Apparently the thought leaders out there have determined that you can cluster your customers into brain types – as in, the way they think. The four types are as follows:
- Controllers/Managers
These people want to be in control, therefore they are competitive. They want the best for themselves – whatever brings achievement, luxury, or status – so you’ll need to cater to whatever will help them reach their goals, gain prestige, or save time and money. Their sphere of influence is limited to those closest to them, but they will share their experience within that scope. - Innovators/Influencers
This group is drawn to the new, interesting, and unique. They are the early adopters. Let them know how your stuff is different and exclusive, or provide a interesting and distinctive experience they’ll want to talk about. They’ll have a naturally wide sphere of connections, and they’re comfortable with their social position as an influencer, so they will definitely do the influencing as long as you make it easy for them, whether their influencing is directed outward (toward other people) or back at you (in the form of reviews, testimonials, etc.). - Nurturers/Harmonizers
To appeal to this group, talk about close relationships and being included, as well as how your stuff is reliable and proven. They’re going to appreciate lots of testimonials from people like themselves. Point out how you or your stuff will make their lives easier, cultivate great relationships, build community and help others. These are the influenced; they rely on suggestions from others and online reviews when making purchasing decisions, so make this kind of information easy to find. - Systemizers/Analyzers
In contrast to #2, this group is the risk-averse and thus not early adopters. Like #3, they want reliable and proven, but more than that, they want a safety net to fall back on if they venture outside of reliable and proven. Offer money-back guarantees and trials. If they don’t venture out, they’ll need proof of reliability and safety in the form of case studies, testimonials and technical documentation. They’re also cost-conscious and will go so far as to even make spreadsheets to compare features and prices to make as sure as possible they’re choosing the best option. Give them easily-accessible information they’d want to accomplish such a comparison, but also do your best to excel on as many metrics as possible that they’ll be considering. They’re thorough, slow, and deliberate, well in control of any impulse shopping desires (usually).
Unless you sell a commodity, your core psychographic may not span multiple types, but if they do, you’ll have to weave them together somehow to fully communicate value to them.