Understanding Personality Types

Learning to recognize the nuances in behaviour styles will allow you to communicate more effectively and establish stronger relationships with your customers and prospective customers.

Behaviour Styles (DISC)

Learning to recognize the nuances in behaviour styles will allow you to communicate more effectively and establish stronger relationships with your customers and prospective customers.

If you understand your own style and the styles of others, you can adapt your own style and behaviour to allow for better communication and relationship building with your customers and prospective customers.

The DISC model of communication and behaviour is a simple, quick and easy tool to use to determine different behavioural styles.

 

 

DISC Behaviour Styles Key Criteria:

DOMINANT

The Dominant makes quick decisions, is a calculating risk-taker and is results-oriented. The High D can come across as manipulative or pushy. Dominants separate business from personal. A High D can chew you out in a meeting, make you fear for your job and then pass you in the hall an hour later and invite you to lunch as if nothing had ever happened.

Dominants are not afraid of conflict. As customers, they can come across as demanding, critical and impatient. The High D tends to run a stroke-free environment. They have a hard time recognizing good performance because to them, there was always more that could have been done. The glass is always half empty.

18% of the population has “D” as their core style.

Selling Styles: Wants to close fast, argumentative, overpowering, win, may not follow up properly, may be unprepared, and can juggle many tasks

 

INFLUENCER

The Influencer or person with a High “I” wants fun and popularity. If they can't have fun doing it, then it's not worth doing. High I’s make excellent salespeople because they love other people, are charismatic and are great storytellers. They never heard a conversation they couldn't join in. They have an opinion about everything, are impulsive and humorous. They are quick on their feet and can respond creatively to trouble situations. Under pressure, the Influencer will try to use their persuasive ability to relieve the pressure.

As a customer, the High I is very talkative and needs the personal touch from you. He can come across as over-friendly and in need of your approval. Influencers tend to overestimate their ability to follow through in many areas of life.

Influencers tend to be unorganized. Their desks are the ones with the “in-box” piled high, files stacked on every surface and post-it notes covering the walls. They are afraid to file anything because for the Influencer, “out of sight" means "out of mind.” When they do file, Influencers have one file for everything.

Influencers enjoy the big picture; the details are de-motivating for them to work through. They have trouble saying "No." They are fearless and don't often recognize the consequences of their actions in advance.

28% of the population has “I” as their core behavioural style.

Selling Styles: Social, people-oriented, problems with details, may over-promise, may talk too much, may close too slowly or not at all, enthusiastic, wordy, non-logical presentations

 

THE STEADY RELATER

The Steady Relater is a great mediator. Conflict is to be avoided at all costs. They are not wimpy. They fight their battles in a different manner. If you hurt a Steady Relater, he will resort to passive aggressive to get even.

Steady Relaters are the backbone of your customer base. They are not too demanding. They are loyal if you treat them right and easy to make amends with if you are quick to address a negative situation in a fair and equitable manner. They tend to hold things in. They tend not to call the game when they see it. The Steady Relater can see the problem, but has trouble voicing it. Steady Relaters do not like change. If you do not keep your Steady Relater customers updated with any potential changes and reassure them, they get very uncomfortable. They like consistency and hold a grudge.

40% of the population has “S” as their core behavioural style.

Selling Styles: Natural salesperson, dependable, easily discouraged, may over-service, may give away money under pressure, may need more enthusiasm, may over use facts and wait too long to close.

CAUTIOUS THINKER

Cautious Thinkers want to be right and perfect. Someone motivated to be right and perfect will naturally excel with a title like: Engineer, Technician, Accountant, and Chief Financial Officer.

Cautious Thinkers are analytical, methodical, loners. They are very thrifty. If you need something done quickly, they are not usually the ones to give it to! It will be done right, but not necessarily in the timeframe or the kind of order that you want it done.

As customers, the High C's crave information and facts. They need time to process the information and order to decide what to do next. Stick to the facts with these people.

14% of the population has C as their core behavioural style.

Selling Styles: Knows data, may use too much data and over-evaluate needs, enthusiasm, trouble selling below their standards, well organized, good service and analysis paralysis.

 

Customer Service Needs and Preferences. (DISC)