Any new initiative usually involves "selling" an idea to someone else. It is a transaction where the currency of payment is not only money. It can be approval, acquiesce, access to resources, promises to conform or anything else that the person doing the “selling” finds of value. This perspective can greatly enhance a person’s ability to influence the circumstances of themselves and the organization of which they are a part.
The "Selling with Style" booklets are manuals that view each of the four strategic styles in terms of their affect on the selling process. This process typically involves prospecting (finding someone interested), presentation (telling people about the product, service or idea) and closing (getting a commitment).
The booklets begin by providing an overview of the person’s own style to act as a framework. This section outlines the person's "natural" selling tendencies. It then notes the proportion of the population that subscribes to a similar perspective—only between 20% and 30% depending on the style. This helps people see why they should develop skills in other strategies.
The booklets then go on to describe specific strategies and initiatives that the other styles will find appealing. By adopting some or all of these strategies the person improves the odds of a successful transaction—a "sale."
A style based sales strategy depends on knowing your own style AND that of the person who you are attempting to "sell." To aid this process the booklet provides a quick, "thumbnail" tool for estimating the dominant style of the prospect. The process takes less than 2 minutes and can form the basis of an initial approach.
There is a special booklet for each of the four basic styles. The booklets are brief (about 8 pages) and are written in an "easy to understand" language.