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The following article is based on an insightful presentation given by Art Locke at the 2021 Maid Summit, hosted and organized by ZenMaid.
About Art Locke
Since 2013, Art Locke has pursued his passion for developing leaders as an award-winning Brian Tracy business coach, serving small businesses in the service sector. Since 2015, the bulk of his work has focused on supporting the residential cleaning businesses, where he is now the Master Coach for Debbie Sardone’s “Cleaning Business Fundamentals” program. Art is driven by one thing: the thrill of helping his clients accomplish things they didn’t think were possible. To read Art’s full bio, please visit his speaker page.
Have you ever met someone you hit it off instantly with? It’s like a long-lost friend; you’re on the same wavelength. That’s because you have the same communication style.
On the flip side, have you met someone and it just felt really awkward? Like oil and water, and you couldn’t wait to end the conversation? That’s because you had very different communication styles.
DiSC helps us understand how to use communication differences to make more sales in your cleaning business. Did you know that if you focus on one way to communicate to everyone, you could be missing up to eighty percent of your sales opportunities?
To make effective sales, you need to be able to connect with anyone and cater to their communication style. DiSC will help you sell more to better customers with less stress.
You also might like: Learn how to win a customer with your follow-up after the sales call.
What is DiSC?
DISK is an acronym for Dominance, influence, Compliance, and Steadiness. And as you can see in the graphic above, each of these styles occupies one quadrant of behavior. This graph helps us see that each type falls on a spectrum of extroverted vs. introverted tendencies and task-oriented vs. people-oriented behaviors.
Everyone is a mix of all four styles, but we’re going to focus on recognizing the dominant behavior in each type. In this article, we’ll refer to each style as their letter acronym, D, i, S, C.
Let’s look at each style in a little more depth.
Type: Dominance
The D (dominance) behavior is how we handle challenges and exercise power. In business, we spend most of our day doing those things, right? Dealing with problems, making decisions, exercising power, exercising authority, etc. Ds love challenges and don’t mind taking risks. They are fast-paced, energetic people who like to display their ability to take control of situations.
What motives a D?
Driven by challenges and risks, Ds are motivated by results. They don’t care as much about the process or how you get there; they want to focus on solving a problem. Their priority is looking for the fastest way to solve their problem.
How to spot a D
The first indicator that you’re talking to a D is if they bring energy to the phone call. Are they talkative? Are they demonstrative? Do they come in with confidence about what they want to accomplish? These are all signs of engaging with a D.
The second indicator to look for is if they’re focused on specific solutions. The details of getting to the solution will bore them – they just want to hear about the solution.
Tips to close the sale
Skip the chit-chat and cut to the chase! Be concise and knowledgeable about your services. Focus on giving logical answers to the solutions they’re looking for. Ds are good at making decisions, so let them do it! In other words, don’t make decisions for them.
Type: Influence
The i (influence) behavior comes down to the desire and ability to influence people. And let’s face it: selling is influencing, right? In sales, we’re trying to influence someone to purchase a service from us. The i will typically rely upon emotions and feelings and connect with people emotionally to influence them.
As with any of the four behaviors, a person can score higher or lower in the quadrant of their dominant letter. A low i will rely more on logic and facts to influence others’ way of thinking.
What motivates an i?
An i is interested in the relationship they’re forming. They want to work with a company they know, like, and trust. An i wants to feel good about the people they’re working with. Of course, like anyone hiring a service, they want you to do a good job, but they’re not as results-focused as other types.
How to spot an i
Generally speaking, an i type loves to talk. They might share stories, get lost on rabbit trails from time to time, and have no problems bringing up any concerns.
Remember, for an i it’s all about the relationship: they want to know if your service will enhance their lives, make their own self-relationship better, or even raise people’s esteem.
Tips to close the sale
Be warm, friendly, and receptive. As they share their hopes and stories, lean in to dream with them. Only give them the nitty-gritty details if they ask for them.
Type: Steadiness
People who fall on the S quadrant value steadiness, safety, and security. Because of this, they don’t mind sticking with the status quo. A high S can be change-averse, unwilling to undertake a change unless they understand all reasons behind it and have weighed the potential consequences. S’ are great to have on your team because they value harmony, morale, and collaboration.
What motivates an S
S’ are less concerned about your flashy branding or the newest technology your business cleans with. Instead, they want to know that they can depend on your service. They want to see that they’re hiring someone with good credentials and extensive experience. You need to convince an S that you’re capable, trustworthy, and dependable.
Talking to an S
If you’re talking with someone who speaks at a slower pace or seems to be more low-key, you can bet you’re talking with an S. Another clue to watch out for is if they’re concerned with the risks. For instance, asking questions like, will my pets be safe? Can I be home during the cleaning? What if I’m not happy with the cleaning? These kinds of priorities indicate an S who is looking for order and stability.
Tips to close the sale
Slow down and ask thoughtful questions. Nothing builds trust faster in a sales conversation than asking good questions and showing that you’re actively listening. This will go especially far with an S. And finally, check for understanding to make sure you’ve set clear, secure expectations.
Type: Compliance
And finally, we have the C (compliant) behavior, which is how we respond to rules and authority. You may have heard the term, “‘people are either rule-followers or rule-breakers.” C behaviors like to follow the rules because they believe that rules have value.
Cs are typically analytical and fact-oriented. They want to get things done at a high quality, valuing quality over speed. Ultimately, they want to make sure rules and processes are followed.
What motivates a C?
The Cs are in it for the value. They’re analytical people, constantly looking at price versus quality and the cost versus time. Cs care about how your process happens, how long you’ve been doing it, and how effective you are. Getting the best bang for their buck is important to every C type.
How to spot a C
The C is concerned about the details, so they’ll ask you questions like What product do you use? and What’s your process like? One question may spark another, and before you know it, you’re covering a lot more details than you’re used to. Remember, they’re looking to stay within the rules and find the highest value.
Tips to close the sale
Be ready to answer a lot of questions. Before the meeting, brush up on the details of your service. Try your best to convey all of your information at a relaxed pace because C listens attentively and processes everything you’re saying. Emphasize the highest quality aspects of your service.
Helpful resource: A great article to help level up communication with your client is 4 Steps to Emotion-Based Marketing for your Maid Service. Check it out and let us know what you think!
What to listen for on a sales call
Now that you have an overview of each type, it’s important to touch on some tips of what to listen for on any sales call. Whether you’re on a Zoom call or hopping on the phone, listen for pace, emotion, and the questions your potential customer is asking.
Pace
First, be aware of customer speech pace on sales calls. Do they talk slowly? Take pauses? Or, do they speak fast without a lot of breaks? After you’ve asked them a question, do they have an answer for everything right away, or do they want time to think it through?
Emotion
Next, consider what kind of emotions you are picking up from the other end of the line. Do they bring a lot of energy into the phone call? Do they speak with a flat tone? Do they speak with a bit of pep?
Types of Questions
The third thing to listen for is the types of questions your potential customer is asking. Are they asking questions about how your process works? Do they want to know about the safety of their pets while you’re cleaning?
On the other hand, they may not be asking any questions at all. Instead, they might be making statements like, “I just need it done. How fast can you get it done?”
Use these observations as a road map to discover their type and form your sales technique.
Preparing for your next sales call
We’ve packed a lot of information into this article! Before you hop on to your next sales call, check out the list of questions on the graphic above! These will help prepare you to feel confident communicating with any DiSC type. (Pro Tip: Save the graphic to your computer or phone for easy reference!)
More resources
To learn more about how to use DiSC to increase sales in your cleaning business, check out Art Locke’s full thirty-minute presentation about DiSc styles.
If you found this article helpful for your maid service, you may also like:
4 Steps to Emotion-Based Marketing for your Maid Service
How to Turn Quotes into Customers
For more resources on how to grow and perfect your cleaning business, check out the replays from the 2021 Maid Summit, hosted by ZenMaid. The summit featured more than 60 presentations from other maid service owners who shared tools and strategies to help you achieve the highest levels of success in your business.
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