{"id":52,"date":"2006-05-24T12:44:40","date_gmt":"2006-05-24T17:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/?p=52"},"modified":"2006-05-24T12:44:40","modified_gmt":"2006-05-24T17:44:40","slug":"understanding-using-communication-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/05\/understanding-using-communication-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding &#038; Using Communication Style"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a different link for a post &#8211; a good audio segment on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.audionewsletter.com\/salesrepradio\/\" target=\"_blank\">SalesRepRadio<\/a>.  The featured segment this week is a broadcast (is that the right word?) named <a href=\"http:\/\/www.audionewsletter.com\/salesrepradio\/\" target=\"_blank\">Outcome Focused Selling<\/a>.  The speaker, Anne Warfield, discusses a different approach to selling.  Instead of being focused on solving problems, salespeople need to be focused on finding solutions.<\/p>\n<p>When I first heard this phrasing I wondered what is the difference?  Warfield went on to say that trying to &#8220;solve problems&#8221; unintentionally focuses the salesperson on features and benefits selling.  I&#8217;ve seen this type of selling first-hand and it mostly leads to a data dump of marketing information on an disinterested prospect.  Instead, salespeople need to focus on &#8220;finding solutions&#8221; to prospect problems.  This inclusive approach will get the salesperson talking about a overall solution specifically in relationship to the prospect&#8217;s problems.  It is a fine point that she does a good job positioning. <\/p>\n<p>Warfield goes on to say:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Most salespeople I find generally are lively, easy-going people.  They feel the first way they are going to connect with someone is to have personal communication.  So they try to chit-chat about their family or about their house or notice something in their office.  Really, what you have to be able to do in 30 to 60 seconds is understand what that person&#8217;s communication style is.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>She makes a valid point about the importance of discovering the other person&#8217;s communication style.  Unfortunately, she does not explain how a salesperson is supposed to go about discovering it in only 30 to 60 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>I would agree with her statement above in that there are 2 styles of communication, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.selectmetrix.com\/Process_Selling_Style.html\" target=\"_blank\">Selling Styles<\/a>, that would not appreciate personal chit-chat that lasted more than 60 seconds.  However, those 2 styles make up only 32% of the general population.  The other 2 styles (68% of the population) prefer some form of sincere personal discussion before diving into business speak.<\/p>\n<p>Building rapport early in the selling process begins a bonding relationship with the prospect and helps to expose their preferred communication style.  Remember, 68% of the population prefers some small talk before discussing business.  If a salesperson does not know the communication style of the prospect, their best move is to start with some small talk (that may take more than 30-60 seconds), observe the prospect&#8217;s style and then adjust accordingly.  As part of our development plan, we provide a cheat sheet for salespeole to assist them in adapting to their prospects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a different link for a post &#8211; a good audio segment on SalesRepRadio. The featured segment this week is a broadcast (is that the right word?) named Outcome Focused Selling. The speaker, Anne Warfield, discusses a different approach to selling. Instead of being focused on solving problems, salespeople need to be focused on finding solutions. When I first heard this phrasing I wondered what is the difference? Warfield went on to say that trying to &#8220;solve problems&#8221; unintentionally focuses the salesperson on features and benefits selling. I&#8217;ve seen this type of selling first-hand and it mostly leads to a data dump of marketing information on an disinterested prospect.&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/05\/understanding-using-communication-style\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-techniques"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5Oho-Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1671,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/07\/sales-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":0},"title":"Sales 2.0","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"July 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I read often about web 2.0, recruiting 2.0 and sales 2.0.\u00a0 Math was never my forte so numbers scare me.\u00a0 But I did come across a very informative article in Sales & Marketing Management article titled A Step-By-Step Overview of Sales 2.0.\u00a0 The first pull quote: With instant access to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1078,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/07\/two-weaknesses-that-lead-to-discounting\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":1},"title":"Two Weaknesses That Lead To Discounting","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"July 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"SellingPower.com offers an excellent article titled End Those Last-Minute Negotiations.\u00a0 The article quotes one of our favorite trainer\/authors - Jeff Thull.\u00a0 Thull rightly ties together two critical pieces of closing a sale - value proposition and money. Many salespeople are clumsy with putting the right value proposition in play.\u00a0 If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":113,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/06\/vulcan-qualifying\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":2},"title":"Vulcan Qualifying","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"June 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"First things first - I'm not a Trekkie. But there is a good lesson from Mr. Spock in regards to qualifying. Basically, emotions kill good qualifying. What I mean is that salespeople who become emotionally shackled to a prospect or opportunity lose objectivity. Once objectivity is gone, the salesperson tends\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59750,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2020\/01\/orientation-vs-onboarding-vs-onramping\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":3},"title":"Orientation vs. Onboarding vs. Onramping","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"January 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the keys to successful sales leadership is getting newly-hired salespeople up-to-speed quickly.\u00a0 The time it takes to move them from wide-eyed new hire to qualifying ninja is critical to any company.\u00a0 High-performing salespeople are the lifeblood of any company. The way I see it, companies employ one of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Onramp.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Onramp.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Onramp.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2526,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2013\/04\/interrogating-a-prospect\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":4},"title":"Interrogating A Prospect","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"April 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Questions are the backbone of qualifying any sales opportunity.\u00a0 Yet, many salespeople seem to flounder with this approach and I believe it comes from over coaching\/training.\u00a0 Ask this series of questions, use this linguistic trick, turn the tables on them\u2026improper use of these \u201cmoves\u201d stands out to every prospect. To\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3199,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2016\/06\/positive-prospects-are-trouble\/","url_meta":{"origin":52,"position":5},"title":"Positive Prospects Are Trouble","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"June 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Prospects have many moves they learn at prospects\u2019 school, but one of the most lethal is the positive move. \u00a0The positive move is when the prospect appears to be eager to purchase your solution, especially early in the sales process. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are always \u201cblue birds\u201d that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sales Techniques&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sales Techniques","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-techniques\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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