Phone Selling to Green’s and Red’s
Salespeople hear a lot of talk about identifying and mirroring the behavior type of their prospects, and that’s certainly important. But if you sell by phone, that’s like trying to get a haircut by mail. What does that even mean? Well, when you consider that only 7% of communicating is accomplished through speaking, and 38% is via the way those words are said, I think you see where this is going. When selling by phone over half (55%) of communicating is done non-verbally. That means selling by phone is more than twice as difficult as selling face-to-face, which as you know is no cakewalk.
One thing that is easy for salespeople to notice is that people act, think and make decisions differently. That said, they also operate by a herd mentality, meaning that people tend to buy from people they like…and they tend to like people that are like them.
Therefore, to succeed in phone sales you must be able to quickly identify a caller’s temperament and then “mirror” that observed behavior back to them. Let me personalize this for you with this scenario:
Picture shopping online for a new computer and then asking your questions to a sales specialist via an audio chat. Assume you are the behavior style that demands lots of details, so you want to be in possession of all of the important facts before pulling out your plastic. On the other hand let’s say that a sales specialist waiting on you at Big Bytes has a completely different behavior style; he is a big picture, bottom line guy. During your conversation, every time you ask a technical question, he downplays it by saying, “Don’t worry about that, what you need to remember is the additional 20% discount we are giving for today only, so let’s get this transaction completed so you can receive this reduced price.” How long would it take you to either request another specialist, or just log out and go to the Geek Mart site?
Now it’s easier to understand the importance of learning to quickly recognize differences in behavior types on the telephone. The good news is that there are only four basic types, two that I’ll discuss in this post, and two more next time during Part II. To keep you from thinking you need to be a shrink to accomplish this, I’ll make it simple by assigning each behavior type a color, rather than using the big words. Here goes…
Green Buyers
I use Green to denote go. Folks with this temperament are verbally impatient, energetic and all business, making quick decisions once they feel they have a handle on the necessary and relevant facts.
Identifying a Green:
They speak in short sentences and often sound blunt, with a serious tone of voice, tending to be opinionated and abrupt. They are not very conversational and are typically very time-conscious, but they come across as clear about what they like and dislike. Additionally they prefer the “Cliff’s Notes” version of sales presentations, since they dislike details and will often multitask while on the phone with you.
Selling to a Green:
The best way to approach them on the phone is to respect their time and busy schedule, getting to the point without a lot of fanfare. They dislike details, so give them a quick “tree tops” view of what you want to talk to them about. The good news about taking a call from a Green is, even when you fail, you will fail fast, because they tend to make quick decisions.
Mirroring Phone Conversation Snippet:
“Mr. Big, I appreciate you calling us today. I respect how busy you are, so I won’t try to hold you hostage, but will simply and quickly address the issues you are concerned about and the questions you emailed me. About 3-4 minutes from now you will have a good understanding of our service and maintenance plan for your home, and will be able to make your decision and move on with your life, fair enough?”
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Red Buyers
I use Red to denote those prospects who are flashy and are big talkers. They love to surround themselves with people and always crave attention.
Identifying a Red:
On the phone, Reds will talk a lot and talk fast, using colorful words that tend to focus on them. They never seem to meet a stranger and will want to develop a relationship with you on the phone. They are not very good listeners, but are always looking for their next new best friend.
Selling to a Red:
The only way to succeed with Reds is to small-talk first and not get down to business too fast. Similar to their extrovert Green counterparts, they don’t like details, so keep your presentation light and simple, making mention how many others they might know that have your product or service, since this Reds always want to “keep up with the Joneses”.
Mirroring Phone Conversation Snippet:
“Ms. Flash, before we get down to business, I’ve just got to ask you about living in the Savannah area. I’ve always wanted to come visit the Garden District there; tell me a little bit about it…. Before I forget, let me mention that according to my database four of your neighbors, between you and Pine St., are already customers, so I know you will want to listen carefully as I explain our cutting edge concepts.”
Now that you have a feel for the two extrovert behavior styles and know how to become a chameleon in order to relate to them, in the next post we will look at the two introverted temperaments.
©2014 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC
