Negotiate better; avoid conflicts and cultivate better relationships Part II

BY JAY BRIJPAUL

Last edition, we introduced the idea that: fire, earth, air and water define our personalities. In 1928, Dr. William Moulton Marston wrote “Emotions of Normal People,” resulting in the DISC Personality System. Today, more than 1 million businesses adopt this model to assess personalities. Last edition we examined the Driver (D) and the Influencer (I). This week we are going to tap into the Supportive (S) and the Critical (C). Supportive and critical thinkers are slow paced and a left-brain personality while drivers and the influencers are faster paced and right brain personalities.

Supportive (S) Personality – Dove (Slow)
S personalities prefer to work quietly behind the scene. They are task-oriented and caring. Many S personalities are teachers and nurses. They are good listeners and love a stable environment where they can work at their own pace. They are warm, calm and quiet. They are slow to make decisions. When dealing with doves, speak at their pace and be supportive. Doves do not like to be pressured and do not adapt well to drastic changes. They are silent resisters.

Sara rents a property from Bob. Sara is an S personality. She is very quiet, reserved and avoids conflicts. However, she would politely complain about any minor problems with the home, from condensation on the windows to a few ants crawling around in the summer. Bob, a D personality, gets annoyed and would often use his lion roar. Sara, the silent resister, did her research and called the Landlord and Tenant Board over the minor issues. Bob, after learning about personality conflicts, changed his approach. He asked Sara to make a list of the things to be done. He fixed all the minor problems and also gave her a rental increase, which he had not done in many years. Without the rental increase, Sara would have continued to complain. S personalities do not like changes that are adverse.

Sellers with S personalities should be approached with a non-threatening manner.  The quick talker will get the door closed quickly on them. When dealing with sellers, ask politely. They usually think with their hearts.

Critical (C) Personality – Owl (Slow)
Owls are reserved, left-brain thinkers. You can recognize an owl by their formal handshakes. They dress conservatively and speak in monotone. An owl sees everything in black or white and nothing in between. Owls love procedures. By nature, they work slowly and methodically to understand or implement strategies. Owls make great judges, accountants and engineers. They are calm, curious and careful in nature.

Unlike the peacock, owls will: analyze, aim, analyze, pull the trigger half-way and then reanalyze. Owls dislike anything that is disorganized and do not trust quick, disorganized peacocks. They are sure-footed and avoid talking about personal matters. Owls hold grudges for a long time and can be vindictive.

Earlier in my career I had an interview with an owl seller. Our interview lasted for about an hour. He looked over everything and highlighted my mistakes. Finally, he asked me to send him a detailed list of all the properties I had sold in the past in his area. I declined and lost out on the sale of his home.

Many years ago, I met an owl that wanted an investment property. She was mortgage free and had enough money put away for the investment. It used to take me about four hours to show her four properties because she was detail oriented. Eventually we settled on a property, but before making an offer, she used all the analytical tools in the industry to arrive at an offering price. By the time she was finished, another buyer snapped it up. Sure-footed owls seldom leave the shore.

Personalities can be mixed, for example DI, ID, DO, OD, OS, SO, IS AND SI. Opposite quadrants usually have conflicts, for example, the eagle and the dove, and the owl and the peacock. Knowing our personalities and the personality traits of others is exceptionally important in growing your business. You can choose the I Salesman, the S Costumer Service Person, the O Researcher and the D Manager. When dealing with people. Likability plays an important role.