Do you know your style?
I do not mean your style of dress. I mean your social style.
One of the best training programs I ever completed was from the late Ken Greenwood. The Greenwood Performance Selling System relied on Wilson Learning and their Social Styles. Greenwood took us through a complete series of videos with role players going through various radio sales scenarios. At the heart of his work was the versatility he thought salespeople should have in working with different types of social styles both inside and outside of the station.
I took to the study like a duck to water, as did most of my fellow salespeople, and started learning about myself and how others experience me. We first had to learn how each of us was different in how we communicated. Our styles didn’t only stay in one quadrant they could range from being ask assertive to tell assertive or more concerned with tasks over people depending upon our situation.
The bottom line was that there were four types of social styles: Driver, Amiable, Expressive, and Analytical. The thinking was that you would get along with one out of every four people ideally, one out of four horribly, and the other two were up for grabs. The key was to learn how to be versatile enough in your approach to respect how others communicate.
I am a driving expressive. I am task-oriented, want others to respond to me in a timely fashion, and like to get others jacked about my ideas. I have to be careful around an amiable who is analytical. If an Amiable/Analytical buyer wants to pass my proposal on to others to share in the decision, remain fairly structured the way they make decisions, and require a bunch of factual evidence before they buy, I am in trouble. In general, those who want to be friends before clients can present a real challenge for me.
The same is true of the amiable who is trying to communicate with me. It would be most effective if they cut to the chase, lead with the solution and be timely in presenting information requested. As Wilson Learning teaches, an analytical buyer may need a formal approach or just time to consider making a decision. An amiable requires me to be open and honest about my feelings and willing to pass around my proposal. Drivers, like me, want business communication mainly focused on the problem and favor direct approaches that need only one or two people to sign off on it before implementation. Expressives need time flexibility and want to hear and see the excitement in proposals.
Watch this video of Pat McAfee, and you tell me that he isn’t an Expressive who likes to drive.
Wilson points out that slight modification in your style is critical. Just make sure you ask the buyer’s opinion first, maybe get to the point quicker, slow or quicken your pace, and use more or fewer gestures and facial expressions. It’s all good. Every style can be successful in business.
This exercise will lower tension in relationships and help you also to realize when it is time to move on. Sometimes, no matter what, it isn’t worth it to a Driver to sell to die-hard Amiables who want to be friends and clients. And the same goes for Amiables, who have no interest in Drivers looking for bottom lines and minimal personal expression. It’s all about getting the work done- one way or another- to me.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
