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Sales Training on PersonalityA
fundamental lesson in any business or sales training program
is to understand your customer. Human behavior and
personality theories have a direct application to sales and business
industries. Here is an overview
of several well-known personality theories along with specific sales
training
tips on applying your knowledge of people. The Origins of Personality Theory The Unconscious Mind - In
the 1800's and early 1900's, Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and Carl Jung
- three of the most recognizable and reputable names
in personality theory - studied the conscious and
unconscious
mind. Each proposed individual theories
of personality, however
they all suggested that the unconscious mind influences all of
our
experiences and behaviors. Carl Jung suggested that people deal with the world in four ways, or "functions" as he called them, each to a different degree, with one being superior. "Sensing" - Getting information from the senses,
through looking, listening, hearing, feeling, etc. "Thinking" - Evaluting information rationally and
logically. "Intuiting" -Perceiving from large amounts of
information. "Feeling" -Evaluating information by weighing
one's overall emotional responses. These four functions of Jung's had a tremendous influence on personality assessment. Katharine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers agreed with Jung's theory and created a paper-and-pencil personality test, now known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which places people into one of sixteen personality types. It was established in 1943 and has evolved through many years of continual test research into a standard psychological instrument for assessment of personality. To maintain ethical
guidelines established by the psychological community, the MBTI
must be administered by a qualified psychological professional.
Today, the MBTI is used by millions of people. It's
practical applications lie in the areas of leadership, team-building,
sales training, career planning, time management, problem- solving and more.
Conditioning - While
many theories on personality type share some commonalities, some theories
approach personality assessment from a completely different angle.
Rather than seeing people "fall into" certain personality
types,
B.F. Skinner, a researcher and psychology writer in the early-to--mid
1900's, believed that people - as organisms - bounce around their
universe exhibiting behavior based on reinforcement from the
environment. He calls this operant conditioning.
"A
behavior followed by a reinforcing stimulus results in an increased
probability of that behavior occuring in the future".
Therefore,
"The bad do bad because the bad is rewarded. The good do good
because the good is rewarded". Freedom and dignity don't
factor
into Skinne'rs theory, which has resulted in great debate. Self-Actualization - Another unique take on the development of personality is one from Abraham Maslow, a psychologist from Brooklyn, New York. His theory on human motivation is explained through a hierarchy of needs that he suggested are inborn, just like instincts. ![]() He believed that people move up through the hierarchy of needs in the following order: physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and finally, once all these needs are met, they reach what he calls, "self-actualization", which he identifies as a level of growth motivation - "becoming the fullest you" and "being all you can be". Humorism - Several years back, I read a great book by Florence Littauer, titled Your Personality TreeHippocrates (b. ca. 460 B.C), "the Father of Medicine", and his son-in-law Polybus, believed that the four bodily fluids (a.k.a "humors") are each associated with one of the four elements (air, fire, earth, water) which make up all things. Too much of one humor or another was believed to bring about illness.
"Sanguine" - Cheerful, optimistic, the “Life of the Party”
who is comfortable to be around and gets along with everyone (extroverted)."Choleric" - “I’m in charge”, “It’s my way or the highway”
type, characterized by a quick, hot temper and aggressive nature (extroverted). "Melancholy"- A thinker, everything
is well-planned and thought-out, no decision is made hastily. This type of person tends to take a pessimistic view of the world
and can be sad or depresssed (introverted). "Phelgmatic" - A “worry wart”, can be lazy or slow to make a any decision, even something as simple as “will that be cream or milk in
your coffee?” (introverted). The
personality theories described here in these sales training pages, although not exhausted, have
a very practical application in sales and business processes. Sales
professionals, managers, business owners and any professional who works
with people can use the knowledge provided here to enhance their
dealings with people. By understanding the underlying reasons why people behave and relate the way they do helps us as professionals to work through challenging business dealings and help our customers make better decisions. Personality Measurement Katharine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers created a paper-and-pencil personality test, now known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which places people into one of sixteen personality types. It was established in 1943 and has evolved through many years of continual test research into a standard psychological instrument for assessment of personality. To maintain ethical
guidelines established by the psychological community, the MBTI
must be administered by a qualified psychological professional.
Today, the MBTI is used by millions of people. It's
practical applications lie in the areas of leadership, team-building,
sales training, career planning, time management, problem- solving and more. advertisement: Check out our range of PhD certified Personality tests. We also have loads of other IQ, Aptitude and Self-assessment Tests that you would love. Personality in the Sales Process So. how do we use what we know about personality to benefit the sales process? There are countless books, articles, discussions and reading materials on the subject of personality assessment. Considering your own thoughts and opinions on what you're learning, taking the time to read books, listen to audio tapes, attend seminars and better educate yourself on the subject of personality will, without a doubt, improve the sales process. An effective sales approach, the one that I use on a daily basis, is to first, assess the temperament type discussed on these sales training pages. Once you've identified the type of person that you’re working with, you can adjust your sales presentation to accommodate your customer's individual personality type. Here are a few tips that do just that: Sales Training Tips for Selling to a "Choleric" Customer:
When dealing with someone who has a choleric personality type,
it’s important to let them know they’re in charge and
compliment them on good decisions. Sales Training Tips for Selling to a "Sanguine" Customer: If you find yourself presenting to a sanguine personality type, you don’t need to do much except get along with them and work on closing the sale quickly (assuming there isn't another decision maker behind the scenes, like a spouse or business partner with a different personality type). Sales Training Tips for Selling to a "Melancholy" Customer: The melancholy type will usually have a list of questions ready for you. Because he or she is a typically a true researcher and detail oriented person, be prepared to settle in and entertain questions about your product or service that will test your expertise. You probably won’t close this sale in the first sitting, but that’s okay. If you follow up properly and are prepared for more questions after you leave, you will put yourself in the best position possible to close this sale. Just stay patient! Sales Training Tips for Selling to a "Phlegmatic" Customer: When dealing with a phlegmatic personality type, you are typically going dealing with a person who has difficulty with the fact they have to make a decision (especially a percieved "large" financial decision. After reassuring this person that everything will be handled professionally and with great care, it would help to have some third party proof. Referral letters stating how professional and careful your company is, certificate of insurance, any awards you've recieved and/or articles written about your company. In the end you have to take charge of the sale and just close it. If you are not strong in your close you may allow this customer to slip away with all their uncertainty and worry. Help make the decision for the customer and then compliment them on making such a great decision in your post close. Take the temperaments quiz to reveal which of the four temperaments describes you most. Considerations Behavior in social settings is often not the same in business settings, especially when finances are at stake. The happy-go-lucky sanguine type can present melancholy or even choleric features when business or work comes into play.
Sales Training Tips on Staying Logical During the Sales Process:
Sources: Dr. C. George Boeree, Psychology Department, Shippensburg University Florence Littauer, The Personality Tree Fisheaters.com |
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