The 9 Buyers: The Key to Stronger Connections and Easier Sales

If you create content online, sell anything—whether it’s in person, over the phone, or on a website—and want to make stronger connections, reach more people, and ultimately grow your income, here’s something to help you learn how to do it by speaking directly to the 9 types of buyers.

To help us is Melanie Warren, a professional copywriter and the author of The 9 Buyers System.

She has helped sell millions of dollars worth of products and services, and she has graciously agreed to stop by and give us the goods for free today.

Let’s break it down, starting with a closer look at these nine buyers and how you can tailor your content to meet them where they’re at.

Tune in to Episode 646 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:

• How to identify the 9 types of buyers
• Strategies to tailor your content to connect and convert effectively
• Expert tips from Melanie Warren on emotional and logical selling

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Round 1: The 9 Types of Buyers (And How to Speak Their Language)

We like to think we’re logical creatures making rational decisions, but most buying decisions check the emotion box first, then get justified with logic after the fact.

So Melanie’s 9 Buyers System is all about identifying the emotional and logical needs of your audience.

1. The “Respect Me” Buyer

People hate being proven wrong or looking foolish. They want to feel important and have their reality acknowledged.

Like when you follow up after a sales call, mention the specific conversation you had. It shows you believe their experience is important.

It’s like parenting when you validate a kid’s feelings. The mindset is, “My customer is important; I agree.

To connect with them:

• Show you understand their expertise or situation.
• Avoid talking down to them—acknowledge their experiences.

2. The “Love Me” Buyer

People want to feel seen and valued—they’re looking for appreciation and genuine connection.

For example, instead of saying, “I love your dog” (which would be weird and inauthentic), say, “Hey, we both love dogs.”

One way we put this into practice is through our welcome sequence. Instead of just hitting new subscribers with pitch after pitch, we take time to learn about their goals and challenges.

• Share testimonials that highlight love and appreciation for your product.
• Make them feel like they belong.

3. The “Celebrate Me” Buyer

These are your confident, competitive folks who want recognition and status (but not necessarily in a negative way). We all just want to feel like we’re somebody.

It’s crazy how such a small change can make a difference. Instead of thanking people for buying (which makes it about us), we celebrate their decision (which makes it about them).

• Use language like “Congratulations!” instead of “Thank you.”
• Highlight their achievement in choosing your product or service.

A good example is Chandler Bolt at Self Publishing School sending new students a “congratulations, future author” certificate.

4. The “Support Me” Buyer

These people worry about belonging or whether they’re “good enough” to succeed. It’s specially important for big-ticket items.

It’s why your guarantee needs to be as generous as reasonably possible. You need to show them you’ll be there — through email support, website resources, FAQ pages, everything.

• Offer risk-free guarantees and stellar customer support.
• Communicate that you’ll guide them every step of the way.

As Melanie puts it, “You trust them to be independent and have their own journey, but if they need you at all, you’re right there.”

5. The “Teach Me” Buyer

This person wants to understand the features and unique mechanisms. They get overwhelmed easily but respond well to clear features and benefits backed by evidence.

This is where case studies and specific results really shine. Don’t just say “it works” — show exactly how and why it works.

• Highlight the “why” behind every feature.
• Share evidence and testimonials to validate their decision.

Example: “98% saw success with it” or “Independent studies showed the magic ingredient worked 100% of the time.”

6. The “Reassure Me” Buyer

Safety and belonging are huge for them. They need to know others have walked this path successfully before them.

One technique that works great here is the “feel, felt, found” framework: “I understand how you feel, I felt the same way, here’s what I found…”

• Include visuals like happy customers or before-and-after shots.

7. The “Entertain Me” Buyer

These are optimistic, fun-loving people who appreciate personality in marketing. 

This is why we sometimes throw in relevant GIFs or funny stories in our emails — it breaks up the monotony and makes the content more engaging.

• Use humor, memes, or pattern interrupts to catch their attention.
• Show your personality in your content.

For example, Melanie’s son writes for SaaS companies, an industry not exactly known for being entertaining.

Adding a touch of wit to LinkedIn posts—not slapstick humor, but lightheartedness—has helped his clients stand out in an otherwise dull space.

8. The “Empower Me” Buyer

This buyer wants control and independence. They don’t want to rely on others.

• Highlight self-service options like easy refunds or flexible tools.
• Frame your offer as empowering.

Examples: being able to change flights without waiting on hold, canceling a hotel reservation online, or getting a refund without calling customer service.

9. The “Invite Me” Buyer

Cautious and deliberate, these people need encouragement to take the next step. For example, you have to explicitly tell them you’re throwing a party and invite them to come.

Make sure to spell out exactly what steps to take, whether that’s “Click here to join” or “Here’s how to get started.”

• Make it clear they’re invited to take action.
• Use follow-up sequences, cart abandonment emails, and limited-time offers.

Round 2: A Knitting Side Hustle Idea

Melanie wishes to start a knitting site tied to community and creativity if she’s given more free time.

“If I had more hours in the day, I’d create a knitting site tied to community and maybe do some sort of month club around it.”

Think monthly memberships, of-the-month clubs, and virtual meetups. So less on the knitting education side, but more on the community building.

Something like a service where members swap patterns, join themed clubs (like baby booties or holiday sweaters), and connect over their shared love for crafting.

The key would be pricing it as a utility — think Netflix or Spotify level ($10-25/month) where it becomes just another monthly subscription people don’t think twice about.

Round 3: The Triple Threat

Marketing Tactic

Melanie’s son uses humor for SaaS clients on LinkedIn. This industry is not exactly known for its jokes, so they thought, “What is the opposite of that? The opposite of that is humorous.”

After that, theys started seeing higher engagement and more shares.

It’s that classic “When everybody zigs, zag,” approach. When everyone in your space is doing the same thing, doing the opposite can help you stand out.

Favorite Tool

AI is not Melanie’s mortal enemy — she’s embracing it as an IA (idea assistant) instead.

She doesn’t use it to write copy but as a tool that helps analyze existing copy and generate new angles she might not have considered.

So basically, AI is her IA.

Favorite Book

Sourdough by Robin Sloan is Melanie’s top pick — it’s a quirky fiction story about an engineer-turned-baker.

It’s about an engineer who gets gifted a sourdough starter and ends up starting a business around it.

Ready to Meet Your Buyers?

Understanding your audience is the key to stronger connections and better sales. Which buyer persona resonated most with you? Or better yet, which one is your audience?

If you want to learn more, grab Melanie’s 9 Buyers System at 9buyersystem.com and start speaking directly to your customers’ hearts and minds.

Let’s go out there and make something happen.

Episode Links

• The 9 Buyers System
• Chandler Bolt at Self Publishing School
• 13 Creative Ways to Get Paid to Watch Netflix
• From $30/hr to $300/hr: The Software Consulting Playbook
• 14 AI-Powered Side Hustles You Can Start Today: How to Make Money with AI
• Sourdough by Robin Sloan

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