The 4 Types of Buyers (And How To Stop Wasting Time On The Wrong Ones)

Imagine if every time you met a potential customer, that conversation ended with a client closed.

You read that right. No time-wasters or fake interest, just people who are ready to buy now.

That’s what understanding these  4 types of buyers will help you do. 

This system comes from Jordan Belfort’s (one of the best sales trainers ever. The movie ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ is based on him) “The Way of the Wolf”, and when you apply it to your local business, you’ll start closing more deals while spending less time chasing the wrong people.

This article will show you the 4 types of buyers, and how to handle each, to make closing sales a million times easier for your business.

Let’s get straight into it.

1 - Buyers In Heat 

These are your dream customers. 

They’re actively searching for your service, they’re ready to buy today, and they don’t need convincing.

For example, a homeowner’s boiler breaks at 10 PM, and they search “emergency plumber near me.”

If your ad or website shows up, they’re calling you now.

So, what do you do with these types of buyers?

Make it easy for these buyers to contact you immediately.

• Put your phone number and “Call Now” buttons in clear view.

• Use phrases like “Available 24/7” or “Same-Day Repairs.”

• Show your location to prove you’re local to build instant trust.

These buyers want a quick solution, so give it to them fast.

Summary: Don’t overtalk. Just make buying as easy as humanly possible.

2 - Buyers In Power 

These buyers want what you sell, but they’re not in a hurry.

They’ll buy eventually, but not unless you give them a reason to act now.

For example, a homeowner’s roof is a bit old, but still fine. They know they’ll need a new one soon… just not today.

They’re “in power.” They control when to buy, unless you give them a reason to act now.

Here’s what to do with these types of buyers:

First and foremost, build trust so that when they DO need you, you’re the first person they think of. 

Do this by posting testimonials, project photos, and so on.

If it’s a less expensive purchase, you can run an urgency or scarcity offer such as “We have a sale ending next week!” or “Only 5 slots left to claim this offer! to nudge them to buy now instead of later.

Summary: Build trust, and give them a reason to act today.

3 - The Lookie-Loos

These are the dreaded time-wasters. 

They’ll sound interested, ask 20 questions, and disappear the moment you talk about the price.

They pretend to be buyers in power (type 2), but they’re not planning to buy at all.

Here’s how you spot them:

• They say things like “Just getting quotes”

• They get offended when you mention their budget or timeline.

• They keep asking for “just one more detail” after you’ve already explained it.

Sound familiar?

If so, here’s what you do: Respectfully filter them out fast.

You can do this with a few simple steps:

• Ask qualifying questions early to make sure they’re a good match: “Are you looking to get this done in the next few weeks or just gathering ideas?”

• Be upfront about pricing: “Our average project starts at £____. Is that within your range?”

Your time is your most valuable resource. Don’t waste it on people who never planned to buy in the first place.

Summary: Filter out these types of customers fast and focus on buyers who value your time.

4 - The Mistakes 

These aren’t even real customers.

They clicked your ad by accident, thought you sold something else, or just wanted something free.

For example, someone clicks your roofing ad thinking it’s about home decor. Or they filled out your form accidentally because they didn’t know how to exit.

They don’t belong in your system, but every sales process will always have a few of these.

To fix this, use better filters so they don’t end up wasting your time. 

For example:

• Add qualifying questions to your lead forms (e.g., “Are you looking for a full roof replacement or a minor repair?”).

• Exclude irrelevant keywords in Google Ads (e.g., “DIY,” “cheap,” “free”) that attract these types of customers.

• Don’t target irrelevant audiences who make up an extremely small percentage of your customer base.

This stops you from wasting time chasing people who were never your buyers in the first place.

Summary: Don’t get angry at them,  just make sure they don’t get through your filters next time.

If you treat every lead the same, you’ll waste hours every week talking to people who’ll never buy.

But when you understand these 4 types of buyers, you can focus your time on the ones who actually pay you:

• Buyers in Heat: Close them fast.

• Buyers in Power: Nurture them until ready.

• Lookie-Loos: Filter them out early.

• Mistakes: Prevent them from entering your funnel.

Once you do this, you’ll stop chasing cold leads, and your calendar will start filling with real, qualified clients who are excited to work with you.

And that’s how you get more clients while spending less time doing it.

If you found this article helpful, check out some other articles on this page! This is the 53rd, so there’s over a year of weekly-published material in total.

Thank you for reading,

Filip Szemiczek