Identify Who You are Presenting to – Part 3 of 3 (people-persons).

The third type of listener I have identified are people-persons. People who fall into this category are relationship-based, make decisions and behave based upon the way something feels to them. They buy-into people first, and prefer creating relationships based on trust. You could also call them touchy-feely people. They can be loyal customers, and buy from you because of how they feel about you and your company.

People-persons assimilate information through their sense of touch.  And because of this, they rely on more on their physical senses. As an example, they are typically known to acquire a physical skill faster than the average person – observe if they fiddle with pens, paper and other objects as they talk. Do they intermix business with social discussions about family, and organizations they belong too?

Common phrases that you may hear from people-persons are like  “that person or company is all washed up”. They may also use phrases like, “I feel your frustration” or “that feels right”.

They also like to give analogies that relate to the way they feel about things that happen to them. As an example, instead of saying, “I was really mad”, they would say something like “my blood was boiling”.

The key to engaging this kind of prospect is to build a relationship. Give them things to touch and hold – like your product or even a part of something bigger which you sell that helps you communicate the quality and value of your product. Once you make a people-persons connection with them, it lowers their guard and makes them more receptive to your presentation.

One of the most effective ways to build a relationship with any type of person is by determining which way a person best listens and relates to you. Aside from understanding your message more clearly, they will also feel naturally connected to you as people generally feel bonded or connected to those that remind them of themselves or those with whom they have things in common with.

The next time you begin a conversation with a prospective customer, start paying attention to the way they communicate. You’ll begin to notice that people generally fall into the visual, auditory or people-persons categories. Then as you move along through your sales and relationship building processes, you will be better equipped to communicate with your future customers.

Now there will be times where people overlap some of the different listening and comprehension styles, but generally there is one dominant system that controls their outlook on life. If you need help tweaking your current sales presentation to appeal to the listening and comprehension styles of different prospects, click here to send me an inquiring email.