sales workbook

salesmonkeys
selling is easy
 © 2009 SalesMonkeys Inc.
17724 W. 63rd Drive
Golden, CO 80403
866.966.1066

www.salesmonkeys.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this book may be reproduced.

 People Buy
From People
Sales Workbook Lesson #1

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 © 2009 SalesMonkeys Inc.
17724 W. 63rd Drive
Golden, CO 80403
866.966.1066

www.salesmonkeys.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this book may be reproduced.

2
table of contents
People Buy from People 4
The Four Personalities 5
The Dominant 6
Selling to the Dominant 7
The Influencer 8
Selling to the Influencer 9
The Steady Relator 10
Selling to the Steady Relator 11
The Cautious Thinker 12
Selling to the Cautious Thinker 13
Homework 14

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People Buy from People
People buy from people. People buy from people they like. To most people the idea of bonding and rapport is a
People like people like themselves. It’s the fundamental concept that is rooted in their natural ability, an inherent
selling fact that most salespeople overlook. The average “thing” they just cannot get rid of, or eventually acquire.
salesperson is so consumed with their product information, Your people skills are part nature, part nurture. Depending
information about the company, and information about on the environment you were raised in, you may be shy
themselves, that they throw up all over the customer. or outgoing. You may be naturally funny or a little dull.
Who wants to be puked on? Not us. We have four children However, you can learn to improve all of your people skills.
between the two of us and we still can’t stand it. You can learn ways to make people like and trust you. If you
were ever looking for a secret, here it is.
The basic fundamental bonding and rapport skills exist in all of
us. For many of us, the reason we got into sales was because To be a great salesperson you need to become the trusted
someone said “Hey! You’re good with people,” or “You can advisor to the customer. You do not have to be the customer’s
talk to anyone. You should be a salesperson.” Next thing you best friend, just be more likable than your competition. If
know, we are in sales halfway to the moon in cold calls and people like and trust, you they will be more likely to buy.
sales projections and waking up in cold sweats, cursing every
person who ever told us that we had the “gift of gab.”

Let’s face it, nobody decided to go into sales as a career. In

the sixth grade when the teacher said, “Tell everyone what
you want to be when you grow up,” what did you say? Did
you jump up and yell, “I want to be a salesperson.” I’m sure
you didn’t. If you did, you need to be smacked, because
you’re either a fool or a liar.

Tim: Tim Smith, a sales person with Toilet Seats, Inc. is one of the most likable
guys we have ever met.
He represents the consummate sales person and people repeatedly tell
Tim that he is a “people person” and he would be great in sales. That is
usually what brings most people into sales in the first place.  
Although Tim was blessed with the gift to make friends naturally, it
wasn’t until he learned how to use the four personalities that his sales
really took off.

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The Four Personalities
Understanding why a customer does what they do is A tremendous amount of clinical study has been done to
critical to understanding them. Salespeople will often call boil down the behaviors into four categories. These primary
the client unreasonable, stupid, crazy, or a host of other categories are the basis for understanding human behavior.
names. In reality, they are simply dealing with a personality There are many titles for these different categories, and you
that is different from their own. Customers will be more will recognize them as you read. If you look closely at each
comfortable dealing with people who are similar to them. style, you will notice that people are often a combination of
It’s your job to figure out the customer’s behavioral style these styles. However, there always is a primary style that
and learn to adjust your style to meet the customer’s. will appear most visibly in each person. First, determine
your own personality style and the personality styles of
The faster you can match the behavior and communication each of your customers.
style of your customer, the faster you will build a relationship
and make a sale. In the words of the late David Sandler,
“Sales is a Broadway play performed by a psychologist.”
First, you need to use your skills to understand the
customer’s communication style and then you need to
match that style, even if it is different from your own.

There is no “best” personality style for a customer to have,

as there is no “best” personality style for a salesperson to
have. The best salesperson is the one who understands
themselves and the customer. Customers are motivated for
their reasons, not yours. You need to grasp what motivates
the customer and what makes them act the way they do.
If you understand the personality of your customer, you
have a better chance of understanding your customer’s
motivation factors and making the sale.

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Dominant Personality
How do you identify a Dominant personality? on it. This is the customer that must find something to
A Dominant personality style is motivated by power argue about or negotiate every deal they work on. This
and control. They are compelled to lead the team, could be the contract, the agreement, the payment terms,
group, company, or whomever they choose to surround or the delivery date. It does not matter what topic; they
themselves with. The Dominant or high “D” is extremely simply love to pick a good fight.
results-motivated. The bottom line is most important, not
the process. They tend to be very direct. These customers When they create a conflict, they rarely play good cop/bad
never sugarcoat anything--they tell you straight up how cop--they usually only play bad cop/worse cop.
they feel, and get in your face when it comes to the issues. The Dominant will only let you know the negative result
for screwing it up, rather than what reward you will get for
The Dominant expects much from his or her people and, doing it right.
therefore, they tend to burn through their people. A
Dominant might have the power and control, but they rarely However, the Dominant has a strong ability to separate the
give more specific instructions than to say, “Get it done.” business from the personal. If you make a business mistake,
The Dominant rarely gives out compliments or praise. the Dominant can realize it was just business and still will
maintain a personal relationship or friendship with you.
The Dominant or high “D” will also never accept a compliment.
When you give this customer a sincere compliment, the “D” Most people will tend to see the Dominant in a negative
will simply brush it off and get back to business. Compliments way. The nicknames or buzzwords usually associated
are more likely a waste of time and unnecessary. with them are “control freak,” “pushy,” and “aggressive.” A
positive way to see the Dominant is as a leader, a driver and
The Dominant has the ability to detect fluff or salesperson a doer. Dominants tend to gravitate to the position of CEO,
B.S. A salesperson cannot baffle a Dominant with fast- president or business owner. Only 18% of the population
talking and guesstimating. The Dominant will quickly catch can be considered or labeled high Dominant personalities.
any weak salesperson in a lie and crush them instantly.
A Dominant loves conflict. As a matter of fact, they thrive

Tim: Our friend Tim from Toilet Seats, Inc. once sold to a Dominant CEO. While Tim was in the
CEO’s office, he noticed a large-mouth bass mounted conspicuously on the wall.
He then mentioned, “That sure is a nice fish on the wall, you must be a good fisherman.”
The response he got from the CEO was direct and straightforward, “That’s nice but you
have five minutes to show me what you have.”
Direct, straightforward and no fluff. That’s the Dominant!

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Selling to the Dominant
How to Sell to the High “D” If you fail to bond with the Dominant, they will steamroll you
To sell a Dominant, you need to be direct and to the point. Do and take over the entire selling situation. If you successfully
not get sidetracked on personal or social topics. Be confident build the relationship, you will successfully make the sale.
in what you are saying and delivering, and be brief.
List two Dominant customers
A typical Dominant will only give you about half the time you _______________________________________________
think you need so you must ask effective questions. _______________________________________________

Stick to business and the reason you are there, and How do you know?
stay focused. Make sure you explain the results to the Customer #1:
Dominant and know the process that can get you there. _______________________________________________
Also, use a logical approach and cover all the high points _______________________________________________
of your presentation. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Focus on what is new and unique about what you do _______________________________________________
because a Dominant loves to be the leader and the first
one to do something. When it comes to pricing, expect Customer #2:
a negotiation; so price accordingly. A Dominant will love _______________________________________________
conflict, so make sure you have some room in your pricing _______________________________________________
to let them win a little of the negotiation. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
The Dominant’s favorite person is someone like himself or _______________________________________________
herself. When you recognize a Dominant personality, you
must display the same traits they do. Be confident, direct,
and to the point. Do not waste their time. If a Dominant
sees that you’re also a Dominant, they will respect you and
like you more quickly. With a Dominant, respect comes first
and “like” comes second.

Tim: After Tim made the mistake of trying to pass on a compliment to the Dominant
customer, he knew he needed to recover quickly.
After the customer told Tim,“You have five minutes, show me what you have.” Tim knew
he had to be direct and to the point with the high Dominant.
His response was, “Look, I can sit here and tell you all about my toilet seats, but before
I waste your time and mine, why don’t you tell me what you really want and we can get
down to business.”
The customer respected Tim instantly, and the relationship was established.

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Influencer Personality
How do you identify an Influencer personality? An easy way to spot an Influencer is to look for stories.
The Influencer is motivated by fun and popularity. They are The high “I” loves to tell stories. They have a “wait-until-
the life of any party and usually the most popular person in the you-hear-this” story for any topic you are talking about.
company. Influencers tend to be high-energy people. These Another glaring trait of an Influencer is, they are too trusting.
are the customers that come into work first, stay the latest, They can’t help but put their faith in people and will trust
and practically bounce off the walls while there. They are the everyone to a fault.
hardest-working people in the whole company.
Organization is not the strong point of an Influencer.
However, Influencers tend to be inconsistent. One day they Their desk is usually facing a window so they can be free
are on top of the world, loving their business, happy with to look out and dream whenever they get bored.
everything you have done for them, and the next day they
are depressed, tired, and ready to throw in the towel. The motto of an Influencer is “ready, fire, aim.” They are
impulsive. This is the customer who says, “yes” before
Influencers tend to be labeled as natural-born salespeople. they realize whether or not they need what you are
They can strike up a conversation with anyone, are highly selling. No planning, just actions. They tend to do things
opinionated, and the center of attention wherever they go. twice and will burn out easily.
They can never get enough compliments. As a customer,
they will do back flips if you recognize their achievements Most people love to be around an Influencer. They are
and accomplishments and give them praise. In return, they often referred to as charismatic, fun-loving and exciting.
are very generous with their praise. The high “I” tends to be However, they also can be seen as scatterbrained and
a great coach because they can motivate anyone through flaky. A decent-sized 28% of the population can earn the
their positive feedback and mostly sunny disposition. high “I” designation.

Tim: In a sales call to a large university, Tim was trying to close the deal for 300 toilet seats.
When he sat down with the customer, he watched as his customer bounced off the walls
and changed topics nine times in five minutes. The customer seemed unable to focus on
the business at hand.
Tim could see this was a disorganized, high energy, unfocused person. He knew right
away he was dealing with an Influencer.
He could tell from the many stories that the customer was telling that this person had
a history of doing things in a “ready, fire, aim” fashion and it was going to be difficult to
sell to this one.

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Selling to the Influencer
How to sell to the high “I” List two Influencer customers
To sell to a high “I” you need to allow enough time for _______________________________________________
socializing in your meetings. _______________________________________________

Plan your appointments for lunch, breakfast, dinner, a ball How do you know?
game, golfing, hiking, or whatever it is you find social. Customer #1:
_______________________________________________
Always leave enough time. Nothing will bother an Influencer _______________________________________________
more than being rushed. Because they generally overlook _______________________________________________
details, you need to be the detail person in the relationship. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Remember, people buy from people they would like to be
like, so bring things to the relationship that the Influencer Customer #2:
wished they had: organization. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Put objectives, details, and deadlines in writing. Ask for _______________________________________________
their opinion and expect to get one from an Influencer. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Make sure you give plenty of recognition. People buy from
people like themselves, so selling an Influencer means you
need to remember to be like them: fun, relaxed, excited,
interesting, and social. Just remember, you will need to be
the organized one.

Tim: When Tim realized he was dealing with an Influencer, he knew right away he had to be
just like his customer.
He quickly jumped out of his chair, started to pace the room with the customer and
started to focus on talking with the customer on whatever the customer wanted to talk
about. Tim knew he had to build the relationship before he started to talk business. Just
the opposite from the Dominant.
After fifteen minutes of this, Tim knew it was time to take the conversation back to
business. He sat down, cracked a smile, passed a nice compliment to his customer and
then said, “OK, let’s get down to having some real fun and get you set up with a crate of
my new super-soft toilet seats.”

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Steady Relater Personality
How do you identify a Steady Relater personality? about how badly they were treated. Passive-aggressive
The Steady Relater is motivated by peace and tranquility. resistance is the name of the game with a Steady Relater.
They are the smooth, constant backbone of most of the If they dislike you, you will never see it coming.
companies in America.
Because they avoid conflict so much, the Steady Relater
Steady Relaters are process- and system-oriented. If there is often seen as a team player. They will go along with
is a manual to be read, these are the people who will read whatever the group wants to do. If they disagree, they will
it and follow the instructions explicitly. The Influencer will try to make their statement behind the scenes. These are
simply just charge forward with no plan and the Dominant the people that when asked, “Where do you want to go to
will explain how he will do it, but the Steady Relater will lunch?” they say, “I don’t care. Anywhere is fine with me.”
follow the procedures. And when the meal is done, they’ll lean over and tell a
co-worker, “I knew right from the beginning that this place
Steady Relaters tend to be detail-oriented. They are neat would be a bad place to eat.”
and organized. If you go to an office of a high “S” you will
see everything organized, everything in its place, pictures At 40%, Steady Relaters make up the largest group of the
of the family and kids on the wall, etc. Everything will four personality styles. Most support roles, purchasing
scream stability! roles, administrative roles, and mid-level managers tend
to be Steady Relaters.
Above all else, the Steady Relater hates conflict. Don’t
mistake this characteristic with weakness. It just
means they will not confront the issue directly. Rather
than complaining, they will be a customer who just
disappears when they feel they have been wronged by
poor service. Be assured they will tell all of their friends

Tim: Tim was in New Jersey on a sales call with Softrump.com, an online reseller of Tim’s products,
when he met a Steady Relator. He knew instantly that he was dealing with a Steady Relator
when he walked into the customers office and saw the family pictures on the wall, the neat,
organized office, and the customer dressed in bland, “fit-in-with-the-crowd” clothing.
As Tim started to explain how the reseller agreement would work, he could see the
customer take out his note pad and start to write down each step of the process. It was
clear to him then that he had a process-driven Steady Relator on his hands, and he had
to adjust his personality style to sell to this customer.

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Selling to the Steady Relater
How to sell to the high “S” List two Steady Relater customers
To sell a Steady Relater you need to be patient. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Simply ask for their opinion and act in a very orderly, logical
fashion. Also, make sure you display your solution in a How do you know?
process that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Customer #1:
_______________________________________________
Be careful to look for conflict. Ask to confirm that they are _______________________________________________
comfortable with everything you are doing and saying. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
It may take several tries to get the “S” comfortable with _______________________________________________
you. Once they have opened up, it will be easier to build
a relationship. Customer #2:
_______________________________________________
Be calm with your body language and tonality. Keep it _______________________________________________
smooth, quiet, and simple. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Remember: people buy from people they like. A Steady _______________________________________________
Relater is motivated by peace and tranquility, so make
sure you give them that feeling about you. Give them that
feeling and you will make the sale.

Tim: Knowing he was dealing with a Steady Relator, Tim slowed down his presentation and
talked in a smooth, calming voice. He was careful to be patient with the customer and to
focus on the process of buying.
This instantly made the customer feel better and feel that he was working with someone
who was just like himself. In the end Tim closed the deal because the customer saw
that Tim was a Steady Relator as well, and the customer felt comfortable with him.
Remember, people buy from people they like, and they like people like themselves.

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Cautious Thinker Personality
How do you identify a Cautious Thinker personality? decision, they are very stubborn about the slightest change
The most important driving factor for a Cautious Thinker is because it does not fit their “data.”
being right and perfect. These are the customers who must
be absolutely certain of the decision at hand, and they It takes a Cautious Thinker time to decide because they
will think it over forever. They study, learn, re-study, and need to convince themselves that they have created the
then analyze before making a decision. A Cautious Thinker next great algorithm that produced a decision so perfect
will read every line of the contract, talk to every previous that it is next to impossible to change their mind. This is
customer, and then think some more before deciding what good if they decide to do business with your company,
to do. The decision must be right, and being right always because they’ll become an advocate for you and your
takes precedence over getting the decision made on time. products. At this point, you have won the customer’s
respect for being just like them.
Typically, you will find that people having this personality
style will be in the role of engineer, accountant, project Buzzwords make the Cautions Thinker feel secure. To land
manager or CFO. They tend to be very thrifty­­­­­—not cheap, the sale you should use the industry language to show your
but very careful and analytical when it comes to spending technical competencies, and this will sound like music to
money. A cop carries a gun, a fireman has his axe, and you the ears of a Cautious Thinker. A Cautious Thinker will tend
must carry a crowbar when dealing with Cautious Thinkers, to be low-risk, and will stick with the “proven” path. Only
because they can hold on to money like a dead man in a 14% of the population are Cautious thinkers, and when you
freezer. can build a relationship with them, you can make the sale.

Cautious Thinkers are driven by details, and there is no

fine print too fine for them. You can always tell when you
are in a Cautious Thinker’s office because it is organized to
the letter. Everything has a place and a purpose. Cautious
Thinkers are information hounds. Once they have made a

Tim: The toughest people for Tim Smith to sell to are the Cautious Thinkers. Since Tim is
naturally not a detailed person, he is fast to spot a Cautious Thinker because it is so
different from his natural behavior.
Tim was working with an engineering company trying to get a technical approval on
his new JPX1000 high-strength toilet seats when he realized he was working with a
Cautious Thinker.
The customer was agonizing over the smallest details and asking Tim questions that
were extremely analytical. Knowing that he had to get into the world of his customer
Tim quickly changed how he was presenting to her.

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Selling to the Cautious Thinker
How to Sell to the High “C” List two Cautious Thinker customers
To sell to a Cautious Thinker effectively, you need to stick _______________________________________________
to the facts. _______________________________________________

You should be very clear and precise with your information How do you know?
and make sure you have the details ready and in hand. Prior Customer #1:
to meeting with a high “C” you should make sure you have _______________________________________________
done your research and know you are right on target. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
You need to stick to business and always listen to what _______________________________________________
the Cautious Thinker has to say. Let them know you are _______________________________________________
listening to what they say—not simply by nodding, but by
repeating some things they say. Customer #2:
_______________________________________________
Remember, the Caution Thinker, is right and perfect and _______________________________________________
looking for a person who, like them, is right and perfect. Be _______________________________________________
right and perfect and you will make the sale _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

Tim: When Tim saw that he was dealing with a Cautious Thinker, he immediately stuck to the
facts and became very detailed.
He discussed the density, the strength, the chemical makeup, and the testing
procedures that were used to design the JPX1000.
Tim threw in the buzz words necessary to show he knew the industry and then presented
the technical proof of the research and development that was done on the product.
In the end, the customer knew that Tim was just as detailed as she was and that Tim was
focused on right and perfect. The relationship was built and the sale was made.

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Homework
Goal:
In order to master the lesson it is important that you do some ongoing work and practice. We call it homework.

Homework Assignment:
- Over the next week, spend time analyzing your customers’ personality styles and make notes in this workbook about
what those personalities are and how you determined them.
- Review this with your sales manager and discuss what you found.
- Have fun and learn to change your delivery for different personality styles.
- Remember that people buy from people. Become the person that your customer wants to buy from and you will
make more sales.

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