dress is usually dark blue and conservative, nothing flashy or terribly stylish. If a Director is wearing a flashy tie you can feel safe in asking, Nice tie, who bought it for you? They drive conservative, functional cars such as a Reliant or a Taurus. Dont touch a Director, in fact, handshakes are unnecessary. They like their personal space, We are here to do business, not get married! A Director is not concerned about the relationship, they just care about your performance as a professional and how the performance of your product or service will contribute to the bottom line. Dont have an emotional outburst (crying) in a Directors office. He or she will be unmoved and unimpressed. Get yourself together-then carry on with the conversation. No sniffling allowed. Remember, Directors have a need for power and control that cannot be ignored by a pushy sales representative. They are motivated by bottom-line detail. In summary:

DIRECTOR

Spontaneous

Sntnmrtzt), shoves tinic emalion

Business first rntrybt pCr[y

Ahrays asking whats the point?

Get to tne point quickly no stKiahiing

Focused on goofc, objectives and pelting the task done

Ctriitcrtatrte dresser, nothing IfasJry

Handihoivtt art илпкеяагу

Wants bottom-lint dnall, ovoid the feature dump

Fan densrorw, $р9л№ №$

Cosn or g-ift oertficoDes at rfts, г)(ч shopping

Рйог Jiste/ier

Needs to be in CONTROL in charge

Very pjujn office, clean desk, nothing on watts

Gonftjwi ifi*. sale with bottnm4ine detail

Thinker

The two main components of a Thinker are indirect (slow decisions) and self-contained (introvert). These individuals are typically your engineers, accountants, and computer programmers. Its information first, then business. You dont have much hope of doing business with them until you deliver all the required data for them to make an informed, intelligent decision. Thinkers hate to be wrong-it drives them crazy when mistakes are made. Thats why they are indirect, not making decisions quickly, avoiding mistakes. They are very detailed-oriented and precise, often guided by the letter of the law, versus the spirit of the law. Presentations to Thinkers must be logical, accurate, and reliable. Thinkers are the ones who will lure you into a feature dump. They love it. Rather than spewing reams of information, ask them what they would like to see. They will tell you whats important to them so make sure you provide it. I suggest you openly acknowledge their need for information, then ask, What specific information would you need to see to build your confidence to buy from me? Build confidence by presenting

Expect Thinkers to compare your product or service to the competition. Seldom will they accept information at face value. Impulse buying is very uncomfortable for them. They prefer to research manufacturers specifications and converse with experts in that field. Dont argue with them; there isnt much chance of winning. Why? Because they have thoroughly researched the subject and have the data to back themselves up, and they will pursue the argument until they are victorious. In some cases Thinkers attitudes are: Im right and youre wrong but its your right to be wrong.

Of the four styles, Thinkers are the ones least concerned with dress-its not important. Their clothes are a bit worn and generally a bit out of style. They sometimes wear a plastic pocket protector full of Bic pens and use duct tape to fix their glasses. I know some Thinkers who insist on hanging toilet paper correctly, exercising proper toilet paper management, so that it rolls off the top. This is an important detail to Thinkers and in fact, they have been known to correct it when they get home. They sometimes even correct it at a friends home, just to help out. It has been the topic of many heated matrimonial discussions. Of course the Directors are thinking: Who cares? Im happy if theres paper on the back of

the toilet.

Thinkers tend to be packrats, never throwing anything out. Their garages and basements are jammed with old stuff because, You just never know when it might be useful. Heck, they even have their university text books and notes somewhere in the basement.

Thinkers focus on two important aspects of selling: accuracy and an eye to detail. They are particular on their paperwork, which is appreciated by internal customers. They tend to do a job right the first time, whereas Socializers may have to redo it several times as they often overlook important details. In summary:

appropriate information guided by the Thinkers feedback. Dumping wheelbarrels of data in their office for their perusal only lengthens the sales cycle. Edit your dialogue with data that are relevant and appropriate to the Thinker.

! hays to go. Another role* rvp just Hp wHb

very important information.

Relater

The two main components of a Relater are indirect (slow decisions) and open (extrovert). These individuals are very sensitive, often taking business issues personally. They are very intuitive, accurately reading peoples nonverbal behaviors. Relaters are big-time team players and they encourage harmony among the team, be it at work, socially, or at home with their family. Relaters are emotional, empathetic people who are moved to tears easily and can be oversensitive. Take a Relater to see Titanic and watch what happens. They cry very easily. (Yes, even male Relaters.) Directors would be inclined to think, Why are you crying, you knew the darn thing sank in 1912. Relaters are often appalled at the apparent apathy of Directors, taking their verbal and nonverbal responses literally. Relaters hate conflict of any sort. They go to great lengths to avoid hassles, talking their way out of conflict. They are very conforming and go with the flow versus doing it solo. Relaters are good listeners and ask more than tell. Relaters are motivated by the relationship, hoping everybody will like them. They must be popular and tend to make decisions slowly (indirect) so as to not offend or upset anyone with an unpopular decision. When shopping, Relaters will often ask, Whats popular, whats selling? The use of references is very effective with Relaters-they build confidence in your product or service. Relaters like to be assured that they are not the only ones using your product or service. Your proposal must support or enhance the people side of the business, concentrating on harmony, security, and concrete benefits. Ask them frequently about their opinions and ideas. In summary: