One of the major reasons why most sellers are unsuccessful in closing deals is because they don’t understand their prospects and therefore cannot relate with them. In fact, it is reported that 84% of the deals are lost because sellers don’t communicate effectively with their prospective buyers.
There are Kirks and Spocks Among Your Buyer Groups. Ignore Them at Your Own Peril!
Many B2B companies are beginning to realize how much revenue they’re losing because of the friction between sales and marketing.
To better explain the concept of Personality-driven selling, let’s go on an intergalactic journey on the Starship Enterprise (pun intended). Led by the charismatic Captain William T. Kirk, the starship has a mission to explore the universe and boldly go where no man (or woman — the show was developed in the ’60s) has gone before. Captain Kirk is aided on his mission by a highly intellectual and capable crew. The top performer is his first-officer, Mr. Spock, a half-Vulcan, half-human who is driven by logic and is void of any emotion.
The Enterprise encounters life-and-death situations in every episode. With dynamism, collaboration, and quick thinking, the crew avoids catastrophe and survives to fight another day. In such situations, it is important to observe the leadership style of Captain Kirk, who must make a critical decision in seconds.
Kirk is a typical “leader” personality who needs proven data points, on one sheet of paper, to make critical decisions. He has little time to do research and evaluate complex situations.
Mr. Spock, on the other hand, is a walking computer. He has immense capabilities of analyzing large amounts of data — very quickly, to make educated and logical decisions.
As you can well imagine, if you were to pass on large amounts of data to Captain Kirk, you would shut him down. Clog his thinking and decision-making abilities. Kirk requires the proverbial “one-pager” listing all the facts. Spock on the other hand requires lots of data to reach conclusions. The “one-pager” will not cut it with Spock. He will find it fluffy and be turned off by it.
Why do Personalities Matter in B2B sales?
There are Kirks and Spocks in every sales interaction. And there are many other different personality types involved in a decision-making buyers group. If we do not make an effort to recognize who they are and personalize our communication approach with each person we are guaranteed to lose the deal on the basis of miscommunication!
We have a tendency of adopting the “one-size-fits-all” approach. And by doing so, we alienate our buyers and either lose them forever or lead our buyers toward indecision.
Salespeople should realize that their buyers’ group comprises people with different personalities, buying behavior, likes, and dislikes. They all perceive information differently. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work in this day of hyper-personalized selling and marketing. Sellers need to know who they are selling to and personalize their approach in order to close deals successfully.
The Secret of Driving Meaningful Conversations with Your Prospects
Sellers who have adopted xiQ’s Personality-driven sales methodology drive meaningful conversations, build trusted relationships, and ultimately close bigger deals faster. xiQ’s personality-driven marketing is a novel approach to B2B sales that combines AI with proven behavioral science, allowing salespeople to cater to each individual’s behavior, mental model, and preferences.
Personality-driven selling lets B2B salespeople and marketers see the world from their customer’s perspectives, allowing them to develop a more individualized sales strategy that can help them drive more engaging conversations with the buyer. Instead of coming across as salespeople desperately trying to close deals and meet their quota, the personality-driven approach helps sellers understand the needs of their prospects and how to effectively communicate with them. “It’s the difference between selling and partnering”, says Usman Sheikh, founder, and CEO of xiQ, the pioneer and leader of Personality-driven selling.
How Personality-Driven Marketing Changes the Face of Selling?
Not too long ago, sales and marketing professionals had to host expensive dinners for influential business figures and potential customers to gain their attention and build lasting connections. However, things have changed. Buyers are now giving sellers very little window for approaching them, making it hard for the salespeople to forge a relationship with their prospects. Also, while marketers are looking for innovative and creative ideas to engage buyers, uninspiring content makes customers believe that the sellers are unprepared and take them for granted.
With xiQ’s personality-driven sales and marketing platform, sellers learn about their customers’ thought processes, in real-time, with insightful information about how to navigate their personalities. This invaluable data allows marketers and salespeople to tailor their content, language, and overall sales presentation according to each person’s individual preferences and styles. By personalizing their approach, sellers can add value that matters. It will make the customer feel appreciated and inspires them to engage more with the products and services and improves the conversion rate.
Understanding How Your Buyers Think is Your Competitive Advantage
Understanding the buyers is the key when it comes to having meaningful conversations with them. Salespeople should acknowledge this and prepare themselves before reaching out to prospects. This will only help them prevent the deals from falling through.
One way sellers can improve interactions with buyers is by getting access to their personality insights. xiQ’s personality insights are crucial insights into the mental make-up of the buyer and how they process information. This is a key competitive advantage that allows salespeople to connect with their customers and create dynamic partnerships that are built on trust and the ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner, one the buyer understands and appreciates.
Adding Personality to Marketing Really Matters
As per a survey by Salesforce, 97% of marketers observed a gain in business outcomes because of personalization. The market data is constant and unambiguous. By catering to each buyer’s psychological insights and preferences, marketers may boost the efficacy of their messaging and other persuasive communication.
Since each customer has their own distinct perspective and behavior, salespeople are more likely to succeed if the tone and framing of communications are tailored to each buyer’s unique traits. This is only possible if salespeople have access to the personality insights of their prospective buyers. Additionally, this information help sellers initiate a meaningful conversation with them.
xiQ’s Personality-driven marketing is the way forward for B2B sellers and marketers as it makes understanding the mindset of buyers easier. It allows salespeople to know about the factors that influence their purchasing decision. xiQ is a powerful sales and marketing platform that not just delivers personality insights but also provides comprehensive and real-time account intelligence which makes it simpler for salespeople to build trust and close deals faster.
Schedule a call with us today and find out how xiQ can transform your business!
