When you network, market, and talk with people, what’s your goal? Are you just trying to meet as many people as possible, or are you looking to connect with someone who deeply resonates with your message?

While it’s important to grow a wide network, sales and business connections are much more than a numbers game. You’ll find that when you speak to people in a way that resonates with them on a personal level, they’re able to truly take in what you’re saying. This builds trust, fosters beautiful ongoing relationships, and yes, encourages sales in a way that feels good both to you and your clients.

Today, I’ll be showing you how to do exactly that in the third and final part of our series on preparing to speak on purpose and captivating your audience. If you missed the first two parts, take a quick minute to check them out:

Part 1: The Spiritual Voice
All the questions you can ask yourself to connect with your purpose 
and feel great about your message

Part 2: The Physical Voice
The number one vocal technique to captivate your audience: vocal variety.

Part 3: The Mental Voice
(You are here!)
Evaluating the words and scripts you choose to use 
when you network, speak, or have 1:1 prospect conversations.

So welcome to part three! Here, I’m going to coach you in a methodology that is based in personality science, made famous by Hippocrates around 400 BC. He believed patients could be treated differently depending on which of his four “temperaments” they fell into.

Wouldn’t it make so much sense to apply that to sales and networking? After all, any decision you make, the way you interact with others, and what you value as an individual is all rooted in your personality type!

What is B.A.N.K.®? 

The methodology we’re discussing today combines personality types with sales conversion, helping to identify that special something that makes someone say “yes” or “no” to your offer. It has been scientifically proven to predict buying behavior in less than ninety seconds. It’s called B.A.N.K.®

B.A.N.K.® stands for Blueprint, Action, Nurturing, and Knowledge—four personality lenses through which people see the world.

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs tend to make is delivering the same sixty-second introduction to everyone they meet, whether it’s at a networking event, a webinar, or a 1:1 call. This introduction usually comes from the speaker’s viewpoint, but there’s a challenge that comes with that: the same delivery may not resonate with everyone.

So if you’re not delivering your presentation to the right person in the right way, you could easily lose the sale. But if you tailor your message to your audience, a completely different outcome is possible. Let’s dig into the four B.A.N.K.® personality types a little deeper.

Blueprint

Blueprint personalities are firmly “in the box.” These are the rule followers; they value stability. It’s their currency, because they’re very risk averse. The research we have actually says that their number one buying trigger is to spend within their budget. They’re always looking to make sure they’re not overspending.

Action

Action types, however, live outside the box. They’re rule breakers. Their commodity is their lifestyle; they’ll do whatever it takes to live the life they desire—even if that means putting money on a credit card and paying it off later. They’re the type to say, “Hey, I’ll figure out how to pay for it. Let’s make it happen.” So risk? Not such a big deal here.

Nurturing

Nurturing personalities recycle the box. These people value relationships, authenticity, and personal growth. They want to know that you care about them more than you care about the sale, because they can smell a salesperson a mile away. They like to do business with people they know, like, and trust in a much bigger way than any other personality type. If they don’t feel like you’re someone who could potentially be a member of their family, someone who has the morals and ethics to back it all up, they may not want to do business with you.

Knowledge

Knowledge types came up with the idea of the box. Information is their commodity. They have the longest sales cycles and ask the most questions. When you sell to them, they call you back again and again, which is actually a good sign. It would be easy to say, “Oh, this person is never going to say yes,” but if a knowledge type is asking questions, they’re gathering information. They haven’t said no yet.

Applying B.A.N.K.® to Sales

When you apply B.A.N.K.® types, or codes, it’s important to remember that we’re each a little bit of all four. Think of it like an ATM pin: the order matters.

For example, my B.A.N.K.® code is ANKB. I’m outside the box all the way, but I value relationships and authenticity, with knowledge and information coming in third and blueprints, processes, and predictability coming in last. It’s not that I don’t value the knowledge or blueprint sides of myself, but when I’m making a buying decision, that’s where they land in my priorities.

If you know those things about me, you know my two triggers to a yes and my two trip wires to a no. You can lead a buying conversation that speaks directly to my values. There have actually been times when I’ve been ready to buy, but my blueprint-first husband has talked me out of it, or vice versa. His code is the exact opposite of mine (which often happens), so when we’re both part of a buying conversation, I have to coach the salesperson, in a sense, to help them speak to both of us.

That’s why it’s so important to understand who’s in front of you. And if you’re speaking to a group, it’s important to create a balanced conversation that speaks to all four at some point or another.

B.A.N.K.® and YOU

If you want to start using B.A.N.K.® to speak directly to personality types in a sales conversation, you may start with Kickstarter for as little as $19.99. You’ll get online training, and access to a digital book “Why They Buy”.

Want to find out your code and the order these personality types fall in for you? You can do that for free in just a few seconds with a free online assessment. Bonus! You’ll also get a personality report all about what makes you tick.

What’s your personality type, and how has it affected your buying behavior? Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it!