurance salesman, I might ask if the child's parents had life insurance. I have now fulfilled Mrs. Jones need for time and attention while at the same time fulfilling my responsibility as an income producing member of my organization!
PERSONALITY #2: The Number Cruncher
Do you ever have nightmares that you are back at school and you didn't study for the test you are about to take? In my nightmares that test is always an accounting final! You see I was a marketing major. To me the marketing classes were a piece of cake... but accounting? That was another story! It led me to come to the conclusion (a bit of an over-generalization I would admit) that there are two types of people in the world: PEOPLE people and NUMBERS people. I definitely fell in the former and have always been pretty intimidated by the latter. I did take some comfort in the fact that my accounting friends asked me to help them with the marketing problems that for some reason they found difficult! :)
As a customer service trainer and consultant, I often see that my participants are divided into these two "classes". The front line staff are often (and should I say hopefully) PEOPLE people and the operations staff are often NUMBERS people. This sometimes causes a problem when a front line staff person has a close encounter with a NUMBERS person as his customer. What are the warning signs that Personality #2 has entered your world? Perhaps she walks in with her latest statement and is quick to point out that your interest charges were once again off by three cents. Even better, she asks you whether your interest charges are simple or compounding. WARNING WARNING... let the alarm sound. If you have no idea which type of interest it is or how it is calculated, you DON'T want to tango with this customer. Why??? Simply because a NUMBERS person will eat a PEOPLE person for lunch if given the chance. What does the number cruncher want from you? This customer not only wants but demands accuracy and a detailed understanding of how all your numbers came to be.
This brings up a fairly interesting concept regarding your company. There is a reason we have different departments and a reason that your HR manager has spent countless hours searching for the perfect person for each job. Ms. Numbers will get along famously with Paul in Accounting who lives for the perfectly balanced balance sheet. They are simply cut from the same cloth. Here is where customer service merges with teamwork. My responsibility as the customer service provider is not to share my lack of knowledge of this arena, but rather to introduce the bull fighter into the arena and in so doing tell what an amazing red cape he is wearing. "Mrs. Numbers, I want to make sure that you talk to the person responsible for your statement. We mere mortals live in awe of Paul Johnson in Accounting. I will transfer you to him now. I know he will be able to provide you with the exact information you need on your statement!"
Obviously I can't finish this post without a comment on the reverse situation. If YOU are the number cruncher in Operations and have to dialogue with a PEOPLE person customer, you may want to go grab one of those irritatingly mushy, talky, comfy front line folks to help you out!
PERSONALITY #3 The Connected Customer
This customer is not very impressed with you, but he is certainly impressed with himself! After all, he is ëCONNECTED' to someone higher than you in your organization. He or she is more than happy to share this connection with you! The dinner party with the president of the company or the round of golf with the member of your board is sure to make its way into your conversation.
So what does this person expect or want as a result of their connection? First and foremost, they wish to be treated as someone important! They would probably expect that not just from you but from anyone else they happen to pass on their way to you. When they finish telling you about the party or the golf round and get around to what they want from you, the expectation is that your head will nod yes like those bobble head toys as you navigate the customer service road. Here's the tricky part. Do you say ëYES' just because they expect it no matter what they ask?
They don't expect to pay any of the normal fees or costs associated with doing business with your company. "Darling, I know you normally charge a $250 expedited shipping and handling fee, but I am sure you can take care of that for me...." (Did they really think the 'darling' part would help?!)
So what is the response? "Mrs. Smith, we certainly appreciate your business. I know our company would not be the same without it! Of course to insure that we are always here to serve important customers like you, we must cover our order processing costs. You could lower your shipping to only $25 if regular delivery would work this time. Which delivery date works best for you, the 15th or the 20th?" Imagine how much better the response to this than what you might be tempted to say... "If you want your order there by the 15th you will have to pay the $250 expedited fee." Keep in mind that a customer never has to do anything for you including giving you their business! The first response also used a technique that is often used in closing sales: the choice. Giving the customer a choice, even between two alternatives that are equally undesirable in their eyes can keep conflict to a minimum and can move the conversation forward toward a resolution. Customer service training in this area should role play specific scenarios like the one shown here. Only after such customer service training will front-line staff feel comfortable handling this difficult customer type.
You notice that providing excellent customer service to this customer type is a bit like tap dancing. You have be light on your toes and on their feelings, yet every now and then click your heels in and let them hear how it is going to be. One word of caution here: some companies actually have special policies for special customers. If you are in management, be sure this is communicated to front line staff so they are not put in the awkward position of giving standard info to non-standard customers. If you are on the front-lines, be sure to ask if there are any standing exceptions to normal policies for individual customers.
No matter what the accepted practice, the way you treat this customer should always be front and center, like entertaining royalty from another country at the White House.
PERSONALITY #4: The Cheapskate
No matter what our profession, if we are selling a product or service, we are at some point asked to justify the cost. The Cheapskate is the first in line to question our price and has no qualms about asking us to reduce it just for them! When you are in a business where price can be variable or fees can be waived, navigating and negotiating with this type of customer can not only be tricky but sometimes a bit aggravating.
Before we talk about what to do with this type of customer, let's think about their motives and desires. I believe their first motive is not that lower price, but rather playing the negotiation game. If you have ever been to an open air market in Mexico, you know what I am talking about. There is a bit of an adrenaline rush for certain personalities in the price war game.
Instead of letting the hair rise up on the back of your neck as you get irritated by the price reduction question, focus instead on making price a non issue. How do you do that? By focusing on the customer's need matched with your quality and value, you move the conversation to a different level. "Your forklift is 20% higher than the competition", says the potential client. "You mentioned that a high safety rating was important to you... has that changed?" you reply.
Creativity is king in this kind of discussion. In sales training, I like to emphasize that the most important thing you bring to the conversation with this type of customer is a confidence that your product at your price is what is best for the customer. If you are not certain, it is very unlikely that you will be able to convince a customer to buy.
PERSONALITY #5: The General Patton of Customers
I saved the best for last...General Patton is much too important and much too busy to be dealing with you or your front line staff! He or she is always in a hurry and certainly doesn't have time to be bothered by the personal conversation that other customers thrive on. So what does he or she want from you and your customer service team? Here is a list:
- Prompt service
- Complete product knowledge
- Professional, business like communication
- A take charge personality to match theirs
If this customer does not receive all of these things, they are likely to find something to complain about. It is just their nature. Especially note the last one regarding the demeanor of the customer service representative. If this customer even mildly senses that the customer service rep is unsure or lacks confidence, The General will walk all over them!
Another great challenge in dealing with this type of customer has more to do with the previous transaction than the transaction with this customer. Let's say this customer is waiting in line and Customer Type #1 Mrs. Sweet who we talked about in an earlier post is in front of them going on and on about the great dinner her daughter made last night and everything that is in the recipe. This will drive The General NUTS!! If he has to listen through this conversation he WILL find a conflict by the time he gets to the customer service representative. But this is real life, isn't it? If you are in a profession that requires you to serve multiple people then you also have to serve multiple personality types - and sometimes all at once!
The key is managing them and adjusting your service projection to mirror their image. So how do you get rid of Mrs. Sweet so that The General doesn't completely lose it? Remembering that she is Mrs. Sweet, you tell her how much you appreciate her telling her about this fantastic dish and ask her to send you the recipe so you can make it for your family. You then will quickly pivot to tell her that you see Mr. Smith (The General) behind her and that he seems to be in a hurry and you better get to him. Being Mrs. Sweet she will probably apologize for keeping you so long! You then adjust your tone and body posture to a much more formal one and greet Mr. Smith with a confident, "Hello Mr. Smith, how may I help you today?" Notice that I didn't say, "How are you today?" as I would have with Mrs. Sweet. He would feel that was totally irrelevant drivel!
I hope you don't feel using this personality adjustment technique makes you a 'phony' in any way. What it actually does is show that you care enough about your customers as individuals to provide customized service to each and every one based on their unique needs!
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