How to Sell to Anyone

Let's face it. We all have those difficult customers to whom we are required to sell. From the demanding, abrasive buyer to the individual who never seems to make a buying decision, we encounter challenging people on a regular basis. Sometimes, this happens because of conflicting personalities. This article will look at the four key types of people and how to improve your results with each.

• "Direct Donna." Donna tends to be forceful and always wants to dominate or control the sales call. Her behavior is aggressive, she points at you while she talks, interrupts you to challenge you and she seldom cares about hearing the details of your new product or service.

To achieve the best sales results with this individual, be more direct and assertive. At the beginning of the sales call or meeting, tell her that you will "get right to the point" because her time is valuable and focus your conversation on the results she will achieve by using your product or service.

• "Talkative Tim." Tim is a gregarious and outgoing person, but very ego-centric. He is often late for meetings and his constant interruptions and long stories cause sales calls to go beyond the scheduled time.

Relationships are important to Talkative Tim, so invest more time in social conversation. This person often makes buying decisions on intuition and his feelings toward the salesperson. Be careful not to challenge Tim because he will feel rejected. If this happens, he will "shut down" and become unresponsive. During your sales presentation, tell him how good your solution will make him look to others in the company or how his status or image will improve.

• "Steady Eddie." Soft-spoken, Eddie is a "nice" fellow who seems more focused on his team and coworkers than on his personal results. He is very quiet compared to some of your other prospects. Unfortunately, he is often reluctant to make a buying decision.