1. Vision
2. Investment - big up front investment - in time and/or money
3. Skill - in building the connections, but also the subject matter
4. Time - and patience
5. Maintenance

In Customer Service and Sales, I believe there are 4 distinct Types of Personalities.  In previous Posts we have talked about being yourself, or more correctly, being your many selves.  We also know that customers can present themselves in many different personas, and that you also have many different personas.  It is now time to talk about the fourth and last personality type is the Independent.

• As an independent, you are a person led by gut feel, by first impressions.  If you are an independent, you show some of the following characteristics.

• You cannot recall dates or details

• You hate forms, and never write lists

• You depend on others (or the system) to fix your mistakes

• You have high expectations as a customer – to cover your own laziness

• Do not like rules

• You know best

• Try to impress people

• You’re comfortable in chaos and flexibility

• You depend on intuition

• Will be convinced after easy options are extinguished

• Don’t go out of your way to nurture – if you get along, then fine, if you don’t then also fine

 Key – Transactions are built on feelings and impressions

Example – Artist

 In a customer Service, or Sales environment, if you are one of these people – as the server, then be careful of someone who likes a more organised approach - a Follower.  You will seem like an air head, and … well.. unstructured.  The look at you as someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about – though you do.  If however, as the server/salesperson, you are dealing with another Independent, then stay independent.

It is the servers responsibility to match the customer, not the other way around.

 Also See Post on Pounders

Also See Post on Nurturers

Also See Post on Followers

Also see Post called Always be Yourself? What BS

In Customer Service and Sales, I believe there are 4 distinct Types of Personalities.  In previous Posts we have talked about being yourself, or more correctly, being your many selves.  We also know that customers can present themselves in many different personas, and that you also have many different personas.  It is now time to talk about the third personality type, the Follower. 

Followers are people who build the transactions on the basis of Process.  They are systemic people who love to be organised.  If you’re a Follower, you may feel like this often, or occasionally

Follower is not a derogatory term, nor a term to be confused with lack of leadership qualities.  A follower is a person who follows process.  They speak the language of systems.  If you are a follower, the following statements describe you.

 • You quote data

• Don’t like sloppiness

• You love process and structure – you’re systemic

• You want to know the fine print

• You will keep asking questions

• You respect polish and perfection

• Will be convinced if process is followed, but also great at finding loopholes

• Leave nothing to chance

• You quote dates and amounts

• Love detail – they give you comfort

  Key – Transactions are built on the process

  Example – Accountant

In a customer Service, or Sales environment, if you are one of these people – as the server, then be careful of someone who likes a more direct approach - a Pounder.  You will seem bureaucratic and inflexible.  If however, as the server/salesperson, you are dealing with another Follower, then Follow.

 It is the servers responsibility to match the customer, not the other way around.

 Also See Post on Pounders

Also See Post on Nurturers

Also see Post called Always be Yourself? What BS

In Customer Service and Sales, I believe there are 4 distinct Types of Personalities.  

Nurturers are people who build the transactions on relationships.  They are empathetic people who love to be social.  If you’re a nurturer, the following statements sounds creepily descriptive.  You may feel like this often, or occasionally

• You love people – hate confrontation
• Some people consider you submissive
• You love a chat and ask about how people are feeling
• You don’t respond well to pressure
• You will change the subject if it’s uncomfortable
• Do not jump to conclusions, you will discuss all options
• Do not let your feelings be known – they are hard to read
• Always the same friendly exterior
• You are more likely to be convinced if you ‘like’ someone.

Key – Transactions are built on relationships

Example – Social worker

In a customer Service, or Sales environment, if you are one of these people – as the server, then be careful of someone who likes a more direct approach - a Pounder.  You will seem hard to tie down, soft and indecisive.  If however, as the server/salesperson, you are dealing with another Nurturer, then Nurture away.

It is the servers responsibility to match the customer, not the other way around.

Also See Post on Pounders

Also see Post called Always be Yourself? What BS

In Customer Service and Sales, I believe there are 4 distinct Types of Personalities.  

Always be yourself?  What BS.

Which self are we talking about?  We all have different personalities.  A tough boss at work might be a meek servant at home.  You might be calm one minute, and impatient the next.  You can flip in a second.

A footballer in a crowded room can go from talking macho to his friends (grunting and ignoring vowels), to a kneeling high pitched slow talker while talking to a young child, to a polite and upstanding member of the community when talking to their girlfriend’s parents.  All these personas can present themselves in the blink of an eye.

Be yourself?  Which self?

So as a server/seller, you have those multiple personas, and the customer had the same.  Just as a footballer might instinctively ‘work the crowd’ the trick is to match the customer’s persona.

There are many personality profiling tools available, however I believe there are 4 distinct personality types which appear in a service/sales environment.  These could be expanded to be 40, or 400 types, but the point is to recognize that not only are people different, but they can present differently.

Can you imagine yourself being any of these personalities?  Perhaps one dominates, but at times you may fluctuate between them all.

Pounder – Where the transaction is driven by numbers and necessity.

Nurturer – Where the relationship is more important than the transaction.

Follower – Adherence to process is the most important aspect of a transaction.

Independent – Transactions are built on feelings and impression.

The same customer can present these different personalities with every visit.  The server must be aware, and change accordingly – to match the personality style.