One of the biggest differences between winners and losers in sales is that the winners recognize how different we all are from one another while losers think that deep down everyone is similar to themselves. The latest research shows that people’s personalities are much more dissimilar to one another then you have been led to believe by 4-quadrant assessments like DISC. (For more see DISC vs. 7MTF.) More importantly, the personality types that tend to go into sales have natural dissonance with about 60% of the population. Therefore, salespeople must be skilled at recognizing this dissonance and adapt their communication style and selling methodology to fit the prospect. Otherwise they never build rapport or trust, which means their presentation and value propositions fall on deaf ears.
But how do you train salespeople to categorize and adapt to a prospect’s personality? To start they need to understand their own Motivation/Temperament Factors, how they come across to others and what types will naturally distrust them. The best way to gain this knowledge is with the 7MTF Assessment.
Connecting to Your Customer’s Core Emotional Drivers
Research from behavioral economics and psychology show that in today’s business climate it is essential that salespeople create an emotional connection with customers. A recent article in the Harvard Business review pointed out that, Given the enormous opportunity to create new value, companies and salespeople should pursue emotional connections as a science – and as a strategy. With 7MTF it is easy for salespeople to recognize anyone’s dominant Motivation/Temperament Factor (MTF) because it is the one that shines the brightest in their online profiles, the way they communicate and even the way they interact with a cold caller. Armed with this knowledge, the salesperson simply adapts in a way that creates an emotional connection with the core emotional drivers associated with the dominant MT Factor.
Replacing Guesswork with Science
For most salespeople building emotional connections is guesswork and tricks – not science, and certainly not part of the company’s sales process or playbook. So how do you train salespeople to categorize and adapt to a prospect’s personality in a way that creates emotional connection? To start they need to understand their own Motivation/Temperament Factors, how they come across to others and what types will naturally distrust them. The best way to gain this knowledge is with the 7MTF Assessment.
