An Introvert’s Perspective: Why We Do What We Do in the Sales Funnel

Does the core of your inbound marketing philosophy account for the fact that introverts and extroverts naturally behave differently?

In this post from Matthew Cook of Innovative Marketing Resources, we are introduced to the importance of accounting for the reluctance of introverted people to make personal contact without first having done their research.

Specifically he looks at three key points related to introverts:

1. Introverts Are People Too—and They Buy Stuff When inbound marketing clients push for a simple “contact us” at the bottom of their funnel over a more valuable offer, it could be because that is how they, as extroverts, would prefer to interact with customers. They are not thinking about how introverted potential customers would like to interact with them. Marketers should be prepared to educate their clients on how they could be missing out on the opportunity to reach up to twice as many more prospective customers by building introvert-friendly elements into their sales funnel.
2. Introverts Are Not Afraid—They Just Want Space to Think Introverted people avoid salespeople like the plague. When I am browsing a store and a salesperson asks me, “Can I help you?” I almost always say “No,” even if I do need more information before making a purchase. I would much rather search for information on my smartphone right there in the store than talk to a salesperson.
3. Sorry, Salespeople. It’s Not You; It’s Us Remember, introverts avoid talking with salespeople whenever possible because they feel that they do not thrive in that environment. In a business-to-business interaction, the introverted prospective customer wants to demonstrate his value to his employer. He will avoid a sales call because he knows he will not be able to use his natural skills of thoughtfulness and careful consideration, and therefore would risk making a bad decision, which could cost his company a significant amount of money. An assessment and roadmap, however, at least appears to hold the promise of a structured interaction.The introverted prospective customer feels that he will be asked specific, pre-determined questions and be given the opportunity to think about his answers. The roadmap—the most “salesly” element of the interaction—will not be delivered until the end of the conversation, or perhaps in a follow-up even later, and it will come in the form of a written document, which the introverted prospective customer can then read and think about at his own pace before making a purchasing decision.

–Matthew Cook, Innovative Marketing Research

Matthew Cook’s post also introduces us to the work of author Susan Cain on introverted and extroverted personality types. Her non-fiction book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” shows how our society continually undervalues introverts and how much we lose in doing so.

Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts–from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a “pretend extrovert.” -Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Matthew Cook expands on Cain’s discussion by referencing a post from Max Taylor of Innovative Marketing Research in which Max identifies the importance of accounting for the introverted personality type in your content marketing blueprint by making your bottom of the funnel offer introvert friendly.

There are different types of personalities for your buyer personas. Testing and searching for an “optimized” bottom-of-the-funnel offer is not the way to go. Instead, try to understand that different personality types can affect the behavior of leads in your sales funnel. Create BOFU offers for each personality type (Thanks Susan!) and watch for data indicators like the ones above to point you in the right direction. – Max Taylor, Innovative Marketing Research

In a world that tends to be biased to extroverts and those that “fake” being extroverts, it’s important to account for their counterpart the introvert. Introverts and extroverts have critical differences in the way they process information, justify and make decisions. Create a marketing strategy and appropriate bottom-of-the-funnel offers for both tendencies and you will find yourself in a profitable and purposeful niche.

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Robb Bailey

Co-Founder & CEO at PageLadder, Inc.

Robb enjoys growing a mean mustache every Movember and putting hot sauce on anything edible. You'll find him doing Content Marketing at his Inbound Marketing Agency in San Diego.

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