The customer typology focuses on the customers that can be met during a sale. There are prospects who hesitate, those who don’t need you and who let you know… Or understanding customers… There are 12 types of profiles! In this article, we take you to meet them and give you tips on how to better interact with them.
Fortunately, tools exist. We are talking here about customer typology. It’s about identifying different groups of customers who have similar buying behaviors.
Having in mind the existing customer typologies allows you to choose the right strategy to work on your sales pitch and prepare before a sales meeting.
Thus, By Being Aware Of The Customer Typologies, A Salesperson Can Adopt:
- Better communication : he will adapt the tone of his speech, the format or even the vocabulary to be used;
- His argument in which he will highlight the elements that will hit the mark according to the customer type (for example who will talk about the price, the benefits produced, etc.).
The King Customer
Everyone has heard of the customer king. Moreover, he is often feared because he has great self-confidence and determination.
He is often very demanding and considers that his buying experience must be perfect. For that, we can’t really blame him.
As he expects an impeccable service/product, the king customer may tend to be directive: “I am available from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for our appointment”; “I expect your quote within the week”, etc.
So, how do you succeed in your sales approach when dealing with a king customer?
- A demanding person needs your full attention and listening: show him that you know your product perfectly and offer him your best service;
- Each element of your speech must be proven so as not to create frustration for this client;
- To avoid any overflow, especially in the case of the sale of a service, border the legal aspect with precise General Conditions of Sale.
The Anxious Customer
We can define the anxious customer as a customer who is simply afraid of making a mistake. For example, if it is a B2B purchase, this customer does not want to be at the origin of a purchase that would be useless within his company.
It is very easy to recognize: the sign of his anxiety is reflected in a tendency to ask many questions. And above all, to imagine the worst. The anxious customer may be wary of marketing speeches: he therefore seeks to test the salesperson by confronting him with complex questions. For example: “If this option does not work, what have you planned?” etc.
To Properly Anticipate A Meeting With An Anxious Client:
- Take the time to detect anything that might worry a hesitant person;
- Address a warm tone and be available to answer all possible questions;
- Be transparent about all the steps of the upcoming collaboration;
- Show or read testimonials from satisfied customers, including convincing references to reassure them.
The Complaining Customer
The grumpy or grumpy customer does not like to be approached or listen to any commercial speech.
It’s simple, for him, everything was better before. The consumer society does not bring anything good.
This client typology likes to criticize and stands out with negative speech and terms. It could quite be destabilizing with sentences such as “I have known the sector well for more than ten years”, “I don’t like sales people”.
What Commercial Temperament To Adopt In This Case?
- Listen and don’t try to prove him wrong;
- Propose an original solution, plan a special offer for him: this client must feel that he is unique.
The Hesitant Customer
The undecided customer is, by definition, always in doubt. He doesn’t know exactly what he needs and hesitates when he consults the different offers facing him.
The sale with this type of customer is often long because you have to scan all the options and present each characteristic to him.
To properly prepare a sale with an undecided customer, the salesperson must be patient. It must be understood that decision-making can prove to be a real ordeal for the client.
To Be As Relevant As Possible With A Hesitant Customer, It Will Be Necessary To:
- Guide the customer, ask him relevant questions and make him realize that he really needs to go through you;
- To properly define your needs, use the funnel open question system: generic questions first and then more specific;
- It is possible to present the possibilities of reimbursement or cancellation to reassure him: he will be less afraid to make a decision;
- Present a speech full of solutions to give him the security he needs to make a choice.
The Understanding Customer
The understanding customer is the customer with whom it is very pleasant to exchange. He is the ideal client! Some of his qualities are visible from the first exchanges: he is positive, empathetic and very inclined to discussion.
For a commercial, it is a customer with whom one would like to negotiate as often as possible. He expresses his understanding or nods regularly to your arguments. Be careful though, the challenge would be to be too flexible with him, at the risk of disappointing him.
If the understanding customer places his trust in a company, it should not be betrayed.
How To Succeed In A Sale With This Customer Typology?
- Listen to him, of course;
- Put him at ease to create a pleasant and trusting relationship: an understanding customer has every chance of becoming a loyal customer;
- Prepare your speech with precision to present everything he needs to know.
The Suspicious Customer
The suspicious buyer is a difficult person to convince. When he has to make a purchase, he needs concrete proof. Very picky and attentive to all the details, the suspicious customer will also be intractable with the figures you give him.
Suspicious customers may tend to change their minds quickly if a point in your pitch is vague.
To communicate well with this type of customer, it is necessary to have a very precise speech and arguments that you master at your fingertips in order to find a solution to his problem (conditions of the offer, price, deadlines, etc.).
The Best Things To Do For A Successful Interview With A Suspicious Client:
- As you will have understood, you will have to be precise and sure of yourself during your commercial exchange;
- Throughout the sales experience, document each of your meetings with figures and proof of the success of your operation;
- Be demonstrative by coupling your arguments with examples of customer successes.
The Authoritative Client
The authoritarian client typology stands out by the tone of his voice and his very cold speech. He will seek to destabilize you: he has no time, no budget and yet seeks to maximize his investment.
As you will have understood, falling on an authoritative client during a discovery call will be particularly complicated. Even for a seasoned salesperson.
To interest an authoritarian client, it will therefore be necessary to be firm and above all… Creative!
A Few Ways To Interest An Authoritarian Client:
- Do not impose anything on your client and leave him the freedom to make suggestions, this will give him the impression of mastering the exchange;
- Be straight to the point and creative in the way you approach your arguments;
- Pay extra attention to understand his needs.
The Aggressive Customer
The aggressive client has a pretty loose tongue. This client typology is not distinguished by his listening skills: on the contrary, he is rather stubborn in his ideas. He could easily cancel a sale or ask for a refund if what he gets doesn’t live up to the sales pitch he was given.
For A Seller, Be Careful Not To Promise The Moon To This Type Of Customer! Here Is How To Proceed With It:
- Do not seek to respond to his threats;
- Take it upon yourself not to bounce back when he criticizes aggressively;
- Prepare your appointment well and give him concrete solutions to his needs;
- To be sure that everything goes well and to avoid that he blames you for something after the sale, be sure to rephrase his request.
The Customer In A Hurry
Customers In A Hurry Don’t Dwell On The Details: they have a need and are looking for a quick response. The most rigorous and dynamic salespeople will be the best able to sell to this clientele.
Faced with the impatience of this type of customer, the seller will have to make the effort to go straight to the point and above all to respond to their requests quickly.
From A Business Point Of View, You Can Act In This Way:
- Prepare a straight to the point and precise speech;
- Faced with a customer who has no problem making a decision quickly, do not hesitate to offer him complementary products;
- Be quick and attentive so that your client feels understood in their urgent need.
The Negotiating Client
The thrifty customer or negotiator is characterized by a customer who seeks to save money. He is constantly looking for the best deals, discounts or low prices. He likes to have a margin of negotiation on all quotes because he likes to feel like a winner in an exchange.
In fact, this client typology knows well the price of the services and products that interest it. It is therefore important not to be taken by surprise when faced with his reactions to the announcement of the tariffs.
Very often, regardless of the argument deployed, the argument that will hit the mark will be that of the best price. Make sure you have the correct one.
How To Deal With This Client?
- Take a listening posture and put forward concrete arguments;
- Highlight the quality of your offer or your product compared to competitors: the negotiating customer likes to know the results, the benefits of what he buys;
- Nothing like a promotion to finally convince this type of customer.
The Show-Off Customer
The show-off customer loves novelty and the latest innovations and trends. We recognize him by his rather technical speech: he likes to find out about products and services before making a purchase. He is looking for what is fashionable, or what will be fashionable.
With this customer typology, the price is not necessarily a subject of discussion, as long as he is aware that he is buying the best.
What To Do With It:
- Talk about your service or your product by showing its qualities and its innovative/unique character;
- Be enthusiastic and dynamic;
- Emphasize the image benefits that the customer will be able to derive by making this purchase.
The Know-It-All Customer
The know-it-all customer is identifiable by his self-confident speech. His opinion is clear, he knows exactly what he needs. Moreover, this type of client does not necessarily listen to what they are told.
To guide a know-it-all client, you must above all give them space to express themselves.