PART FOUR: CLOSING WHEN YOU’RE A “SUPPORTER”

This is my final Zebra Report in my series on closing strategies based on your personality style – and that of the clients you are trying to close.

If you missed the previous three weeks, be sure to review the Zebra Reports on closing strategies for Promoters, Controllers,  and Analyticals, where I shared effective strategies for closing clients if you were one of those three personality types.

I started this series with my statement that, if you try to convert, and “close” with the same message, and in the same style for each and every client, you’re not going to be very successful.  

Each week I’ve looked at a different personality type, and offered some insight as to how to improve your ability to close. This is all based on my thought that, to be effective at closing, you must camouflage your natural style so you can address the style of the person you are trying to close.

Of course, this means you have to throw away those formulaic scripts you’ve been taught along the way. You don’t need clever acronyms to lay out the path of a discussion with a client. Instead, you need to understand the personality style of the person you are talking to, and adjust accordingly.

When I started this series I talked about my estimate that 80-85% of all agents are Promoters and Supporters. There are many, many Supporters in this business, and this week I want to focus on those of you who fall in that category.

A Supporter is the ultimate “people person”. Warm, caring, and nurturing, a Supporter’s life is often an intertwining series of emotional interactions with the people in their lives. Supporters seek harmony in their lives, and appreciate excellence. They’re cooperative and loyal individuals.

If you’re a Supporter it’s likely you:

• Are actually a natural salesperson, but don’t realize it
• Require a great deal of preparation to feel comfortable
• May be repetitive or routine when answering questions
• Might be low-key, and lacking in outward enthusiasm
• May miss buying signals because you are focused on minor objections
• Take a client’s resistance to making a decision personally
• Are not forceful enough
• Are more focused on service than sales
• Fear closing more than any other type of personality

Does that sound like you? If so, here are my tips for helping you close all four personality types.

When Supporters are trying to close Promoters they should:

• Accept the openness and friendliness of the Promoter
• Be careful that they don’t waste time
• Not get bogged down with details
• Close based on ego, not product
• Close more quickly than they feel is appropriate

Promoters don’t need a great deal of product detail to make decisions; in fact, their decisions are often based on the emotional “dream” rather than reality. To be successful you will need to close before you feel each and every necessary fact has been discussed.

Next up are Controllers, the personality style based on efficiency. Controllers don’t want you wasting their time, and are looking for a high level of information. Don’t waste a Controller’s time, and don’t even think about selling them a “dream” – the only dream they’re probably having is that you’ll hurry up and get to the nuts and bolts of the situation. Perhaps more than any other group, Controller buyers should not be shown every possible home on the market. This is a group for which you must preview homes prior to showing.

To successfully close Controllers, you’ll need to:

• Be yourself, but with an added exterior show of confidence
• Recognize and accept their sometimes aggressive style
• Put aside your feelings of intimidation
• Forget about bluffing if you don’t know an answer
• Close sooner and harder than you are naturally comfortable with

Let’s talk a bit about Supporters and Analyticals. If you’re a Supporter trying to close an Analytical a few simple rules will help. To be successful, you’ll need to:

• Be friendly, but not overly so
• Answer questions confidently
• Give facts – more facts than you think are necessary
• Keep from getting discouraged by questions and skepticism
• Keep control
• Present both sides and multiple options
• Close earlier than you expect

Remember, Analyticals crave data and simply will not make a decision without it.  This is the group that never buys the first house they see (or hires the first agent they talk to). Analyticals need to feel that they are making the “right” decision.

Finally, you may be working with people who are also Supporters. While it seems like it would be easy to sell to someone with a personality style like yours, that’s not always the case!

How to close a Supporter?

• Be friendly, but also be sure you’re perceived as an expert they can trust
• Be confident and assertive, without being overly aggressive
• Prove reassurance for them
• Don’t wait until they are completely comfortable
• Keep the pace slow; allow time for the facts to be fully digested
• Don’t provide too much detail
• Close with emotional assurances

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on closings and personality styles. And if you haven’t yet taken your free personality assessment today, take the five minutes you’ll need to complete it today.

Finally, I would love to hear how you’ve put this information to use in your business. Send your stories my way!