How to Increase Sales Knowing the Client’s Temperament

Temperament is a physiological feature of personality. This feature of personality appears in behavior, vital activity, reaction to the environment, decision-making.

Temperament (lat. temperamentum) in Latin means “a stable mixture of components.” In 400 BC Hippocrates explained the behavior of man by the predominance one of four “life juices” in a human body. In 190 Galen (Claudius Galenus) gave names to temperament types: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic and Phlegmatic. In 1900 Ivan Pavlov proved temperament was a combination of the basic properties of the human nervous system: strength, emotional equilibrium and mobility of excitation and inhibition processes.

People with one type of temperament are rare. Mixed temperament often appears. However, by the domination of specific characteristics, it is possible to refer a person to a certain type of temperament.

By the client’s temperament, you can anticipate his (her) reaction to your words and proposed solutions. This will allow you to build effective communications with clients.

So why not to take advantage of this for the benefit of yourself and a client?

Strength: With personal interest will direct all his (her) forces to achieve a result. Acts swiftly. Impulsive in decision-making. He (She) easily perceives failures and troubles. Movable. Active. Variety of mimic. He (She) loves a change of impressions. Easily and quickly adapts to the environment. Resolute. Confident. Communicative. Easily converges with people. Quickly adapts to new conditions. Accepts people as they are. Curious. Optimistic. Quickly learns new things. Resistant to stress. Generous.

Weakness: In the absence of interest may not bring the matter to the end. May exhibit impermanence. Inattentive to small things. Superficial. Undisciplined.

Emotional equilibrium: Emotional – but he (she) is able to restrain emotions. Emotions are positive. Emotions quickly arise and change.

Mobility: Energetic. Quick. Fast speech.

You should avoid: Criticize that he (she) doesn’t bring the matter to the end. Show his (her) superficial point of view. Reproach for ignoring the details. Express the claims.

The keys to communication: Praise for the achieved results. Show novelty. Show him (her) the future results. You can show a little of exactingness. Help focus on the details. It is important to form the favorable FIRST impression of you.

Strength: Acts decisively.  Impetuous (Doing things without fear). Self-confident. Independent. He (She) doesn’t like being restricted by someone. Huge performance. Bring the matter to the end. Acts with passion. Overcomes difficulties. Loves risk and adventure. Communicative. Pragmatic. Strong-willed.

Weakness: Impatient. Can aimlessly waste his (her) energy. Quickly exhausted. Predisposed to emotional breakdowns. Doesn’t like a long wait. Can do the work carelessly, with errors and inaccuracies. He (She) is difficult to compromise. Excessive independence. Can ignore the interests of others. Sarcastic. Impetuous (Doing things without proper thought). Proud.

Emotional equilibrium: Spitfire. Impatient. Gusty. Sharply changes mood. Feelings are reflected in his (her) gestures, mimic and speech. Can be aggressive. His (her) reaction is not predictable in the new environment. Can change his (her) mind at the last minute.

Mobility: Energetic. Quick. Fast motions.

Actions under adverse conditions: Can not control his (her) emotions. Can do things without fear and without proper thought. His (her) reaction is not predictable.

You should avoid: Hard control. Set restrictions. Offer a compromise. Speak (especially in the presence of colleagues) that he (she) is wrong. Criticize. Persistently raise an objection.

The keys to communication: Give him the role of a leader. Show the final result. Let him (her) make his (her) own decisions. Unobtrusively direct him (her) to the desired result. Do compliments.

Strength: Successfully copes with tasks in a calm environment. Intuitively feels the attitude of people to themselves. Prefers to plan actions in advance. Rarely argues. Doesn’t say much. Stability of feelings. Has a rich inner world. Easily carries loneliness. If he (she) trust you, he (she) can share their secrets with you.

Weakness: Weak willpower. Deeply experiences minor setbacks and troubles. Anxious. Can hardly make a decision. Very sensitive person. Mistrustfully perceives the new. Unconfident. Makes the decision of stronger people. Gets tired quickly. Revengeful.

Emotional equilibrium: Very vulnerable. Much worried. Reacts sharply to events. Impressionable. Sluggishly responds to the environment. Has a need for empathy. Has confined and solitary behavior. Shy. Seeks sympathy.

Mobility: Slow. Acts step by step.

Actions under adverse conditions: Emotional vulnerability. Becomes closed and aloof. Becomes confused. Gives up.

You should avoid: Make remarks. Criticize. Exert pressure on him (her).

The keys to communication: Protect him (her) from anxiety. Form a comfortable environment for decision-making. Use bright positive images. Show empathy. Show a clear plan of actions. Support him (her) in decision-making. Support him (her) to accept changes. Say he (she) cope with a task and you believe in him (her). If he (she) makes a mistake Say “People tend to make a mistake from time to time”. Look for positive moments in failures. Switch attention to the result of work. Ask to tell about his (her) achievements. Praise and admire his (her) results. Remember and praise his (her) past successes. Analyse his (her) failure and work out the steps as he (she) will act the next time. Help to show his (her) confidence. Think with him (her) together.

Strength: Has perseverance in work. Stable in aspirations and mood. Hard-working. Attentive. Plodding. Has a good memory. Has a high intelligence. Takes weighted decisions. It’s hard to get him (her) mad. He keeps traditions. He prefers weighted solutions. Cheerful. Calm. Organized.

Weakness: Not emotional. Inert. Not a mobile. Long accustoms to the new environment. Long takes decisions. New habits are slowly forming. Sloth may appear. Avoids making decisions. Hardly changes his (her) opinion.

Emotional equilibrium: Unflappable. Hides his (her) emotions and feelings. Indifferent to others. Support is required. Doesn’t prone to conflict. Self-demanding.

Mobility: Slow. Acts step by step. Productive in work.

Actions under adverse conditions: Apathy. The monotony of actions. Together with these: he (she) can work productively. Long hesitation in decision making.

You should avoid: Speed up decision-making and his (her) work activity. Continue to impose a solution if it meets resistance. Be irritated by his (her) slowness and uncertainty.

The keys to communication: Show a solution consistently – step by step. Talk business, avoiding empty words. For a decision, give more details. Assist with making changes.

Look closely at a client, his (her) reaction and behavior on the events taking place. By his (her) reaction and behavior, you can refer a client to a certain type of temperament. Join to a client for effective communication. Perhaps he (she) has a mixed temperament. In this case, make an effort for best joining to him (her).

Knowledge of client’s temperament type allows you to act consciously and give you confidence.

Below I give a link to the form of express-analysis of a client’s temperament. Print it, start communication, make notes after negotiations or throughout a day. Develop your skills in researching people’s behavior. Over time, your negotiation and sales skills will improve as well.

Remember

1. Watch the reaction, gestures and mimic of a client
2. Define the type or types of client’s temperament
3. Join to a client
4. Use the keys to communication
5. Avoid unacceptable actions for a client’s temperament type