Understanding your clients first - DISC

We are all different – understand the potential clients perspective first.

Have you ever met someone and you just got along, you hit it off and felt a connection? The likelihood is that the person you connected with was just like you. The opposite may also have happened – you may have met someone for the first time and the conversation was awkward and you could not communicate and build a connection.

The chances of finding someone who is similar in every way to you is said to be between a 1 in 100 and a 1 in 2.5 million based on personality traits, beliefs and values that influenced you from a young age.

People like to do business with people who they like and can build a connection, people who are just like them. Now you know the odds, how would you like to turn the odds into your favour and win 50% more business than you are today?

There is a science behind how people connect and it is hard wired in our brains. Biology and psychology play a big role in who we are and how we communicate and many of our behaviours come from learnt patterns over the years of our life.

If you take the time to understand what drives human behaviour, understand that our biology is something we can’t change, understand who we are and then understand and look for the tell-tale traits of others, you are a long way down the track in developing your communication superpower.

It was a crazy busy day and Chris, an agent I have been mentoring asked if I could attend a difficult presentation with a client. I naturally said yes. As a mentor you should always be willing to assist and serve.

We entered a mechanics garage in an affluent suburb of Melbourne, they service only European cars and the place was immaculate for a service garage / centre. Chris quickly approached Hans the owner of the business who was clearly in a stressed situation due to an issue with an employee. “Hi Hans, we are here to present the appraisal and marketing strategy for your investment property, can we sit in your office and go through it?” It was at this moment I realised the personality style and agitation of Hans.

“No I don’t have time, I forgot about our appointment. I have a number of issues at the moment”

At this point I stepped in and asked Hans “can you spare 10 minutes as we can summarise the important facts, provide detail of the investment to market your investment property and get things started upon your approval?” He agreed and within 10 minutes the presentation was complete, the paperwork was signed and we all moved on with our busy day.

By identifying quickly he was a decision maker, was short for time and had a problem that needed solving, I immediately realised as a “D” or controller personality style, we needed to change and Chris (who is an “I” personality or colourful) would have not connected and lost the business.

The following personality traits are the basic forms of the DISC personality profile analysis and will give you an understanding of who you are and to better understand others. I utilise the four C’s as it is easier to associate with the traits.

There is more detailed descriptions including do and don’t with a simple chart to stick up near your desk so you don’t forget the importance of understanding personality traits.

By understanding these key personalities, each time you are communicating with someone new you will identify which of the four C’s they fall into and communicate accordingly.

I will start with the CONTROLLER

The controller or dominant often has the following beneficial key characteristics:

Direct

Fast talking

Decisive

High ego

Self starter

Characteristics of the controller that could be viewed by others as negative are as follows:

Aggressive

Driving

Overbearing

Controlling

Intolerant

The controllers are generally fast talkers, and make decisions quickly. Controllers like the facts without the fluff - don’t go on and on - simply communicate the key important points that will enable them to make a decision. Most people who don’t understand that they are dealing with an controller feel like they are rude and cut them short, however if you realise that their time is the most valuable thing and you can reduce your communication to ensure that they receive the information they will connect with you and be happy to do business with you.

The COLOURFUL

The COLOURFUL or influencer often has the following beneficial key characteristics:

Enthusiastic

Trusting

Optimistic

Persuasive

Talkative

Impulsive emotional

Characteristics of the colourful that could be viewed by others as negative are as follows:

Frantic

Erratic

Excitable

Flamboyant

Over the top

The colourful or influencer are generally very bubbly and passionate, love to be the centre of attention, talk loudly and fast and are the life of the party. To win over the peacock nothing works better than a compliment or praise and letting them talk and tell you all about whatever it is they want to talk about. The colourful is very sociable and love fun, don’t dampen their enthusiasm, talk over the top or “one up’ on a topic they are talking about.

The Compliant

The compliant often has the following beneficial key characteristics:

Accurate

Analytical

Conscientious

Careful

Fact-finder

Precise

High standards

Systematic

Characteristics of the compliant that could be viewed by others as negative are as follows:

Stuffy

Suspicious

Conservative

Cold

Reserved

Calculating

The compliant generally fill roles such as accountants, auditors or teachers. They are very accurate in everything they do, as they should be, and want to receive all of the details and facts before making any decisions. Communicate with statistics or accurate detailed numbers with decimal points etc and you will resonate with them. Don’t use words such as probably, roughly or thereabout and never spell their name wrong.

The COMFORTER or steady often has the following beneficial key characteristics:

good listener

team player

can be possessive

naturally steady

reliable

predictable

very understanding

Trustworthy

Characteristics of the comforter that could be viewed by others as negative are as follows:

Resist change

Take their time to make a decision

They are sensitive to criticism

When let down, they will hold a grudge

The comforter or steady generally are soft spoken and speak slightly slower to ensure they don’t attract too much attention. They are very thoughtful in their communication as they don’t want to upset anyone.

When you win their trust, they will be a friend or customer for life, break their trust and look out.

This has been a brief overview of the most common personality profiling tool DISC in the form of the four C’s - understand how you communicate and more importantly how the person that you’re communicating with - communicates, what is their perspective of the world - first understand then be understood.