Picture two buyers during a business review. 

One leans forward, glances at their watch, and says, “Just give me the bottom line.”

The other leans back and asks the salesperson to slow their pace to go over each detail by category and spend. 

Same company size. Same category mix. Very different expectations.

If you walk into both meetings with the same pacing, presentation, and style, one of them will disengage.

And that matters more than ever. Research from Salesforce shows that 88% of customers say the experience a company provides is just as important as the products they buy.

In other words, how you sell matters.

Yet most of us default to selling the way we prefer to buy — and we often don’t even realize we’re doing it.

That’s where Chameleon Selling, a sales training approach developed by Merrick Rosenberg, comes in. The idea is simple: the most effective sales professionals learn to adapt their communication style to match how the buyer prefers to engage.

In a market where products can often be matched, adaptability becomes your edge.

The best sales professionals learn to read the room — and adjust.

Here’s a simple guide to recognizing four common customer speeds and how to adjust your approach.

The 4 Customer Speeds (And How to Adjust)

1. Fast + Task Focused

(The “Let’s Go” Buyer)

How to Catch It:

• Short, direct responses
• Immediate pricing questions
• Minimal small talk
• Visible urgency

They Care About:

• Efficiency
• Results
• Getting back to work

Do:

• Lead with the bottom line
• Be concise
• Confirm specs quickly
• Solve efficiently

Don’t:

• Tell long backstories
• Oversell
• Slow them down

This buyer values clarity over connection. The faster you get to relevance, the stronger your credibility. In other words: get to the point and help them move forward.

2. Fast + People Focused

(The Energized Buyer)

How to Catch It:

• Talks quickly
• Big gestures or animated tone
• Jumps between ideas
• Enjoys interaction

They Care About:

• Energy
• Connection
• Feeling heard

Do:

• Match their enthusiasm
• Ask engaging questions
• Keep momentum
• Share quick wins or success stories

Don’t:

• Overload with technical detail
• Shut down their excitement
• Stay overly rigid

These buyers often decide quickly, especially when they feel engaged and understood. If the conversation feels flat, the deal probably will too.

3. Steady + People Focused

(The Relationship Buyer)

How to Catch It:

• Calm tone
• Polite and measured
• Loyal to current vendors
• Hesitant to push change

They Care About:

• Trust
• Stability
• Reassurance

Do:

• Slow your pace
• Ask about their team and processes
• Reinforce long-term support
• Acknowledge the impact of change

Don’t:

• Rush decisions
• Apply pressure
• Become overly transactional

These buyers value partnership but only when they feel secure. This is where trust, consistency, and reliability really matter.

4. Steady + Task Focused

(The Detail Buyer)

How to Catch It:

• Reviews specs carefully
• Asks comparison questions
• References research
• Requests documentation

They Care About:

• Accuracy
• Data
• Risk reduction

Do:

• Be precise
• Provide documentation
• Offer clear comparisons
• Admit what you don’t know — and follow up

Don’t:

• Hype
• Guess
• Be vague
• Rush the evaluation

This buyer isn’t difficult — they’re minimizing risk. Precision and details build trust.

The more clarity you provide, the more comfortable they become moving forward.

The Real Skill

Great sellers don’t change their personality.

They change their speed.

They adjust:

• The length of their emails
• The structure of their proposals
• The pace of their presentations
• The depth of detail they provide

And they do it intentionally.

It’s a small shift that makes a big difference in how buyers experience you.

Your Competitive Edge

You already compete on service and relationships. Adaptability multiplies that advantage.

Here’s a simple challenge:

Think about your top 10 accounts.

Can you clearly identify how each prefers to buy?
Are you adjusting your communication style, or defaulting to your own?

Before your next sales call, pause and ask:

Who is this buyer, and what speed do they operate at?

Then adjust.

In a competitive market, you don’t always need sharper pricing or a new product line to win more business.

Sometimes, you just need to sell at the right speed.