I’ve talked before about how important it is to take into account the buying styles of your best prospects when planning your web copy, and your navigation.

It’s the best way to make sure that your potential customers are finding the information that they’re truly looking for.

Well, the other day I came across a slightly different take on the usual buying styles, and it resonated because I found myself in there (no, I’m not going to say which one!).

The categories are:

1. ‘Dominance’, which translates to the Drivers in other models.  These are the people who want the most important facts, with no beating around the bush.  Short, sharp and to the point.  These people need to click on your home page and be convinced within seconds.
2. ‘Influence’, who are the people people.  They want to buy in a friendly, non-threatening place and will make a decision quickly if you can convince them that your product will increase their social standing.  These are the people who need to see your About page, testimonials and case studies.
3. ‘Steadiness’ types are the people who want lots of detail.  They need to be shown how your product specifically benefits them, and you’d better be prepared to answer all their questions in your copy.  Think FAQs!  And, because they might not decide right away, these are the people you really want to get onto your mailing list.
4. ‘Compliance’ indicates the analysts.  They need data, statistics and solid facts, and they will need to be completely convinced that they are making the right choice before they’re willing to commit.

Remember that your primary audience probably consists of people from more than one group, so you probably won’t want to completely ignore any of the four styles, but you can probably identify one or two groups that are going to be very important to your messaging efforts.