A Map to Organizing and Influencing Personalities
By:TJ Tedesco, President, Grow Sales, Inc.
For: High Volume Printing
Published: December, 2004

In a people-oriented industry such as ours, strong personnel can often overcome limitations like outdated equipment or a remote location. Many companies in our industry enjoy a healthy reputation (and equally healthy profit margins!) by simply keeping their promises and taking an honest, friendly approach with customers. What's often overlooked, however, is the delicate balance that owners and managers must create between divergent personalities. Collectively, all good employees want to do what's best for the company and the customer. Individually, they have many different ways of achieving that.

Informal personality mapping is a method of examining the way people think, work and interact together. One personality theory that Grow Sales, Inc. uses organizes people into four different personality groups: Drivers, Relaters, Socializers, and Thinkers. Each personality type has specific strengths and limitations, and more importantly, specific compatibilities with other personality types. Here are brief descriptions of each:

• Drivers are organized, opinionated and achievement-oriented. They enjoy being "the boss" and seek sole design-making authority. As such, they tend to dominate other personality types, especially Relaters.
  
  
• Relaters are nurturers and team players. They are risk-averse and make decisions only after they have consulted those around them. Relaters dislike the top-dog mentality of Drivers and the self-centered nature of Socializers.
  
  
• Thinkers are thorough and methodical, preferring to make decisions by weighing all facts. They prefer predictable behavior, sound reasoning and work equally well alone or within a team. Thinkers are able to maintain their methodical approach in varied circumstances.
  
  
• Socializers are goal-driven, friendly, enthusiastic and independent. They are often thrill-seekers and jokesters, and enjoy being the center of attention - they're the reason why the company picnic was invented. Socializers can be impatient and unpredictable, which may rankle Thinkers.
  

All of these personality types are potentially valuable to your organization. In general, while it would be ideal to have at least one of each in your sales and management ranks, you have to work with what you have and consider personality fit in your future hiring decisions.

In addition, recognizing these personality types within your organization can help you align complementary personalities and help avoid conflict. For example, it may not be wise to pair a Driver salesperson with a Relater in customer service, as this combination is ripe for miscommunication and mutual dislike. Another potential conflict may occur in pairing a Socializer and a Thinker on a new product development task force.

Your Route to Successful Selling
In addition to helping you achieve harmony and productivity within your company, personality mapping can also give you a leg up on sales calls. Your prospects and customers have unique needs and desires; modifying your behavior to appeal to each of them will help you find sales success. Let’s take a look at possible sales strategies for each personality type:

As achievement-oriented, authoritative personalities, Drivers exhibit the trappings of a highly-organized workplace. Palm Pilots and other electronic gadgets, multiple calendars and clocks are all tell-tale signs that you’re in the domain of a Driver.

How to sell ’em – Drivers place a high priority on maximizing their time, so adhere strictly to stated time limits. Avoid small talk and keep your conversation focused on how you can help them achieve their goals.

The desks and offices of Relaters tend to be filled with pictures of family, friends and pets, and mementos of important events. Unlike Drivers, non-business conversation is just fine with Relaters. Ask them about their personal lives and take an interest in their hobbies and opinions.

How to sell ’em – Relaters will involve others before making a decision, so encourage them to seek opinions from their staff. Aggressive sales pitches and pressure to make quick decisions won’t work, so take your time and be patient. Involve yourself in their culture by keeping track of birthdays and other milestones and sending cards or small gifts when appropriate.

Like Drivers, Socializers are achievement-oriented, although they tend to measure success through personal accomplishments. If you spot a stuffed large-mouth bass on the wall, or a collection of medals from finished marathons, you’re likely in the office of a Socializer.

How to sell ’em – Socializers love to talk about themselves, so ask them all about their accomplishments and endeavors. Don’t forget to bring a few good jokes that appeal to their friendly, back-slapping boisterous side. Socializers also expect you to be mindful of their time, so don’t overdo the ego-stroking.

Thinkers are deliberate and practical, so look for low-tech organization tools such as filing trays, folders and paper clips. Thinkers are also apt to create no-nonsense solutions to everyday problems, such as taped-together eyeglasses.

How to sell ’em – Eschew the small talk and stick with facts and reasoning when explaining your company’s advantages. Be prepared to engage in a methodical, analytical discussion complete with numbers and other data to back up any claims. Avoid what thinkers may consider irrational, unpredictable behavior, such as substituting “gut feeling” for cold logic or jumping to conclusions.

We’ve only covered a fraction of the many ways personality mapping can be used to enhance both internal performance and external sales success. Identifying and aligning the personality types in your company will help you create a more productive and harmonious workplace. Likewise, spotting personality traits will help you tune your sales pitch to be sure you’re treating prospects in the most effective manner – regardless of how they differ from your personality!

T.J. Tedesco is with Grow Sales, Inc, a company specializing in outsourced marketing leadership for the graphic arts industry. He is the author of Binding, Finishing & Mailing: The Final Word, Win Top of Mind Positioning, and Direct Mail Pal. All three are published by GATFPress and are available at Amazon.com. T.J. can be reached at (301) 294-9900 or tj@growsales.com. Grow Sales, Inc.’s website is www.growsales.com.