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Extract

Understanding customer motivation is key to business success. Language and behaviour profiling offers a non-intrusive and proven way to target the sales story to meet the customer’s underlying emotional needs as well as getting the tangibles right.

Introduction

Since the earliest days of spice routes and markets, people have chosen their trading partners based on emotion at least as much as logic.

Who do I trust? Who do I fear? Who do I enjoy spending time with? These are just some of the reasons we choose our suppliers at work as well as in our personal lives.

And yet, in a society that places high value on rational thought in the business environment, it can be difficult to research and analyse these emotional aspects of the buying decision. When asked why a supplier is used, we are much more likely to get factual reasons. The price is good. They always deliver on time. They offer the colour range we need.

The risk with researching business to business customers is we get the post-rationalisation story, not the underlying drivers. Lab profiling offers an efficient way round this.

Language and behaviour (Lab) profiling

The beauty of this approach - first developed over 30 years ago – is that we can ask the individual about rational aspects of the purchase and then understand what is going on below the surface from the way they answer the question. Future communications can reflect the customer’s Lab profile to increase the chances that they will hear the story and be influenced by it.

Of course it is still necessary that there is congruence – that the purchasing experience lives up to the promise. Provided this is the case, then building rapport quickly at an early stage may open the door to the buying decision you are after. Companies using this approach have often decided to inform their whole organisation about the predominant customer profile – so the receptionist, the telephone operator and the delivery driver are all congruent with the corporate publicity. When the messages are used in this wholehearted way, the business results speak for themselves.

Example 1: Problem or goal?

One of the dimensions we consider when identifying an individual’s Lab profile with respect to a particular situation, is whether they are keen to get away from the negatives or problem solving, or if their focus is towards the goals and targets.

 When it comes to staff training, we have found that the dominant pattern is getting away from problems
       I don’t want to get caught out by new legislation
       I can’t afford to get too far behind the competition
       My insurance policy requires…

Yet a lot of communications about training are about going towards an improved future - developing staff, building skills or achieving goals.

Switching the message to one that is in tune with businesses immediately generates more interest.

Example 2 Thinking or doing?

The target customer in this case is recruitment companies. Our research shows that they are generally proactive, keen to hit targets and deadlines, unafraid of taking action or calling prospective clients or candidates.

Sales literature that uses reflective language – often in an attempt to be less aggressive – is overlooked by them.

     You may have been considering…
     You might like to think about…

On the other hand they are happy to deal with people whose style matches their own – direct, to the point, focused, with short sentences and minimal waffle. They choose to read literature and communications written in that style and promising a proactive service.

The process

The above examples focus on one dimension at a time to illustrate a point. To use this insight to improve business performance, it helps to follow a tried and tested process which covers up to six Lab dimensions and identifies those that work for the most prevalent profiles for all those involved:

1. Lab profile of in-house sales and other staff
2. Lab profile of customers and non-customers
3. Lab profile of successful and unsuccessful communications
4. Analysis of matches / mismatches
5. Recommendations for improvement

Typically this takes 4-8 weeks and recommendations can be used immediately for verbal communication, then in digital and printed materials in line with the business cycle.

Example 3: out of synch

A common situation is that the company literature matches the decision makers profile – not the customer’s. This can also happen with a strong advertising agency who produce fantastic material that matches the designers’ profiles – but goes straight past the customer without a second glance. 

Identifying the different profiles depersonalises the issues and makes it clear what works and why. Marketing decisions can be evidence based rather than having to rely on personal judgments.

Example 4: bringing it together

For a high street retailer, there is a marked difference in Lab profile between loyal customers and occasional customers. Fortunately, we notice what is right for us personally much more than what is not. The retailer is now developing two types of in-store signage and point of sale material in order to influence both types of customers. Knowing the profiles and using them to brief agencies and train staff is improving the cost effectiveness of their marketing budget.

Customer Interpreter

This business has been established for three years and worked with a range of public and private sector clients. We have many years of marketing experience at a senior level and have found using the Lab process with our clients to be practical and cost effective. We carry out all the research ourselves, and have developed on-line interviews to increase sample sizes once the dimensions are well understood.  

In a recent research programme, the only leaflet designed using the Lab profile of the target audience was selected the most from over 100 options. Over 80% of the materials did not match the profile of the target audience and consequently were never selected by anybody.

Catherine Shovlin
Director
16 June 2005

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This page last updated 21/06/2005