So you’ve hung around the Watch Trading Academy community for some time and you see members, with big customer networks, flipping watches daily and weekly and wonder what you need to do to get the same results. One of the keys to selling anything to anyone is understanding how to connect with and build relationships with them. As the old saying goes, ‘People buy from people they like and people like those who are most like them.’
There are many great sales trainers and well intentioned people that will give you their advice and techniques for how to sell. You’ll hear things like: Have confidence, look them in the eye, learn people skills, reflective listening, understand their needs / wants / desires, understand what they are trying to accomplish and why, mirror the person you’re selling to, answer all their questions and be transparent about the process, give them suggestions of what to buy, make them need what you have to sell, small talk, ask them about their Family, Occupation, Recreation and Motivation. If you try to apply all the techniques to all the people you will waste a lot of time and not make the progress you could make if you understand the most effective techniques for the person you’re working with. When you can recognize your customers primary personality traits you will know what technique to apply, your message will land well and you will sell more timepieces.
While there are many blogs and books that teach personalities and call them by different names (Fire, Ice, Wind, Water; Shark, Whale, Dolphin, Urchin; Red, Yellow, Blue, Green; Driver, Amiable, Expressive, Analytical ) at the end of the day what all of these approaches have in common is there are four basic personality types. When we understand the primary personality type of our customers and our own personality we can communicate in a way that makes people like us and want to do business with us.
The red (driver / shark) personality is what most people call the “type A” personality. On the positive side, this type of person is very decisive, goal oriented, independent, persistent, competitive and focused on results. They are task oriented. They are attracted to lifestyle and material possessions. They want you to get to the point. Depending on the personality of the person they are talking to (see the section later on figuring out your own personality), at times these people can also be impatient, talk at a rapid pace, listen poorly, be demanding, impulsive, and speak over you if you are indecisive or slow to speak. The key to avoid these responses is to be up front about the deal, don’t bluff or play games.
Be direct, and be efficient. You’ll often find them wearing dark colors (Blues, Blacks, Reds) and driving powerful cars. To be effective in communicating with red personalities you want to talk about how good the timepiece will make them look and how they’ll be the talk of their buddies when they show up in this timepiece. They tend to be very particular about their time pieces and want what sometimes only they want. They are not often impressed with what others like. Take the time to get to know them and their preferences and give them what they want. When they reach out to you get back to them right away. Be prepared to give them answers to their questions quickly and be prepared to repeat yourself as needed as any good consultant would. In other words, be patient. It can be frustrating to deal with their demands. Don’t get frustrated with them or they will shut you down fast. Only about 20% of people fall into this category but many people that wear luxury timepieces are in this category. If you give them what they want they will likely buy from you and do it quickly. They don’t tend to mess around.
The green (analytical / urchin) personality is often called cerebral, analytical, detail oriented. They are extremely task oriented. These people plan their schedules out days, weeks and months in advance, and research every detail before they make a decision. They rarely if ever make a decision on the spot. They are motivated by understanding the details and security. They are turned off by unpredictability and surprises. You want to give them the facts and leave them alone. Hype is a total turn off. You’ll find these people are attracted to the finer things in life, and high quality. Think German engineering as an example. They sometimes talk slowly but always methodically. To effectively sell to these people you have to be patient. When you share a timepiece with them be prepared to explain all the details about the timepiece. If you’re selling a timepiece with multiple complications record a video to show them every detail of how the timepiece works. Be very clear on what they get with the timepiece and go above and beyond to give them more than they are expecting. Be explicit about the quality of the timepiece, the movement, the unique components of the timepiece and why those components are practical and functional. Talk about every feature. They love details. Don’t expect them to buy on the spot.
Follow up with them and provide them links to other videos or pictures of the time piece that call out the unique details of the piece so they can learn more. They love to learn. Make sure you are super clear on what they can expect when doing business with you from the purchase to delivery, timing and details. Make the process seamless. If any detail is left unhandled these people have a tendency to walk away or come back and ask for a refund. I’ve heard these people called time wasters and clowns by those who don’t understand them. Know that if you meet their needs they will be a loyal repeat customer for life and will tend to refer you to their networks when you earn their trust. About 20% of people fall into this category. You’re not likely to be dealing with this customer often but when you do be prepared for this to be a longer sale cycle. While these people are task oriented similar to the red personality because they are so detailed they typically drive the red personality CRAZY!
The blue (expressive / dolphin) personality is the life of the party. These people just roll with it. Hang loose is their middle name. They are easily inspired, easily motivated, outgoing, fun loving, and enthusiastic. These people know everyone and everyone knows them. They are very people oriented. On the flip side these people can be very emotional, unrealistic, reactive, impulsive and are typically disorganized. They can be fast talkers, sometimes forgetting details they shared yesterday as their heads are often in the clouds. They are turned off by too many details and instead choosing to focus on the big picture. They are motivated by what others think about them and how they are seen or perceived by others. Talk about the experience they are going to have with their new timepiece. Be upbeat when dealing with these people and don’t get hung up in the details. Point out celebrities that wear the timepiece they are interested in and how cool it is to be like them. They love bling.
Talk about how they will be the talk of all their friends when they are wearing this new timepiece. If you need a little extra help to close the deal with these people share testimonials with them and even consider giving them incentives to close the deal. You’ll likely have to explain the process to these people multiple times, be clear with them on what you need them to do and follow up with them multiple times as they can be easily side tracked. Whatever you do, smile and laugh with them while you’re doing it. Presentation is everything with this personality so pack that timepiece up well and make it bling when they open the box for the first time. Because they know everyone they can be a great source of referrals. Be patient with their sometimes unrealistic requests and they will reward you with repeat business and referrals to their network. Roughly 40% of people are in this category.
The last personality type is the yellow (amiable / whale) personality. Yellow is another people oriented personality. This person is easy going, nothing seems to bother them, they are patient, they move slow and they aren’t easily excited or angered. They are stable and reliable. They at times talk slowly and methodically and can be motivated by practicality. They tend to have a strong sense of self and are patient enough to wait for you to come around to their way of thinking. These people are typically attracted to the finer things. They have a strong sense for quality and efficiency. They can appear to be indecisive, and slow to take action at times but it’s only because they are looking for assurance and security. Be sure to create that environment to be successful with these people.
If you tell this person you will do something for them make sure you do it. They will never call you on it but they will be the first to ghost you if you aren’t consistent and do what you said you would do. They have a need for quality relationships. They don’t care how much you know, unless they know how much you care. Slow down and take the time to connect with this person, listen to their needs and desires and find a timepiece that fits their needs. If they don’t know what they want make some practical suggestions that align to their desires. Show genuine concern for their needs and they will be a loyal customer for life.
While every customer you meet will identify with at least one of the personality types, most everyone will also have a secondary non-dominant personality type. Some reds are also blues or greens. Some yellows may also have some green or blue in their style. The more you understand and apply the traits of the colors of the personality rainbow the more successful you will be. At the end of the day, you’ll only be dealing with a customer like you 20-40% of the time. How you respond the other 60-80% of the time will determine your success.
If you wish to determine your personality type, I have linked a helpful PDF for you to work with here.