## THE THINKER

The name itself is self-defining. Thinkers are intellectuals: CFOs, scientists, programmers, accountants... list goes on. A few favorite words in a thinker's vocabulary include: think (go figure, eh?), sounds, understand, numbers, sense, prove, know, and reason.

The most effective arguments when dealing with a thinker include: best future results (this works well for all types of people), logical design, clever, unique design, and endorsement by experts. Here are a few example phrases you can use on a thinker: "It sounds like you need..." "Here are numbers..." "There are several steps to solution. First..." and "Here are reasons behind..."

## THE VISUALIZER

There are more visualizers in this world than commanders and thinkers combined. Visualizers take on a variety of jobs, but enjoy those which allow them to "get creative" more than anything. For most part, they have an abstract, visual, and "quick & easy" mindset. Words most often used by visualizers are: show, see, look, visualize, picture, watch, perspective, perception, quick, fast, immediate, easy, and instant.

Explaining how features of your product or service will benefit your customer works well with all types of people, but is most effective with visualizers. Other powerful arguments you should use when appealing to visualizer include: best looking design, quick and easy, and cosmetic appeal (visually dramatic presentation). Some phrases you should use are: "I can visualize problem you have..." "Here's a quick overview..." "The solution is simple and easy with our..." "It looks like you need..."

## APPEALING TO THEM ALL

In real world, salespeople have advantage of meeting their customer in person. The Internet is a very different place, however, meaning that unless you sell a service or big-ticket items online, you probably won't be communicating with your customer until after purchase has been made. You will be unable to pick up on key words and phrases, which help you to determine what type of individual you are dealing with.

Because of this, you must effectively combine all forms of persuasion, to create a winning sales letter, which will appeal to commanders, thinkers, and visualizers alike.

In order to accomplish such a task, you'll need to determine which arguments work with most people. The following arguments do well with just about everyone:

- Clear Features = Clear Benefits (MOST IMPORTANT) - Strength, Durability, Toughness - Best Future Results - Years In Business - Famous Clients/Founder - Proven & Time-Tested Product

Use lots of those arguments, and be sure to work in as many others as you can think of. Get creative with process too, or you'll risk being just like everybody else. Now -- get out there and make yourself some money!

K-Mart is an interesting example. This company arguably created and owned discount / general merchandise category for many years and dominated their early competition to point of causing extinction (WT Grant and to a lesser extent Woolworth). Why would K-Mart ever want to consider a changing their strategy. The answer in one word - Wal-Mart.

Unlike K-Mart, Wal-Mart's strategy was to go after smaller markets with stand-alone stores using brand merchandise - three distinct strategies that were diametrically opposed to direction that K-Mart had committed to (large markets, attached stores, private brand merchandise). When Sam Walton opened his first small store in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1972, K-Mart had over 1,600 hundred store locations. Today, Wal-Mart isn't just largest discounter with over 5000 stores, they are now largest retailer in world and represent an incredible success story. And K-Mart? Well, K-Mart is still K-Mart.

The lesson to be learned here is that it is almost never a good idea to have a new strategy forced on you. IBM's decision to lessen their reliance on their mainframe computer business, for example, wasn't entirely voluntary nor was decision on part of Borders or Barnes & Noble to enter into e-commerce business. In each case, it was defensive measure and a matter of self-preservation.

One of reasons a business plan can and should be such a valuable asset is because it offers us that rare opportunity to look into future and predict with some degree of certainty what is going to happen. The accuracy of course depends on planner but as a general rule major surprises are rare, or at least they should be. Wal-Mart wasn't exactly a stealth operation. Changes in IBM's mainframe business didn't happen overnight and who didn't foresee impact that Amazon.com was going to have on brick and mortar bookstores.

Your business plan should provide ample warning that there is something on horizon but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that changes are going to be made. In some cases it could be that threat is downplayed or timing is misjudged. But most common problem is that business plans are very often is relegated to a middle management function with inadequate visibility. When this happens, plan invariably lacks perspective, vision, scope and most importantly visible support and cooperation of senior management.

It is also critically important that planner is able to function as an antagonist, to ask tough questions, to probe and work freely and unencumbered by company politics or organizational issues. Here's how process might have worked at K-Mart circa 1975.

K-Mart Business Planner - "According to our demographic analysis, number of smaller markets outnumber larger markets by a ratio of 50 to 1."

Executive - "That may be true, but smaller markets also mean a much smaller number of potential consumers, or didn't you think of that," a smug look on his face.

K-Mart Business Planner - "But smaller markets also mean fewer competitors. Wal-Mart's in-store traffic is 20% higher than ours and their average individual purchase is almost 30% higher than ours."

Executive - "Wal-Mart, who's Wal-Mart. And are you suggesting that we abandon our strategic direction and shift gears midstream."

K-Mart Business Planner - "What I am suggesting is that we more closely examine this market and consider our options. One possible strategy would be to bracket Wal-Mart by introducing a line of stores aimed at smaller markets. With our economies of scale, merchandising acumen and marketing clout, we should be able to own this segment and minimize impact of future competition at same time."

Using your business plan to discuss, analyze and review options is no guarantee that you'll always make right decision. What it does assure, however, is that you're making an informed decision based on best available information.