Many businesses today are operating their customer service from the old Golden Rule:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Progressive businesses, however, have learned that the Platinum rule works better:  “Do unto others as they wish to have done unto them.”  In other words, satisfy each and every customer, individually.

While that might seem like a tall order since people these days are so varied in their desires, (which is a good thing), it is actually more easily achieved than you think.

Corporations spend millions of dollars every year researching what their customers want.  What they find is that all of their customers typically want a few of the same things, then, from there, their desires are all over the place.

However, those desires can be categorized into about four different styles.  Interestingly, those four styles match up, almost identically, to the four basic personality types as described in the DiSC Personal Profile System.

According to DiSC, people fall into one of four primary personality dimensions:

D – Dominance. These people are impulsive, make quick decisions, and therefore require that you have your answers up front so that they can make their buying decisions quickly.  They are very direct, and often intimidating to new or insecure salespeople.  D’s are “natural born” leaders, so if they like you and your product or service, they will freely refer others to you.

I – Influence. These people are also impulsive, but very well-liked.  Salespeople often fall into this category themselves.  They are upbeat and positive, with excellent communication skills.  They do not require a lot of details, but often have trouble making a decision and frequently have “buyer’s remorse.”  They are good at generating enthusiasm for a particular product, but are not necessarily loyal to a particular brand or business.

S – Steadiness. These people are very cooperative and have an extreme amount of patience, so they are good for new and insecure salespeople to “try their wings” on.  They like predictable, stable results and products.  They desire to keep their routines without much change, and are not impressed by “bells and whistles.”  While they are not extremely outspoken when it comes to referring new customers, they are very loyal once they find a product, service, or business they like.  With a low tolerance for conflict, S’s rarely return anything, no matter what.

C – Conscientiousness. These people are diligent workers who set high standards for themselves and others.  Quality and accuracy are extremely important in every aspect of doing business with them.   They like to “think things through” and will not make a purchase at all rather than being pushed into a decision too quickly.  They are very reserved, both personally and professionally, and as a result, are often viewed as standoffish, or prudish.  They keep receipts forever and will return anything up to the very last day if necessary.  While you can expect loyalty if you have a superior product, loyalty is not as important to a C as getting the best deal, or making the right decision.

So, how can you identify each personality quickly, and what are some action steps you can take to appease each one of them individually?  Let’s take a look.

D’s. Dominant types walk and talk very quickly.  They are quick to seek out service and ask questions.  They will identify what they want immediately, but not necessary give you a lot of details.  They want the “best” of whatever it is, or the “cheapest” and they will tell you that up front.  So, for example, a D might walk in to a computer store and say, “I need a new computer.  What’s the best one you’ve got?”

The smart salesperson will immediately go to “the best,” identify its features, quote the price, and ask, “Can I walk this up front for you?”  It is only at this point that the D will start asking questions in order to “hone in” the purchase.  Answer his questions directly and honestly.  If you are a new or not-so-confident salesperson, call a manager over to help you as soon as possible.  If you have to “go find out the answer” too many times, the D will walk out and take his business elsewhere.

I’s. Influencers are, ironically, easily influenced.  They are often soft-hearted because they have been “in your shoes” and know how hard it is to put yourself out there and go for the sale.  They will walk in with a huge smile on their face, shake hands, and almost immediately become your best friend.  I’s have learned that this works for them, since they frequently receive “unpublished” discounts!

Making purchases on a whim, and being natural salespeople themselves, they have often already sold themselves on the product or service to begin with.  However, if you make the purchase too complicated or “not fun,” you will lose them.  I’s want to look good and feel good, at all times, no matter what.

S’s. Steadiness types are also often sold before they walk through the door, but are not as impulsive as I’s.  Therefore, you may need to do a little convincing that they need the product or service.  Often shy and hesitate to ask questions, they sometimes need a little prodding in order to help them.  S’s are perfect for new and hesitant salespeople because they have all the patience in the world.  They don’t really have questions, but they haven’t made up their mind either.  This is often frustrating for a seasoned salesperson, but if you show your frustration, you will lose them.

Once convinced, the details come down to “Whatever you say, Doc.”  Mostly, they worry about how spending the money will affect them and their family “down the road.”  So the smart salesperson will focus on stability, longevity, and offer a generous return policy.

C’s. Conscientious types walk in with a scowl on their face because they’ve already been thinking long and hard about this purchase and have still not made up their mind!  They will be patient with getting answers, as long as the information they are getting makes sense to them and can be reconciled with their previous research.  They will have a million questions about everything and act completely unimpressed with each answer.

The smart salesperson will never discount the C’s question or tell them they will find out later.  A laid back approach works best and don’t become offended if the C walks out without purchasing stating that she needs to think about it.  If you make a follow-up call, make sure that you have more information to offer about the product or service, and do not push.

Listed below are the qualities that all of the personality types look for in a business relationship.

1. Cleanliness. Make sure your place of business is as spotless as possible.  Personally, I like for things to sparkle.  Many times, the only way a customer can judge your work is by the appearance of your establishment.  Clean and sparkly makes a significantly better impression about your abilities than dusty and grimy.  Most of the time, it pays to have a cleaning service come in after hours and get the place looking nice, about once a week.
2. Organization. Again, this is about the impression you make on your customer.  Being organized and having your surroundings look organized makes a better impression than if you have to search for things when you need them or have to walk 50 yards every 2 seconds to retrieve what you need to do the job.
3. Confidence. Your customer wants to know that you know what you’re doing and/or that you would use this product or service yourself.  If you don’t have confidence in your business, how is your client supposed to?  Your confidence shows in very subtle ways, so be sure to know everything about your business, inside and out, backwards and forwards, the good, the bad, and even the ugly.  It’s okay to be new – we were all “new” at some point - but spend as much of your available time off as possible learning about the industry you’re in.  Your efforts will be rewarded.

Just as we are all managers, we are also all customer service representatives.  And while we are not all “people-people,” or I’s, I hope this article will help you, no matter what your personality type, to better relate to your customer.

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