Hi Reader,
​

Years ago, I was in what I like to call an intense ‘manage up’ position. I was the lowest rung of the management team with a very small staff, leading an initiative no one except my immediate boss understood or valued.

There are lots of lessons I can share about being in that position, but the one I want to focus on today has to do with a book I'd read at the time to help me be a better advocate for my team and our work.

For the life of me, I can’t remember its title or author (and I’ve looked).

The gist of the book was on how to work with (or beneath) leaders with different decision-making styles and be successful.

In a nutshell, here are the 4 types of decision-makers covered in the book:

1. Evidence-based
   ​These folks care about the research. They actually enjoy reading reports and pouring over data. While they may appreciate an executive summary, they’ll read through the whole report with a fine-toothed comb and call you out on any errors, inconsistencies, or faults they see in the findings.
   ​
   ​They may also miss the forest for the trees because they’re hyper-focused on the data, forgoing the innovative idea for the safe bet.
2. Narrative-based​
   ​These folks care about how things seem rather than the logic or soundness of an idea. They love story-based case studies and metaphors that help communicate an idea and its benefits. Their decision-making is based on how they feel rather than on what they think.
   ​
   ​As a result, they often use anecdotal evidence to justify their decisions, are easily swayed by biased thinking and/or skip over critical information once they’ve become attached to a narrative they like.
3. Delegators
   These folks think only the most critical decisions are worth their time. They want to know enough to determine whether they need to pay attention to the rest or pass the task to others. They appreciate the executive summary and even more so a short list of bullet points that helps them determine whether they need to be involved in the decision-making without a meeting or conversation.
   ​
   ​They also have no problem blaming others when things go wrong. They’re happy to waste your time but would never tolerate their time being wasted and can appear abrupt or condescending as a result.
4. Fence-sitters and See-sawers
   These are folks who are usually either worried they will make the wrong decision or afraid of being blamed if things don’t go right. Even when you provide the data and the narrative evidence, they still want more to mollify their anxiety and fear. Fence-sitters rarely move from consideration to decisive action. See-sawers constantly question their own decisions, change their minds, and stop and start initiatives.
   ​
   ​Neither is productive, both cause bottlenecks, confusion, and frustration. Their approach to decision-making is to not decide, and they'll employ lots of delaying tactics to remain uncommitted to any direction or plan.

It's important to note that most people are a combination of types with one more dominant than others.

As a strategy, you want to appease this dominant type upfront so that your audience is more open to everything else you have to share.

Here's how this knowledge can help your business as it has mine:

• Crafting effective sales pages by including the evidence, story, and details to appeal to all types of decision-makers.
• Conducting sales conversations that convert by having the data, the stories, and key details all available at your fingertips and using each as necessary to support prospects' decision-making process.
• Creating persuasive presentations and pitches whether as sales tools, deliverables for clients, or webinars for prospects based on the goal, audience, and decision-makers in attendance.
• Saving time and effort by recognizing fence-sitters and see-sawers for who they are and avoiding them at all costs.

I've also found it worthwhile to consider what kind of decision-maker I am as well.

I’m mostly evidence-based with some narrative mixed in. Maybe 70/30. I know I need the data, but I’m not immune to some good anecdotal evidence, too. I also don’t want to read all the details. I just want enough to feel confident about my decision.

But, if something doesn’t track, you better believe I’m digging into those details with my fine-toothed comb.

Knowing this, helps me ask for what I need from vendors, partners, and even clients so I can make the best decisions for me and my business.

So, what kind of decision-maker are you? How about your current clients or prospects?

Until next week, try employing this knowledge in your next sales or client meeting and let me know if it helps you. I'd love to know.

Need some help ensuring you’re making the best decisions for your business?

PS - In case you missed it, last week I offered some ⭐️Extra Credit⭐️.

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