It's no secret that better relationships often lead to more sales. But, how do you affect better relationships? According to this article in the Journal of Retailing, one way to do this is through mimicking or mirroring. The article indicates retail salespeople who subtly mimicked a customer's speech and behavior were more successful at selling (based on an experiment by Nicolas Gueguen and others). Among customers who solicited salespeople for information about an MP3 player, 78.8% bought such a product from mimickers, compared with 61.8% from non-mimickers. That's a 17% improvement. Additionally, customers who had been mimicked were more positive about the salespeople and the store.

That's why in sales coaching we teach DISC Theory (which measures an individual's observable behavior or "HOW" someone does what they do) and how to identify a person's behavior style. Using the DISC Assessment and learning the DISC Behavioral Styles can significantly impact your relationship building skills and as a result, increase sales.

Here are the four DISC behavior styles with links to more detail about improving communications with each:

• (D) Dominance is a measure of "How" you respond to problems and challenges.
  • A High D: New problems solved quickly, assertively, actively. Gets to the bottom-line quickly.
  • A Low D: New problems solved in a controlled, organized way. Thinks before acting.
• (I) Influence is a measure of "How" you influence others to your point of view.
  • A High I: Meets new people in an outgoing, talkative manner. Gregarious and emotional.
  • A Low I: Meets new people in a quiet, controlled, reserved manner. Emotionally controlled.
• (S) Steadiness is a measure of "How" you respond to the pace of the environment.
  • A High S: Prefers a controlled, deliberate work environment. Values security of situation.
  • A Low S: Prefers a flexible, dynamic, changeable environment. Values freedom of expression.
• (C) Conscientiousness is a measure of "How" you respond to rules and procedures set by others.
  • A High C: Likes things done 'the right way,' and says, "Rules are made to be followed."
  • A Low C: Works independently of the procedures and says, "Rules are made to be bent or broken."

Invest the time to learn your behavior style and how to communicate effectively with the other behavior styles. I absolutely agree with the article and believe this investment of time will increase your results by at least 17% and probably much more!

Interested in taking a professional DISC profile and having a debrief with an executive coach? Call 843-628-3974 OR contact us today and indicate you are interested in learning more about DISC for your company or sales team!