Communicating effectively with those around us is critical to our success. Whilst effective communication is speaking and acting in a way that others can best relate to one’s message, this has very little to do with the used words. Studies show that used words account for only 7% of the conveyed message. Of the remaining 93%, 55% of communication is based on what people see and the other 38% is transmitted through the tone of voice¹.

People buy from people they like, as they’re more likely to believe in the benefits offered when they like the one selling to them, trust him, and can relate to him. The ability to build rapport easily and then to convey the message in a way that a prospect can best receive are two of the most important skills any sales professional must master. Yet, every person is different, sees the world in his own way, and will relate to salespeople according to his personal point of view.

Research results emphasize that the most effective salespeople are practicing Adaptive Selling. That’s altering sales presentations and using different approaches for different customers according to the sales situation and the personality of the customer.

An effective way to get a feel for how people understand and experience the world is to apply the Social Style Matrix. First developed by David Merrill and Roger Reid (Personal Styles and Effective Performance, Chilton Publishing, 1981), this model helps us understand the preferred style of the person we are dealing with. Today, Hands-on Sales developed PPI; an expert system capable of determining the person’s social style. The system uses an adapted version of Merrill and Reid’s Social Style Matrix.