Motivation on the Run

Last week I started a series on the silent languages, which I named: personality, body, voice, surroundings, and words. If we can become fluent in these foreign languages, we can converse with more people and have favorable reactions from them.

Blending In
Imagine how easy it is to become part of the culture when you go to France, if you are fluent in French. You are able to express yourself in ways that the locals understand and carry on business and personal transactions without the assistance of an interpreter. This allows you to become independent and gives you the freedom to travel and spend your time enjoying the trip, not looking for someone that speaks your language.

The same goes for the silent languages mentioned above. The language of personality is the first silent language I want to look at in detail.

How fluent are you in the language of personality?
If you can determine the personality of someone you are dealing with, a prospect, co-worker or supervisor, you can understand how they will react under different circumstances. You can predict their actions to certain situations and anticipate and even prepare to diffuse issues. This information is invaluable in dealing with any of the above groups of people. Let’s look at the types and a little about each.

Personalities are part of who we are and will influence our actions as we interact with other people, especially with reactions to those of different personalties. The personalities I am talking about revolve around studies conducted long ago in a far far away place that gave us these dominant traits.

• dominant
• expressives
• analyticals
• solids

or if you prefer the Gary Smalley versions

• lion
• otter
• beaver
• golden retriever

There are others, but these are both descriptive and easy to understand, so I will stick with them for this discussion. In describing these different personalities, William A. Glaser does a great job with the first list. Here is how he expresses the qualities of each.

“Dominants think that life is not worth living unless they are doing something.”
“Expressives think that life is not worth living unless they are talking.”
“Analyticals think that life is not worth living unless they are thinking.”
“Solids think that life is not worth living unless they are relaxing.”

It’s easy
In your mind, run through your friends and co-workers and you can see how easy it is to figure out which are which. You can do it without effort with people you know well, but the harder part is to pick up on these traits early in a conversation, so you can tailor your speech patterns and information toward them. Remember in sales, as in life, it not about you … it’s all about them. The fastest way to make someone comfortable is to put them at ease by communicating with them in their native language.

Let’s deal with each one
If they are lion, treat them like a king and don’t waste their time. They are forceful and strong willed, so be prepared to be firm and not take offense when they question you. They are blunt and usually very opinionated, so stay away from topics that are not related to the task at hand.

An otter? Be friendly and ask how they are doing and ask about their family by name. They are very creative, so use creativity in dealing with them. And above all, you will need to be a good listener. Since they enjoy talking, you must be prepared to spend enough time with them, so as to not make them feel slighted.

The beaver is hard at work and really doesn’t want to be disturbed, but if you must, have all your information ready and know the details. The more in depth, the better. Charts and graphs that represent the information is a good approach and remember that the bottom line is the most important part to them. I’m not talking about price, but the complete value you bring to the table.

The golden retriever just wants everyone to get along and wants to make everyone happy, if possible. Look for sincere ways to praise them and give credit when they do a job well. They are true blue, so don’t jerk them around and be a problem solver for them. This will endear you to them and they will look to you for future solutions that require your expertise.

Conclusion
How fluent are you in the language of personalities? The good news is, it is a learned art. The bad news is, I don’t know of a Berlitz course that will help. As with all things, practice is the secret to getting better, so practice everyday.