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Amazon’s #1 success rule is to obsess about the customer. This is a complex starting point because your customer isn’t just one person. Everyone that visits your business or website will exhibit different behaviors to get to their goal.

Recently, a conversation came up about why a chatbot would be used offering content from a Frequently Asked Questions page even though there was a page on the website specifically for FAQs.

When you watch people navigate a website, it becomes clear that as they try and complete a “task” (usually to buy a product, learn something or reach a service provider) people take different routes.

If we look at Amazon.com, do you utilize the navigation categories of the site or do you go straight for the search bar? This is simplified, but it shows that there isn’t just a straight path from when you first reach Amazon to when you see the order confirmation page.

Luckily we don’t have to optimize for a million specific people. Instead, we can use either the 4 Modalities Of A Buyer, or The Big Five Personality Model to make some sense out of behavior.

4 Modalities Of A Buyer

Bryan Eisenberg first talked about the 4 Modalities of a Buyer in his book “Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?”

What are they? Take a look at the chart below:

Do any of these reflect how you might shop? As a hint, if you go to the search bar first you are most likely the “competitive” shopper. On the flip side, a “methodical” might read every page on your website before making a decision.

The Big Five Personality Model

The Big Five personality model says there are five factors of personality to consider…

  1. Openness to Experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious) – Are you curious? Are you adventurous? Do you appreciate creativity? Are you independent?
  2. Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless) – Are you organized? Are you reliable? Do you value discipline?
  3. Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved) – Do you have a lot of energy? Are you assertive? Do you enjoy being social? Do you enjoy being the center of attention?
  4. Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/detached) – Are you compassionate? Are you trusting? Are you helpful and compassionate?
  5. Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident) – Do you experience negative feelings easily? How emotionally stable are you?
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Where do we go from here?

Whatever model you choose to use, ConversionXL suggests working to answer these crucial questions:

  • Who are my visitors/customers?
  • What are my visitors’ intentions?
  • What demographics am I dealing with?
  • What are my visitors’ objections and fears?
  • Is your messaging aligned with what your visitors want to hear?
  • Does your value proposition resonate with your visitors?
  • How do they like to buy?
  • What is stopping them from converting?
  • What should I test?

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