I’m sure you’ve been advised once or twice (or a gazillion) times before not to write to everyone in the sales materials you create for your product or service. Heck, I’ve even pulled out my own soapbox to step on top of it and say the same exact thing right here on this blog a few times already.
But, today, I’m going to share something that might just turn you into a real-life cartoon character as your eyes about pop out of your head. That’s right. Stick with me.
Once you’ve narrowed down the specific characteristics of your ideal customer group (think their age, gender, education level, income, family size, purchase behavior, and so much more), do you think everyone within that group will have the same personality traits and behaviors?
Absolutely not.
And, for that reason, you’ll need to categorize your people into specific temperaments to better connect with them and provide a more personal experience that will, in turn, allow you to strike copywriting (and sales!) gold.
You may be wondering, however, “Well, where do I even begin, Monica? Isn’t the list of personality types a hefty one?!”
It can be. But, I’m only going to focus on four specific personality types today. Hey, Hippocrates, a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles, did it too. And, as a result, he was able to treat his patients better and provide them with the care they needed.
So, you better believe I’m following his lead. You ready to learn about these temperaments so you can give your sales copy a boost and convert more of your prospects into paying customers? Let’s not waste any time!
What are the four personality types I should focus on?
Before I go any further, it’s essential you know that these four personality types I’m about to unveil go by many different names. But, in this case, I’ll be referring to them as DiSC®.
Here’s some background for you on the acronym. It’s based on the DiSC Model of Behavior, which was first proposed by William Moulton Marston, a physiological psychologist with a Ph.D. from none other than Harvard University.
Without going too “psychology professor” on you, ultimately, he theorized that the behavioral expression of emotions could be categorized into four primary types, stemming from a person’s perceptions of self in relation to his or her environment.
Okay, now, what are these four personality types that make up DiSC, you ask?
- Dominance
- Inducement
- Submission
- Compliance
With the help of DiscProfile.com, let’s unpack each of these to help you better understand the temperaments that your ideal customers might fall into.
- Dominance
- Traits: driven, direct, decisive, strong-willed, self-confident, daring, determined, and fast-paced
- Motivations: winning, facing competition, and grabbing hold of success
- Values: expertise, obtaining concrete results, encountering challenges, and achieving personal freedom
- Roadblocks: lack of concern for others, impatience, and honest skepticism
- Inducement
- Traits: charming, collaborative, energizing, trusting, enthusiastic, impulsive, optimistic, and persuasive
- Motivations: social recognition, group activities, relationships, authority and prestige status symbols, and popularity
- Values: coaching and counseling, freedom of expression, and individuality
- Roadblocks: impulsive, disorganized, and a lack of follow-through
- Submission
- Traits: calm, patient, predictable, deliberate, stable, warm, passive, and loyal
- Motivations: cooperation, opportunities to help, sincere appreciation, group acceptance, and power through formal roles and positions of authority
- Values: loyalty, helping others, and security
- Roadblocks: indecisiveness and tendency to avoid change
- Compliance
- Traits: cautious, orderly, private, objective, analytical, diplomatic, accurate, and reserved
- Motivations: opportunities to gain knowledge, showcase expertise, quality work, stability, and personal growth
- Values: excellence and accuracy
- Roadblocks: overcritical, overanalyzing, and isolating
Now, for the question you’ve been eagerly awaiting an answer for…
How in the world can I write to each of them in my sales copy?
Here’s a look at how to best communicate with each of the four personality types through every piece of sales copy you write from here on out.
1. Dominance
Simply put, don’t beat around the bush. Because people who fall under this personality type are direct and like to make decisions fast (which can be great for you!), you’ll need to keep your messaging brief.
If what you need to share looks quite bulky once you lay it all out, however, don’t call it quits. Instead, break it up with special formatting such as bulleted or numbered lists, bolded text, and more. This will capture their attention as they tend to be impatient and avoid sifting through long paragraphs at all costs.
Lastly, because they’re motivated by grabbing hold of success, focus more so on the solutions your product or service provides versus the problems it addresses. You can easily do this by cooking up a compelling list of features and benefits that will sell. Check out this blog post I wrote on this very topic after you’re done reading here!
2. Inducement
Remember, inducement-style individuals value coaching and counseling. So, to position yourself as an authority figure and someone who can fill the mentor role, you need to share your story. This will prove you’ve actually walked in their shoes, and that you know exactly how to help them solve their biggest headache. Hence, the reason behind your product or service creation!
Additionally, be sure to create a message explaining how your product or service will make your ideal customer stand out from the crowd—whether it be through its uniqueness or rarity. When you do, you’ll without a doubt tap into their specific motivations.
And, thanks to their impulsive nature, you’ll need to dish out a guarantee to ease their anxiety if they do end up making a rash decision that leads to buyer’s remorse.
3. Submission
Again, submission-style individuals are fiercely loyal and sociable. Therefore, ensure your message is nothing but personable and friendly. Talk less about your product or service, and more about what you’re going to help them with in order to illustrate that you truly care about them. And, not just about making a buck.
Not to mention, you’ll need to inject some FOMO into your sales materials as these people tend to be indecisive. I’m talking about either setting a time limit on your offer or incorporating scarcity (such as limited availability). As a result, they’ll be quick to show you their wallet.
4. Compliance
People who fall under this personality type are often very analytical. What does that mean for you? You can’t dilly-dally in your copy. Instead, you need to dish out the cold hard facts and demonstrate your credibility. Use testimonials from clients, or badges and certificates you’ve earned from trusted sources, to comfort your potential customers and illustrate that they can, in fact, trust you and what you’re saying your product or service can do.
Also, because they’re seriously hungry to grow as a person, you must appeal to the need for self-actualization. Share how your product or service helps your people become the best version of themselves.
Phew. I know that’s a lot to consider—especially because it’s difficult enough as it is to sit down and fend off writer’s block so you can successfully crank out messaging that reels in conversions.
So, after exploring all the ways you can write to each of the four personality types, is it possible to communicate with all of them in a single sales piece and get the results you’ve been searching for?
Yes, it is! In fact, it’s pretty simple. To help you out, I’m offering you a free copy of “The Copywriting Checklist That Will Make Your Offer Irresistible.” Each of the items on this list will help you connect with your ideal customers—no matter what category they may fall into within the DiSC model. Just enter your email in the box on the right-hand side of the screen, and you’ll get it right away!
Just for fun, which of the four personality types shared here today do you feel you embody? Let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!
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