HOW TO SELL TO ANYONE (A DOVE, OWL, PEACOCK OR EAGLE)

No two businesses will ever share same sales strategy. Yet, there is one element of making sales that’s relevant, regardless of the business you’re in. That is, selling based on personalities. 

The four different personality types & how to sell to each. 

Avoid the cookie-cutter sales approach or sleazy tactics that are too-often used. Remember, your prospects are individuals. See them this way, rather than through the lens of dollar signs. 

You need to organise and optimise the way you sell by identifying their personality type and tailoring your communication style to ensure you connect. Let’s go through the four types. 

1. The sweet Dove. 

Our doves need to be supported. They love being an important part of a team and belonging to something. Friendship, approval and love are all essential metrics. 

Qualities:
Value personal relationships above all.
Doves typically consult with their team, their tribe, before making decisions. 

Doves are great listeners, patient, and friendly. The more personal, the better. Ask questions that’ll go deeper than small talk to build the trust. They love hearing stories. Take the time to get to know them and develop a connection. Doves are usually more emotional than rational. 

2. The fact-driven Owl. 

Owls flourish when there are structures and laid out plans in place. They want to ‘see it to believe it.’ They want to be right. 

Qualities:
Like detail and more information.

Are analytical
Like guarantees 

When you’re selling to an Owl, always be over prepared. Don’t ‘wing it.’. Tie in features of your product or service to tangible results. Quote reliable sources like University studies on the value of your product – and don’t rush! 

3. The popular Peacock. 

Recognition is essential for the Peacock. They have a strong need to be recognised, thanked and applauded (both for who they are and what they do). Peacocks love being the centre of attention. 

Qualities:
Influential, yet not domineering. 

Focus on the holistic value proposition when communicating with a beautiful Peacock. Use visual cues – not too much technical detail. You’ll probably meet with a Peacock who will lead the meeting – you may need to get them back on track, but at the right time. They like to be first, so maybe a “you’ll be the first to have one of these…… “ could work.

4. The dominant Eagle. 

On a power trip? That’s probably an Eagle. Motivated by authority, the Eagle needs to be in control and have the freedom to get results. Eagles are usually the boss or in leadership roles. 

Qualities:
Competitive, assertive, and driven.
Eagles need to know ‘what’s in it for me.’
Dislike time-wasters.
You don’t have long to win them over.
Eagles are quick to jump into deadlines and targets, placing a strong emphasis on results. 

Approach an Eagle with caution, respect and assertiveness. They need to know you’ll get the job done. Dominant personality types are common in sales, so be wary of this when you have two Eagles in the room. Understand when you can show your dominance (like when talking about your product), then let him (or her) take the reins.

Eagles often buy rather than you sell to them.   

With so many variables in selling and marketing, personality segmentation is the one thing we can be sure of. How exciting is this, when you think about it? 

We have an opportunity to create solutions, real solutions, for every person we interact with. We can get to know every person’s wants and needs, then use it to continue to serve – in the form of new products and services that would otherwise have not existed. 

By observing, we see things that otherwise get missed when we’re just trying to sell a product. Flip it the other way around. 

Do you pull out a calculator (for your Owls) or a whiteboard (for your Peacocks)? Maybe it’s sharing a beer with a Dove or quickly jotting down some big strategies with your Eagles. You’ll be able to determine the best approach once you know how to recognise the different characters. 

If you need help determining what bird type each of your team members are, fill out your details to the right and we’ll send a sample of Tick’s online personality profiling tools straight to you. Because, it’s not just about the personality type of the prospect but also, the sales person. 

Are they a good match? We’ll explore this one of our upcoming articles. But for now, our profiling tools will help you to answer this. 

Complete the red form  to the right to get some trial profiles for your organisation.