Add Some Colour To Your Sales

We all know that in clothing, one size does not fit all.  In business we develop CRM systems trying to pigeonhole customers into categories, on the basis they are different.  In our families, we know that children raised in the same house, in the same circumstances, can have completely different personalities. This is all very well, that we are aware of these facts, but so what?  What can we do with this knowledge and can we see any application in our dealings with the people in our lives?  

Is there a way to quickly understand each other? How can we better apply the "platinum rule" - treat others in the way they wish to be treated?  There is a genius way of working with each other and it starts with answering some basic questions.

Which of these four personality colours are you?

Red: “Time is money”, “No excuses, just get on with it”.

Blue: “Show me the big picture”, “Let's do it - where we are going will be incredible”.

Green: “Let’s have a cup of tea and get to know each other”, “how are the family”, “how will everyone feel about this?”

Black: “Where’s the independent proof”, “I want to see the numbers validated”, “Who says so besides you?”

Actually at different times we are all of these colours or personality styles, but generally speaking we do have a preferred style. The usual outcome though is we operate in our preferred style with everyone, which as mentioned is a “one size fits all” approach. We also know in most areas of business, this “one-size fits all” is generally not where we want to be, but in one of the most important areas in business– our interaction with others – this is our normal default position. Uh oh, this sounds bad!

There are a multitude of lost opportunities floating around as a result. Our preferred style works pretty well with roughly one quarter of the population, that is, those most like us, and we can often struggle with the rest of our clients or colleagues.

It doesn’t have to be like that, we could be getting on well with all styles, if we know how.  If you can make two decisions, here is the how.

Visualise a horizontal scale. On the left hand side locate people who are very low in assertion terms. On the right, imagine highly assertive individuals. So when you meet someone, make your first pass and guess where this person is located on the scale.

Usually it is not that difficult to place them. Those with strong opinions, those who want to organize things, those who want to direct outcomes tend to be high in assertion. They direct the conversation. The opposite style is probably a bit more reserved, they observe, are not likely to lecture you, want to lead you, or cut you off mid-sentence. They won’t challenge your views, instead they will look for points of agreement.

Now let’s create a vertical scale in your mind’s eye. At the top of the scale locate someone who is very people oriented, a “people person” so to speak. They enjoy the company of others, they are concerned about how people feel, they are thinking about outcomes in terms of how it will effect the people involved.

Their opposite number at the bottom of the scale is concerned with task, with results. The outcome is critical, “the end justifies the means”. “We are going to take that hill, you are all most likely going to die in the process, but the objective must be achieved”. So the person you meet will no doubt talk in terms of numbers, targets, outcomes or results. You can roughly plot where they are on the scale.

So to match the colours, the Blue Zone would be top right, someone who is assertive but has a high people orientation. Often salespeople, actors, PR people lobbyists, and trainers. The Red Zone, bottom right, would be occupied by the CEO, the “my way or the highway” boss. The Green Zone, top left, would be the librarian, the carer, the team player. The Black Zone, bottom left, is often the accountant, scientist, lawyer, engineer.  Remember we are all of these at certain times, but we tend to revert to our preference when under pressure.

The point is not just knowing that we are entering a certain Zone when we meet people. We have to be able to operate effectively in that Zone. Don’t waste their time with small talk in the Red Zone – get straight down to business. Speak quickly, have a high tempo and be dynamic. "Right, let's down to business, we should do this and do it now. Here are the three reasons why this is the best course of action…”.

In the opposite quadrant, the Green Zone, slow your speaking speed right down, drop the power in your voice to make it soft and non-threatening. Over tea, calmly talk about “This idea will really be good for the team’s motivation and how the people here feel because…”.

In the Blue Zone, we are focused on winning as a team and we talk about how “This new idea will take us to Number One, we are going to go all the way to the top, and then we will party, party, party!”

In the Black Zone, we had better be talking about the finer points of detail and we better be able to back it up with proof. “Five separate totally reputable market research studies from 1985 onwards, at specific intervals of 5 years, in all 15 key markets, have consistently indicated a 12.35% average take up by the top 9.29% of wealthy consumers who earn an average of $892,525 per annum”.

If we can earn to be “in the Zone” they prefer and we will be successful with all four personality styles. That is a pretty good outcome to only matching it with one.  This does means switching gears, being flexible, being sensitive to style and being highly skilled in communication. The rewards are enormous, because remember, being on the same wave length with four out of four clients certainly beats the one out of four that your competitors are currently managing.

Are your sales people professionals who can switch and be red, blue, green and black at will?  Most sales people have one style, one approach and wonder why they can't connect with so many of their clients.  Once they are taught this perspective though, they quickly realise why they have been struggling.  Understanding is fine, but unless they can apply the understanding nothing much changes.  Train the sales team in how to engage all four colours and watch the results climb.

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