Selling to Learning Styles

When I completed a “Training Delivery & Evaluation” course early last year one of the most interesting modules was that about peoples Learning Styles.

To make maximum impact when training people it is best to know what type of learner they are! See the table below.

Learner Style Table

Are they a “hands-on” type of learner, (want to get their hands dirty) or do they want to know all the theory before they engage in the practicalities?

Truthfully, we are probably a blend of all these learning styles, but we naturally prefer one over the other. For me I like to know the theory, but then too much theory and I get bored and need to stumble around and determine for myself “what I don’t know”.

Application in Sales

When we are dealing with potential new clients for our Product or Service it is a useful tool to be aware of what their learning style is.

• Are they and Activist who will be bored with too much detail up front?
• Are they a Pragmatist who needs to see your product / service in action?
• Are they a Reflector who would perhaps put a lot of emphasis on Testimonials?
• Are they a Theorist who may want lots of proof of product before consideration?

In my small creative business I encountered this a lot. We regularly dealt with PR agencies requiring something innovative for a product launch.

• Some were very prescriptive; they knew what they wanted already.
• Some were able to be imaginative and take on board our ideas and trust us.
• Others needed to see everything made up as a sample first before commitment.

There may have been other business reasons, but it did indicate their learning style or ability to understand our proposals.

Next time you are creating a proposal for someone, think about what Type of Learner you may be dealing with.

Can I help you?

I hope you found this useful. If you want to discuss other sales ideas with me or need help in your business creating a pragmatic sales plan, do not hesitate to contact me for a chat.