What’s the key to effective communication?

October 13th, 2007 · 1 Comment · Tags: Blogging & RSS · Copywriting · Persuasion & Influence

Listen to a few conversations during the course of your day and you’ll likely make a few interesting observations. When telling a story, some people give you just the facts. Others provide intimate details. When you offer information to them, some will stop you and say, “Oh, let me write this down,” a few will look at you intently – hanging on every word, and still others will appear anxious for you to get right to the point. This is because there are a variety of communication styles. People have preferences in the way they give and receive information.

The challenge, as a copywriter, is to provide your sales information in the way that your target customer will most willingly accept it. If you have a target group that consists of one behavioral/communication style, your copy will be easy to write. However, if your target audience is made up of a variety of styles, your job will take a little more effort.

The 4 communication styles

Let’s take a look at the most common styles and determine which one(s) might best fit your customers. The model we’ll use is based on the DISC formula. Myers-Briggs and other companies also offer insights into behavioral and communication styles.

Dominance
Those that fall into this category can generally be described with the following terms: director, ego-oriented, fast moving, demanding, aggressive, competitive and enterprising. Dominance types can be found in management or leadership positions, the military, and entrepreneurial roles.

To communicate with those who have a core dominance personality you’ll need to be direct and to the point; business-oriented; take a results-oriented, logical approach; and focus on the high points only.

These types of communicators don’t want the details… the facts only, please! This means no long copy and no personalization within the copy. Strictly business is their rule. They make quick decisions and they love new, innovative things. Their primary fear? Being taken advantage of!

Influence
People who are grouped into this category are usually charismatic, inspiring, enthusiastic, outgoing and trusting. The most common occupations for influencers are sales, although they can also be found in customer service, coaching and other people-oriented vocations.

To communicate with an influencer you’d better have a lot of time. These folks love socialization and will talk your ear off if given the opportunity. Everything needs to be fun and they are of the opinion that the entire world needs to “lighten up”! Offer them a friendly, non-threatening sales environment and show them how your product or service can provide them with more opportunities for recognition and being in the limelight, and they will beg to buy from you. Be ready for a quick decision from those in the influence category. Their primary fear is social rejection.

Steadiness
Over 40% of the population falls into the steadiness category. These are your average, everyday types of people. They can be described as adaptable, habitual, unhurried, consistent, good listener, detail-oriented and stability-oriented. Good examples of steadiness types are entrepreneurs and teachers.

When writing copy that appeals to steady types, go long! They love detail and need to be shown how your product or service specifically benefits them. They require the answers to all their questions before they’ll buy, and they also require time to think.

NOTE: Because the majority of the population consists of steadiness types, Internet businesses have had to develop ways to keep visitors coming back to their sites. Those who require time to think would often leave the site and then not remember where they saw the product or service they were considering. This is the primary reason you see Web site copy that encourages book marking or printing out shopping cart pages for future reference.

As the name indicates, those who fall into the steadiness category greatly fear the loss of stability.

Compliance
Compliance types are very critical thinkers. They are wary, fearful, low risk takers, compliant and very “standards” motivated. These people never, EVER break the rules under any circumstances and tend to be perfecting. You’ll find compliance types in vocations such as accounting, quality control, engineering, banking and science.

How do you motivate them to buy? Use data and facts. Examine the pros and cons from all sides so as not to appear partial. Leave out the socialization and instead focus on the facts at hand. Show them that you’re offering quality, proven solutions and then allow them time to think. Those in the compliance category do not respond well at all to hard sells. Their greatest fear is criticism.

Can you identify yours?

Do you see your target customers in any of the above descriptions? If you’re selling courseware to computer trainers, you’ll most likely be dealing with those who fall into the steadiness category.

If you are aiming to reach accountants to sell them new software, you’ll need to focus on the compliance category. But what happens if you sell nutritional products to everyone in the world? How in the world do you accommodate them all?

Simply… the answer is, you don’t. You can’t. But what you CAN do is to create a combination of styles within your copy that will appeal to the majority of your customers. This generally means working with a foundation based on the steadiness style because over 40% of the population falls into this category.