Personally I make purchasing decisions very quickly based on very little information and an appeal to my emotions. “How will it look/feel if I buy this?” Do I treat clients the same way? If I followed “I treat my customers the way I like to be treated” then I would. And would that get those people want to be my customers? Would they be happily sold to by me?
We are all different and we make our buying decisions differently. Some people like lots of facts, they are ‘maximisers’, thoroughly researching the market to ensure they have covered absolutely all the options. Others like to take a lot of time to make purchasing decisions. Some people like to engage in a dialogue, have a conversation. Others like to be left alone to examine all the evidence, then come up with the questions, and make a considered decision.
So what do you do? And do you know why you do it?
If you already have your C-me colour profile you have the edge in understanding what your preferred way of thinking and doing is and what informs your decision making process, including what and how you buy things. You appreciate whether you tend to the rational or the emotional, the big picture or the detail. And you will know how you like people to engage with you. That is really powerful stuff when you are being sold to.
Standing in your customer’s shoes
Anyone in business is looking for customers. If you could assess potential customers using indicators that demonstrate their buying preferences, that would be amazing. You would be better equipped to know how to approach them, what to say, when to say it and how to deliver your message, whether written or spoken, social media or email. So brilliant if you can ask your clients to do a C-me, however that might be a bit tricky!
But…if you know your own preferences when it comes to communicating with potential customers, imagine how useful that would be. Maybe you aren’t comfortable with reaching for the phone and having that difficult negotiation. Maybe you find you can’t stop talking when you get in front of someone. A C-me profile will give you that knowledge and enable you to see how your clients are communicating with you and help you look for clues as to best ways of reaching out to them. And depending on how they communicate with you, you will know how much you may need to adapt your natural preferences to negotiate that sale. That could be the difference between failure and success.
You can only treat your customers the way they like to be treated when you know how they like to be treated. And you can only make that effective in sales terms if you know how you are communicating with them.
Find out more about how C-me Colour Profiling can help with your sales and enhance your relationships with your customers, both those you already have, and those you are approaching.
David Rigby 2017
