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The Importance Of Psychology In The Sales Process - Selling To The “Dominant” Ones - Part I

November 23, 2008

“When you have got an elephant by the hind leg, and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.”
Abraham Lincoln

Anyone out there, who is familiar with personality profiling, has at one point dealt with the system called “DISC”. DISC is a breakdown of the 4 major personalities.
D=Dominant
I=Influencer
S=Steady Relator
C=Critical Analyzer
In this article, we will be focusing on tips and strategies for selling to the “Dominant” personality.The Dominant buyer has a mindset where they look to maintain control of the process and especially negotiations as they view this as the method of reaching their goal, which is to walk away with most, if not all, of the pie. They are not afraid to show emotion, or to be extremely expressive with their non-verbal communication. An accurate gauge of how they are feeling is to listen for quick increases and decreases in the volume of their voice. The louder they get, the more frustrating the process is becoming. While this may sound like a typical bully from the 6th grade, many career salespeople prefer selling to the dominants. The reason is that they make decisions quickly and they are big picture thinkers.

Salespeople do not have to spend endless hours educating these types of buyers about the possibilities involved in their product/service. Dominants are not risk averse and throughout history, the dominants have been the greatest leaders. Presidents such as, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt would fall into this category as well as captains of industry such as, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs and Lee Iacocca. Here are 5 tips for selling to “Dominant” personalities.

Talk bottom line first, then work backwards

A great opening technique with a dominant is to show them a successful scenario of his/her company using your product/service. Next, work back through how you get to that point and what that process looks like.

Use the Cool Hand Luke Approach

Never appear eager to make the sale. That would be similar to offering a ribeye to a hungry lion and expecting the lion to put on a bib and engage in interesting dinner conversation while consuming the ribeye. If a dominant knows that you’re desperate, they’ll eat your lunch. It is better to use milder language such as, may or might or to express concern over the fit of your product/service with the dominant’s business. Make it clear that you’ve got no problem walking away from the deal if there is obvious misalignment.

Offer Limited Menu Options

Dominants need control, so give it to them. However, give it to them in a controlled environment. This is done by limiting alternatives, somewhere along the lines of Henry Ford’s quote, “You can have the Model T in any color that you’d like, so long as it’s black.”

Don’t be a Sigmund Freud

While reverse questioning is a fantastic technique with most potential buyers, you’ll want to limit them with Dominants. Too much questioning will alienate dominants as they are looking at the big picture and see many basic questions as knit-picking.

Time is money

While this is an old idiom, it is believed whole-heartedly by dominants. They enjoy talking, not listening, but at any moment may want to switch from social talk to business talk. Follow their lead by mirroring them on that one. Be ready to deliver on a moment’s notice.

As products and services become more and more commoditized, it is paramount that salespeople upgrade their game. Features, Advantages and Benefits (FAB) salespeople are becoming dinosaurs and margins are eroding at an alarming rate. A way to change things in your process is to identify your own personality traits first, then look at your existing customer base and finally your target customer base. Having greater strategy can alleviate pressure when it comes to crafting the deal.

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