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When selling to large companies, you have to deal with more than just the preferences of the individual in front of you. He/she may have to persuade colleagues to go along with the buying decision, or justify it to them if challenged. In that case, it is not only the buyer’s preferences you need to think about, but also the culture of the organisation.
There is an old saying in the computer industry that no one was ever sacked for buying IBM - IBM represented a ‘safe bet’. So, for example, if you have a prospect with creative preferences in a risk-averse organisation, the likelihood is that the culture will influence them to buy the safe bet, unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise. There is often too much at stake for buyers to go purely with their own preferences.
- enjoys exploring abstract ideas and possibilities
- prefers to be given an overview or the big picture
- looks towards the future to achieve something better
- contributes creative ideas, following inspiration
- proceeds in a random fashion, missing out ‘unnecessary’ steps
- is an idealist - at extreme, with his/her head in the clouds
- tends to change things to be better or do something new
- sets goals that are general and reflect the underlying purpose
- prefers to invent his/her own solutions
To build rapport with people of iNtuitive preferences:
- Describe the overview before the detail (and only give the detail if they want it)
- Discuss the meaning of information or data, and the insight it provides
- Emphasise long term benefits over short term ones
- Discuss the most important steps in a process, in order of importance, rather than going through each step in chronological order.
- Be innovative in your style of communication, and enthusiastic in your approach
- Identify opportunities and challenges
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