In my previous post, I described the 4 types of personalities according to the DISC model. Selling to attorneys involves understanding both you and your prospect’s personalities. There are lots of sources for taking a DISC assessment. Lorna Kibbey’s podcast highlights a source she trusts.
The DISC assessment does not specifically create a label of a natural born salesperson. Is there such a person? You’ve no doubt said to people they were a natural born salesman, often using it as a dig. It implies you either have it or you don’t, like being born left-handed or short or double-jointed.
In this instance, it means that selling is a talent the person doesn’t have to work at. But, good salespeople work very hard at being natural. They are constantly developing their ability to read people, tell stories and use conversational habits when they interact with others.
And before you say, “I’m not a salesperson. I just want to get cases and do the work”, think about what goes into getting that case. Every business owner is in sales.
The attorney must find out about you and your services, feel confident you can complete the case, and feel good about paying your invoice.
C legal nurse consultants and D attorneys
There are lots of combinations of personalities to consider, so I have narrowed this down to two types: the D personality attorney and the C personality legal nurse consultant.
The D personality attorney is dominating, decisive, direct, demanding, determined and a doer. This attorney is outgoing and oriented to getting tasks done.
The C personality LNC is cautious, careful, conscientious, competent, calculating, and compliant. This LNC is reserved and oriented to getting the tasks done.
Right away we see that both the D attorney and the C nurse place value on getting tasks done. The C nurse can highlight this area of common interest.
Selling to Attorneys: The Effective Salesperson
Effective LNC salespeople are not pushy. They are confident and have a lot of enthusiasm but they aren’t aggressive when getting people to listen to them. First, here is an overview of the characteristics of salespeople, without regard to their personality type.
A skilled salesperson has traits that include:
Conscientiousness: Top salespeople carry a keen sense of duty, making them reliable and committed to the services they sell.
Humility: A humble salesperson gets the support of his team and other company members.
Confidence: Good salespeople don’t worry about what others think of them. They are confident and not easily embarrassed.
Curiosity: Willingness to absorb information and having inquisitiveness improves the salesperson’s knowledge of the services.
Salespeople who are likeable and naturally like people are less likely to be pushy and aggressive to the attorneys they are trying to convince to buy their services. They are confident with a natural curiosity that prevents them from being brash.
Application to legal nurse consulting sales
Now let’s apply this to the C personality legal nurse consultant selling to attorneys who are D personalities.
Effective C legal nurse consultants do not enjoy being pushy. That is the role of the D personality. C legal nurse consultants know they are competent. They are careful to not inflate their skills or claim to be able to do things they can’t. Subcontractors could complete those cases for the C legal nurse consultant.
Conscientiousness: C legal nurse consultants live in the world of being conscientious. They shine at having a powerful sense of duty, which makes them reliable.
Humility: A humble LNC knows there is so much more he or she needs to learn. Others respond to the humility.
Confidence: The C personality LNC is reserved, and that does not often come across as confidence.
An introverted C personality needs to learn enough techniques to exude the personality the D attorney is looking for. (This was a challenge for me as an introverted C personality.)
The D personality attorney, who exudes confidence, needs to see an overt display of confidence to feel assured the case is in good hands.
Curiosity: Effective C legal nurse consultant personalities love to research the details of a case. Apply the same technique to researching the attorney who is considering hiring their services.
Nurses are generally likeable people and like other people. That helps us in a sales situation.
The D personality attorney wants to make rapid, solid decisions. This person is not going to get proposals from 10 LNCs and agonize over the decision. The LNC should expect a quick decisive decision and to hear the welcome words, “Who do I make the check payable to?”
Listen to Legal Nurse Podcast #120 called How Your Personality Affects Your LNC Business Success and Legal Nurse Podcast #121 called Attorney Personalities and How They affect Your Relationships for more on the DISC personalities. It is really helpful to know your strengths.