There are four basic types of consumers, and knowing how to market to each of them can lead to incredible results. In this series, we’ll take a deep dive into each type, starting with this overview.
No two people think exactly the same. But we’re also more alike than you might realize, and understanding some of the patterns could take your marketing plan to the next level.
These days, it’s easier than ever to take a quiz and discover how to classify yourself among everyone else.
What’s your Myers-Briggs personality type?
What’s your Enneagram number?
What’s your Sleep Number?
It’s a way to examine our traits and tendencies, learn where we fall in the spectrum, and use that information to understand ourselves better.
So how can you use that sort of knowledge to make more sales?
For the longest time, marketers reached out to customers with one general approach: “Here’s your need, and here’s how we can help.”
However, the hyper-personalization of the internet has pushed the industry to realize you can’t treat all of your customers in the exact same way.
Casting a wide net might bring you a few good leads, but casting several smaller nets in targeted areas can lead to much better results. Moreover, it turns out that using different KINDS of nets can snag different segments of consumers.
That’s where the 4 Buyer Types come into play.
First introduced by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg in the 2006 book Waiting for Your Cat to Bark, it’s a concept that reveals four primary modalities when it comes to how and why people purchase.
According to Kyle Chowning, CEO of Full Cycle Marketing, it’s an essential tool for knowing WHO you are selling to and what types of marketing elicits a response from them.
“As a marketing agency, our job is to compel people to action,” Chowning said. “That is what marketing does. If we do a good job, people will make a decision. And when you think about what it takes for people to make a decision, the core of that comes down to what type of a buyer they are.”
In this blog series, we’ll explore each of the four buyer types and explain the different sales methods that prompt them to take action – or, in other words, buy your product or service.
We’ll take an in-depth look at each of the modalities starting with this overview.
Chart: The Buying Modalities. Each of the 4 quadrants represent what we call the 4 buyer types. Buyers act at different speeds. The Y axis (vertical) is all about speed—slow vs fast. Buyers are motivated by different thinking processes. The X axis (horizontal) is all about logic vs emotion.
Methodical Buyer Types
While 81% of all consumers do at least some research before making a purchase, methodical buyers won’t buy anything until they’re entirely sure it’s right for them. (source)
- Percentage of the market: 45% (source)
- Characteristics: Slow, structured, logic-based decisions
- Core question: “How does your process/solution work?”
Spontaneous Buyer Types
Emotion drives these types of consumers, and they get a thrill from making a purchase. They’re the reason supermarkets sell candy in checkout aisles.
- Percentage of the market: 25-35%
- Characteristics: Fast, unstructured, emotion-based decisions
- Core question: “Why should I choose you now?”
Humanistic Buyer Types
These buyers need a story to make a connection. They have to believe in you and your product, and it all has to align with their core values.
- Percentage of the market: 5-15%
- Characteristics: Slow, unstructured, emotion-based decisions
- Core question: “Who used your solution for my problem?”
Competitive Buyer Types
Everyone wants the best. Competitive buyers NEED it. They demand the best product, the best deal, and the best service, and they want it NOW.
- Percentage of the market: 5-10%
- Characteristics: Fast, structured, logic-based decisions
- Core question: “What makes your solution the best?”
Important to note: it’s possible for people to identify with more than one buyer type. A person whose normally a methodical buyer might make a spontaneous type purchase if it’s with a brand she trusts. Or a normally competitive type buyer might approach a high dollar purchase more methodically than he would otherwise.
At Full Cycle Marketing, we integrate planning for the four different types of buyers into all of our campaigns. However, the strategy extends even further than that.
“This can all be applied to how you work with clients or write content or think about leveraging SEO or design landing pages,” Chowning said. “Having a pulse on the different buyer types is going to help you do better business.”
In this series, we’ll explore the motivations, desires, and actions of each of the four different buyer types and explain how you can appeal to each one of them.
There are specific triggers for each type, and knowing them will lead to a marketing plan that’s much more efficient and effective.
Because once you know whom you’re selling to, you begin to realize how to compel them to action. You might even come to understand what motivates YOU.
We’d also be happy to talk to you about integrating this information into your own marketing plan. Contact us and schedule a free consultation.
