Appreciating Differences - Jack Falt - Ottawa area, Ontario, Canada

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Book Review by Jack Falt

Cooper, Brad, Quick Guide to the Four Temperaments and Sales: An Introduction to the Groundbreaking Sales™ Methods, Huntington Beach, CA: Telos Publications, 2003, ISBN 0-9712144-6-8, 40 pp

This booklet is designed to be used as a handout for a presentation on sales techniques based on the concepts of temperament. It uses the metaphor of the tree to discuss the aspects of a sales transaction: fruit - sales, bark - client demographics, branches - network, roots - clients’ needs, and soil - preferences of the salesperson. A fairly comprehensive look at temperaments is given, and it uses a symbol for each one: Artisan - fire, Guardian - rock, Rational - wind, and idealist - sun. Even though individuals with the same temperament have a lot in common, the booklet discusses environmental factors that affect how temperament is manifested in an individual’s life.

There is information on the Groundbreaking Sales™ Method, how it relates to temperament, and how to apply it. Several examples are given to help you make an intelligent guess as to what temperament your client is. Having determined the client’s temperament, the booklet explains how to give the client what he or she needs. Here is where the root rot tips — things not to do with the client — come in handy. Then there are some follow-up tips to use with the client. The process is based on the principle that if you give clients what they need, they in turn will give you what you need — a sale and therefore a commission. Tips are given on how to synchronise your temperament with those of the clients. It shows how to help clients have a plan based on their temperaments that will help guide them through the sales process, and to your mutual advantage.

For managers of a sales staff, there are suggestions on how to relate to each of the different temperaments of the staff members, how to cope with differences, and how to motivate and reward the staff.

The appendix has a worksheet to use for a self-assessment on your sales style. It also includes the answers to some common questions people have about temperament and sales. There is a list of words to use in advertisements that would appeal to each of the temperaments. Finally, there are a list of references for further reading.

I found this booklet quite interesting. Even if I was not using it in a sales training setting, I found it had a number of ideas I could use in presenting basic temperament.

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