Marketing
Selling to the Four Temperament Stylesby John Boe
To be successful in your sales career you must learn to develop trust and rapport quickly with your prospects. People want to do business with people that they feel understand their needs and treat them as an individual. Each of the four primary temperament styles requires a different approach and selling strategy. Being able to identify your prospect’s primary temperament style is critically important and will allow you to adjust your style to communicate effectively with theirs. In the world of commission sales, if you are unable or unwilling to adapt your style in order to work compatibly with your prospect, you will have skinny children. With a little training and practice you will soon be able to use temperament knowledge to enhance all of your relationships.
My temperament training system gives you the tools and knowledge to recognize a person’s primary temperament style through observation. Each primary temperament style exhibits a body language preference and has distinctive physical features and characteristics that are not related to gender, race, or age. This is a significant breakthrough in the study of temperament understanding because it is a practical system that can be used with everyone you meet. My temperament training program allows you to put this information to use in your day-to-day encounters from the sales table to the kitchen table.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, has been credited with originating the basic theory of temperament styles twenty-four hundred years ago. Hippocrates believed that we are born with a combination of four genetic influences that he called humors; Choleric (Worker), Sanguine (Talker), Phlegmatic (Watcher), and Melancholy (Thinker). He observed that these four styles have a direct influence on our physiology, character traits and outlook on life. While we are each born with a primary temperament, our personality is comprised of all four styles. The order, in which these four styles appear in your individual profile, creates the degree of influence they have on your thinking. For example, you might have the Thinker as your primary temperament style and the Talker as your secondary with the Watcher and the Worker as your third and fourth influence. There are six combinations for each of the four primary temperament styles, which when combined, create a total of twenty-four individual temperament profiles. For the purposes of this workshop we will be focusing mainly on identifying the primary temperament styles. Now, lets take a closer look at each of these four styles.
The Worker:
People who have the Worker as their primary temperament style are physically large, powerful people with broad shoulders. Workers often have a square jaw. Women with this primary temperament are referred to as big boned. The Worker’s superior attitude, impatience, and need for control is reflected in their body language. They look you squarely in the eye and usually have a firm or even a vise grip handshake. Workers walk with a purpose. You can usually hear them coming by their quick, heavy step. They frequently use the aggressive, hands-on-hips stance to communicate control and territorial dominance. Workers demonstrate their impatience through a variety of energetic gestures. They will drum their fingers, tap their toe or bounce their leg in an effort to move things along. Workers will display their superior attitude, by leaning back in their chair and placing both hands behind their head - placing their feet up on the desk is considered optional.
The extroverted Worker temperament style prefers a fast, bottom line presentation and is generally quick to make a decision. They want you to respect their time by being well prepared, on time and to the point. They ask "what" questions. Keywords to use are: Results, Speed, and Control. Workers are practical and are interested in how you can save them time and money. Maintain good eye contact and don't let their demanding nature and intimidating body language unnerve you. Avoid details when possible and give the Worker options so you don’t threaten their sense of control. Allow them to set the pace of the presentation.
The following well-known people all have the Worker as their primary temperament style: Bea Arthur, Carroll O’Connor, Bobby Knight, Vince Lombardy, George S. Patton, Janet Reno, Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and John Wayne.
The Talker:
Physically, Talkers tend to have a barrel chest, stocky build and a proportionately large head. Due to their eating habits and sedentary life style, they are prone to gain weight and find it difficult to keep off. Talkers are "couch potatoes" and typically lack the discipline to stay in shape. It is not unusual for the Talker to have bags under their eyes and a recessed chin. While not all Talkers will have a dimple in their chin, it has been my observation that anyone that does have a dimple is automatically the Talker/Thinker/Worker/Watcher profile. Of the six primary Talker profiles, this profile is the most dramatic, expressive, creative, formal and moody. The mood of a Talker, with the Thinker as their secondary temperament, swings dramatically from happy (Talker influence) to sad (Thinker Influence). Some well known Talkers with a dimple in their chin are: John Trivolta, Terry Bradshaw, Jesse Ventura, Chevy Chase, Joe Namath, and Kirk Douglas. The expressive and emotional nature of the Talker is reflected in their body language gestures. Talkers have a propensity to cross their ankles. It is common for them to cross their ankles while standing, sitting or even lying down. Research indicates that this body language is used to hold back strong feelings or emotions. Talkers are demonstrative and frequently touch or pat their chest when they gesture. This gesture is used to indicate sincerity. Another one of their commonly used gestures is the positive "thumb up" signal.
The extroverted Talker temperament style prefers a fast, enthusiastic presentation and they tend to be impulsive shoppers. They want you to be entertaining and allow time for them to talk. One of the biggest challenges when presenting to the Talker is to keep them focused on the subject. They ask "who" questions. Keywords to use are: Exciting, Fun, and Enthusiastic. Keep your presentation big picture and avoid details and numbers whenever possible. Use colorful pie charts or graphs to make your point. Testimonials can be quite effective with the status conscious Talker.
The following well-known people all have the Talker as their primary temperament style: Mohammed Ali, John Belushi, Roseann Barr, Delta Burke, John Candy, Drew Carey, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Kathy Lee Gifford, Newt Gingretch, Larry King, Rosie O’Donnell, Dolly Pardon, Ronald Reagan, Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Richard Simmons, Sally Struthers, and Oprah Winfrey
The Watcher:
Watchers are the most difficult temperament style to identify physically. They have a stoic expression and are difficult to read. They often have a pear-shaped body and due to their sedentary nature they tend to gain weight. The harmonious and casual nature of the Watcher is reflected in their body language gestures. They find It comfortable to lean against a doorjamb or wall while engaged in a conversation. They tend to tuck a leg up under them when they sit down. This is a relaxed and comfortable position for the peaceful Watcher. Their stoic expression tends to hide their true feelings. Their passive nature will cause them to avoid sustained, direct eye contact. It is common for this temperament to rub their eye and look away when they are not telling the complete truth. In body language terms, this gesture is called, "see no evil." Watchers often use a yawn to relieve pressure.
The introverted Watcher temperament style prefers a slow, deliberate presentation and are very sensitive to conflict or perceived "sales pressure." They want you to be cordial and friendly. They ask "how" questions. Keywords to use are: Family, Service, and Harmony. You must condition Watchers for change; they are natural born procrastinators who love the status quos. They are family oriented and expect quality service after the sale. Help the Watcher make a decision by giving them assurance. Due to their pleasing personality and need for harmony, they will sometimes say yes when they mean no.
The following well-known people all have the Watcher as their primary temperament style: Jimmy Carter, Bob Newhart, Gerald Ford and Jean Stapleton.
The Thinker:
Thinkers will have a slightly darker cast and a more serious demeanor than the other three primary temperament styles. This darker cast is due to what Hippocrates labeled the "melancholy influence" in this style. This is the "dark" referred to in the phrase, "tall dark and handsome." Thinkers have identifiable wrinkles on their forehead and between their eyebrows. Ask a Thinker a question or give them a problem to solve and watch these furrow lines appear. The majority of Thinkers have long eyelashes and many have protruding ears like Abraham Lincoln, Prince Charles and Ross Perot. It has been my observation that everyone with a cleft chin is a Thinker, although not every Thinker will have a cleft chin. The most perfectionistic of the six Thinker primary profiles is the Thinker/Watcher/Worker/Talker profile, AKA the Perfectionist. The Perfectionist profile is easy to spot because of the distinctively thin shape to their head and chest. A good example of this Perfectionist profile is David Hyde Pierce who plays Dr. Niles Crane on the popular sitcom, Frasier. Other well known Perfectionists are: Jennifer Aniston, Johnny Carson, Kevin Costner, Celine Dion, Abe Lincoln and Tony Randall.
The most common body language tendency for the Thinker is to place their hand around their mouth, cheek or chin. This is a comfortable and natural posture when they are thinking or analyzing. Perhaps this is why Rodin created his sculpture masterpiece, "The Thinker," with the chin resting on the fist. When an individual talks while their hand is covering their mouth, or talks through their fingers, it sends the signal that they do not believe in what they are saying. When a Thinker is in the process of making a decision, they will stroke their chin. Another important gesture for the Thinker is critical judgment. Placing a thumb under the chin with the index finger resting along the cheek forms this negative gesture. Thinkers have a tendency to rub or scratch their nose frequently. Body language experts tell us that when a person does not like the subject being discussed, tiny nerve endings in the nose cause it to itch. When one peers over the top of their eyeglasses it denotes "judgment and scrutiny." Judge Judy exemplifies this negative gesture as she glares over her half glasses in an attempt to intimidate others in her courtroom. The most dismissive body language gesture used by the Thinker is "rolling their eyes" in a condescending manner.
The introverted Thinker temperament style prefers a slow, detailed presentation and requires time to warm up. They are cautious and skeptical people that take pride in doing their research before they purchase something. Around a Thinker you must be logical and accurate. Double-check your numbers because if they find a mistake, they will question your competence. They ask "why" questions. Keywords to use are: Logical, Safety, and Quality. Expect them to take their time "thinking it over." Thinkers don’t want to make a mistake and when they make a purchase they frequently get "buyers remorse". They will "shop" your numbers to make sure they are getting the
best deal possible. Help the Thinker reduce their fear of making
a mistake by giving them evidence.
The following well-known people have the Thinker as their primary temperament style: Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Kevin Beacon, Usama Bin Laden, George W. Bush, Nicholas Cage, Jim Carrey, Courtney Cox, Tom Cruise, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Jody Foster, Michael J. Fox, Mel Gibson, Louis Gossett Jr., Cary Grant, Arsenio Hall, Tom Hanks, George Harrison, Audrey Hepburn and Ron Howard.
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John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, is recognized as one of the nation’s top sales trainers and motivational speakers. He helps companies recruit, train and motivate quality people. John is a leading authority on body language and temperament styles. To view
