Knowing how “Hot” your prospect is can be just the beginning of the relationship building process There are six types of prospects to know and identify and in  my last blog article I covered three and this week I am covering the remaining three types of prospects to know and understand for effective communication.

Interaction with Different Personalities continued.

Remember, each of us has a primary personality type (80 percent), and a secondary personality type (20 percent). The goal is to determine the individual’s primary personality type within the first sixty seconds of meeting the person. Each person’s personality type can be recognized based upon how he or she acts, dresses, speaks, and moves. We must know our own personality type to communicate successfully so we can have effective communication with others.

Using this information, you will be able to soar through meetings with diverse participants to decide like an eagle; influence like a peacock; be a team player like a dove; and problem solve like an owl.

Alley McMate, also known as the Steady Dove or High S (Green DISC)

This individual will have a slow and relaxed pace and may be dressed in compliance and wearing comfortable shoes. Style is not as important. This is the person who may not look you straight in the eye at first, is a little more reserved, and has a soft handshake. This person is a team player and most likely will not be a decision maker, but is usually the person that can put you in touch with the decision maker. His or her behavior pattern is supporting and direct and their pace is slow and relaxed with an appearance of being casual in compliance. They prefer relationship building first, then business second.

A typical job for this personality type is teacher, nurse, social worker, or administrative assistant, or executive assistant. Their workspace is personal, relaxed, and friendly. His or her source of security is friendship and support. This person’s fear is set in change; hence, known as the steady dove. He or she measures personal worth by depth of relationships and compatibility. His or her internal motivator is being needed and involved. Some strengths for this type of prospect are listening, teamwork, and follow-through. Some weaknesses may be that he or she may be oversensitive, slow to start, and occasionally have a lack of goal setting. This person is easily irritated by insensitive or impatient people such as Edgar Done (eagle) or Emma Hope (peacock). Under stress, this type of prospect becomes submissive to others and can be indecisive. They do not make decisions alone and his or her motivation comes from being accepted.

What I have not shared with you is what is known as the “attack dove.” The dove personality is complacent in nature and holds most everything inside. If you are to anger this type of person, you may not even know it. However, once they draw the line on how much they are willing to accept from a person, they just walk away. You may not ever know what you did to cause this disconnect, but it will be permanent.

When approaching someone that appears to be Alley McMate, or a dove personality type, it may be wiser to talk in a lower calm voice and not directly approach this person too quickly. This person likes interaction after getting to know, like, and trust you and the company. The person is not usually a decision maker and dislikes confrontation. For effective communication, use words such as “like,” “feel,” “relationship,” and so on when talking to this person.

Jay No-Way, also known as the “Walking Book of Knowledge”

We have all met this person. No matter what you say or do, this person knows everything and loves to challenge the words being spoken. Do not get into a confrontation with this person and slowly transition into the exit strategy by handing this person a pamphlet or business card and thanking him or her for stopping by to visit with you at the office or while exhibiting in a trade show. This approach is also known as the disengage process.

Moe Lassis, also known as the Conscientious Owl or High D (Blue DISC)

This individual may be dressed casually, will walk in a slow and orderly fashion and may not approach you at all if meeting this person in public. This is the prospect that may not make eye

contact with you at first, is very reserved, and may have a softer handshake. This person is more of a researcher and is gathering information. Having all the facts is most important to this type of individual. He or she is more personable one-on-one, but not in a group setting such as a trade show environment. This person’s personality is a little more analytical and he or she may also be considered an introvert. This person’s behavior pattern is controlling and indirect and his or her pace is slow and orderly with a proper and functional appearance. Their priority is the task or process of getting things done.

A typical job for this personality type is accountant, engineer, or computer technician. Their workplace is structured, functional, and proper. This person’s source of security is being prepared, paying attention to detail and fear criticism of their work. They measure their personal worth by precision, accuracy, and being busy. This person’s internal motivator is

competence and his or her strengths are planning and organizing, having numbers, and knowing the facts. Some weaknesses may include being a perfectionist and being critical of others.

Some irritations are disorganization and unpredictability. Under stress, this person may withdraw and become headstrong. Decisions are well thought out and he or she will not make a decision quickly. You will need to spend quite a bit of time answering many questions. This person is prepared to ask the questions so do not dismiss him or her too quickly. Their motivation is accuracy and information.

When approaching someone that appears to be Moe Lassis, or an owl personality type, it is best to also talk in a lower calm voice and not directly approach him or her too quickly. This person likes one-on-one interaction but not necessarily in a trade show environment where things move quickly. He or she is not usually the decision maker and is more of a fact-gathering

and information-gathering person.

When talking with this type of prospect, it is important to be sure accurate information is provided about the company history, facts, and figures. If not, this person may know more than you do, as they have most likely researched your company before coming to your office environment or trade show or will after meeting you. For effective communication, use words such as “statistics,” “history,” “facts,” and so on when talking to this person. “There is definitely diversity in the work environment...”

Recognizing the general characteristics of people and using bird profiles in tandem with generational differences for effective communication is key to being successful in today’s market for building a long lasting relationship. Stay tuned next for the five generations in the Work Place and how to communicate with each generation effectively.

About DJ Heckes, Author of Full BRAIN Marketing and Owner of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

DJ Heckes is CEO of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts and Full BRAIN Marketing .  She focuses on educating and training companies to significantly improve their Small Business Marketing strategies.  DJ Heckes also presents customized training programs for Business Marketing, Social Media, Leadership and Trade Show Marketing. Learn more atwww.EXHIB-IT.com  and www.fullBRAINMarketing.com.  Be sure to follow us!

DJ Heckes, CEO & Author
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com