Article 6 in The 7 Client Personality Types series
This article is part of a series on The 7 Client Personality Types: an Ethical Sales framework to help you transform every sales conversation with potential clients into a clear, kind, and meaningful connection.
This article highlights the fifth Client Personality Type: The Skeptic.
If trust is the foundation of Ethical Sales, Skeptic Client Personality Types are here to make sure it’s solid.
Skeptics actively look for the “NO” throughout the conversation. They approach sales discussions with a natural tendency to doubt and question the agreements and services being presented. Their skepticism arises from a desire for reassurance and safety in knowing your services will deliver as promised.
Imagine you’re a financial advisor in an initial sales conversation with a Skeptic named John. Throughout the conversation, John expresses his doubts, saying things like, “I don’t know. I need to do more research,” or “Woah, that’s expensive! Why do you charge so much?” or “How do I know you’ll make me money and not lose everything?”
What’s Great About Guiding The Skeptic (The High Side):
Skeptics don’t people-please, making it easy to take their words at face value! Since they let you know when they’re unhappy, it’s more obvious how to meet a Skeptic’s needs compared to many other personality types. Also, since Skeptics lean so heavily into the “no,” they rarely “ghost” or leave a contract once they’ve committed to the “yes.”
With John, once he expresses his doubts and objections, you can begin building trust by addressing his concerns and showcasing your expertise by providing assurances, evidence, and testimonials.
What’s Challenging About Guiding The Skeptic (The Low Side):
Since the Skeptic actively looks for the “NO” throughout the conversation, shifting their focus from how your service won’t work to how it could work can be challenging. Additionally, Skeptics are usually very logical. They need a rational explanation with precise, tangible results to say “yes.” This makes selling spiritual, intangible, and esoteric services to Skeptics more difficult.
If you enter a sales conversation with John and don’t have any data, case studies, or testimonials ready when his inner Skeptic inevitably arises, it will be incredibly difficult to build the trust needed to create a clear decision. Instead, you’ll likely receive the automatic “NO” that Skeptics have at the ready.
Moving From Low to High (Uncovering The Sincere Lead Within):
The key to uncovering the Sincere Lead within the Skeptic is to honor their skepticism. Allow them to be skeptical without attempting to push or pull in your desired direction. If you “convince” a Skeptic, the pushback and heaviness you experience when they become a client can be exhausting.
Your only intention with Skeptics is to present them with the facts they need to reach a clear choice. Doing this without trying to influence the Skeptic can be difficult, yet it’s essential if you plan to form an ideal professional relationship. When speaking with a Skeptic, consider the following suggestions:
- Address objections before they arise: Anticipate and actively listen to the Skeptic's concerns and address them directly. Don’t be afraid to name what the Skeptic is implying or inferring. Lean in and say, “Well, tell me, what are you feeling skeptical about?” Then respond to their logical objections and concerns with the truth of what you do and how you do it. Anticipating and addressing their objections with confidence and transparency can work wonders for helping Skeptics overcome their doubts.
- Have your case studies & testimonials ready: Skeptics appreciate facts and figures, so have case studies and testimonials from past clients at your fingertips. When you provide Skeptics with actual data demonstrating the effectiveness and value of your services, they can soften considerably. “Let me tell you about this client; their situation reminds me of yours, and I was able to help them achieve….”
- Gently push them away: We know this seems counterintuitive, and yet sometimes it’s precisely what’s needed. Skeptics are skeptical because they expect you to try to rope them in by any means necessary. When you say to them, “It seems like you’re pretty skeptical. Maybe we’re not the best fit for you right now.” Or, “I’m not sure if we’re a good fit yet, why don’t you tell me a little more about what you need?” it will throw them off in the best way possible and open the opportunity for an unguarded and receptive conversation.
Skeptics remind us that every “no” is a chance to build deeper credibility.
When you move someone’s inner Skeptic from the low side to the high side and uncover their potential to become a Sincere Lead, you have the opportunity to create an ideal relationship that could last for years to come.
An important reminder: Every potential client holds all 7 Client Personality Types within them (and so do we!). What you first encounter may shift into another as the conversation unfolds — and that’s part of the beauty. Stay curious, ask thoughtful questions, and let each type reveal itself in time as you guide the conversation. Whether they evolve into a Sincere Lead or not, your goal is always the same: co-create clarity with care and consent.
Explore other articles in the 7 Client Personality Types series:
- The Secret to Making Sales Conversations Fun and Effective
- How to Ground the Dreamer Client and Make the Sale
- Turning Window-Shoppers Into Referral Sources
- The Vampire Client: How to Give Without Getting Drained
- Why Some of the Best Clients Are Also Salespeople
- Build Trust, Not Pressure: The Secret to Selling to Skeptics
- Turn Intuitive Clients Into Reliable, Aligned Buyers
- The Nesting Doll Secret to Spotting Dream Clients
Marla Mattenson
With a 25+ year career, Mattenson is a trailblazer in transforming sales paradigms from transactional to relational for professionals who prioritize the integrity & fulfillment of their services. She is a champion of consent-based sales.
www.instagram.com/marla.mattenson
