How to Persuade the Bottom Line Client
Transcript:
Hi! Welcome to this week’s training. I’m Sherri Wilson and I train and empower entrepreneurs and business owners in the art of persuasion and influence to communicate your message confidently and create the life and business you love.
Today, I want to start a series on the different types of clients you might encounter as an entrepreneur because this is key to increasing your confidence, effectiveness, and ability to strongly satisfy your client’s needs.
What I’m going to teach you is my “secret sauce” for getting inside my client’s head to I can anticipate needs, answer objections, build rapport, and even schedule my appointments.
If you had a way of know exactly what your client is thinking, wouldn’t you want that knowledge? This will give you that knowledge. And the more your practice, the better you’ll get at it.
So I’m going to divide each training by personality style and strategy.
Let’s dive into the first client, which is the BOTTOM LINE CLIENT.
The bottom-line client is the D personality on the DISC profile. They are:
1. Fast paced
2. Task focused
3. Direct
4. Result oriented
5. Firm
6. WHEN and WHY
Couple of quick clues is that they’re not CHIT CHATTY or really that FRIENDLY. LOL! Unless they’ve learned to be.
The reason I call D’s bottom line clients is because they want the bottom line facts without a lot of details, especially personal details. They can be QUESTIONING and SKEPTICAL. But once they make up their mind, it’s made! In fact, they’ve often made up their minds before even contacting you so the fact you’re talking with a D means you’ve probably already got their business.
Now they do not like incompetence so make sure you confidently present your product or service.
USE THE WORD RESULTS OFTEN. Be STRAIGHTFORWARD and RESPECTFUL in your communication. This might be hard for an I personality that loves to visit and have fun or an S that’s very diplomatic and tactful. Stay on task, be direct, and don’t share or ask for personal information unless they initiate.
Priorities:
Getting results
Taking action
Displaying competency
Motivated by:
Power and authority
Competition
Winning
Success
Fears:
Loss of control
Being taken advantage of
Vulnerability
You will notice:
Self-confidence
Directness
Forcefulness
Risk taking
Limitations:
Lack of concern for others
Impatience
Insensitivity
My best advice is to realize that D personalities are often on to their next task or appointment and like to get things done fast. Solving problems and getting things done without as little fuss as possible is a great way to make a D happy. And once you do, you’ll have a client for life.
Also, SIGNIFICANCE is very important to a D so don’t make them feel like just another sale. In fact, if they don’t feel important to you, they can tend to be passive aggressive.
And, finally, don’t assume a D is an extrovert. D’s can be introverts but have the advantage of being assertive and direct when needed. But small talk can be nerve wracking to a D because they’re either an introvert or just hate it.
I’m a D/C combination, which is definitely more introverted (meaning I need time alone to refresh). I’ve had to learn HOW to chit chat and be nice like texting, “Hi, how are you today?” before getting to the bottom line reason I texted. Lol!
I’m definitely task-focused and will not do business with anyone I feel doesn’t know what they’re doing. However, I can usually tell the difference if incompetence or a personality characteristic that makes them seem incompetent. The reason this is so important is it makes me feel safe and that I can trust the person to help me. And, like most D’s, I HATE WASTING MY TIME!
I also don’t like being taken advantage of or being assuming they know what I’m thinking. Now part of this can be one of my core values of individualistic meaning I’m my own person and don’t need someone else to put words in my mouth. THE EASIEST WAY TO OVERCOME THIS NATURAL TENDENCY IN D’S IS, AGAIN, LETTING THEM KNOW THEY’RE IMPORTANT TO YOU AND DISPLAY THAT YOU’RE TRUSTWORTHY AND COMPETENT.