Monday, January 7, 2008 - I'm An Expressive-Driver! You?
I used to teach the “Four Personality Types” in the “marketing” portion of my real estate classes. I’ve used this system for years. It’s embedded into my brain. It is incredibly useful, and best of all it’s simple and accurate. Find out for yourself!
I worked for a time-share company in the mid-nineties for a couple of years. Yes, been there, done that, worn that T-shirt! It was a great experience, too! The job was basically to get a couple to love you in less than two hours, so they’ll buy the program from you. If you want to know if I believed in what I sold, I will tell you it was like selling gym membership. It is only worth it if you use it. Unfortunately, the eighty-twenty rule applies. That means only twenty percent of the members use it eighty percent of the time. Next time you go to your gym, look around. It’s the same twenty percent! This formula is accurate. Unfortunately, I’m one of those eighty percent!
The company I worked for made sure all the salespeople were trained. So they paid a “professional” trainer thousands of dollars to come and train us over a weekend. He was great! He was an older gentleman, and he had a great personality. I think his first name was Floyd, but that’s all I remember about him. I’ve kept the folder he gave us for years, but I only remember the “Four Personality Types” in my head. Everything else was pretty obvious stuff. Come to think of it, everything is obvious once you know and apply it. So here it is: (drum roll please)
The Four Personality Types:
1) The Drivers – These are “driven” people. They measure everything by their accomplishments. They are about results. Drivers are the “risk-takers” of the world. They “release” stress every second of the day. They are easy to sell to. They see the big picture, and they want to be in charge. If you can show them the same initiative and results, they’ll love you. Do you know a driver?
2) The Expressives – These people are driven by “emotions”. They are the social, artist type. They “feel” everything and are very imaginative. Expressives are somewhat of a risk-taker. They release stress very often, but not every second of the day. They can easily be convinced if you speak lively and get very artistic with them. They make decisions quickly, but not as quickly as drivers. Are you an expressive?
3) The Analyticals – These people are driven by numbers. The engineer types. They sometimes are very driven, but they need proof, as in statistics and practicality in numbers. The “numbers” always has to make sense with these people. Analyticals are not risk-takers at all. They will only take risks if it’s a sure thing. They say no often because they over analyze. They release stress very seldom, but if you cross them, they will bury you! If you want them to love you, just give them the “bottom line”. Analyticals are very easy to spot, and everyone knows one!
4) The Amiable – These people are driven by kindness. They are the submissive, church-going types. They often need drivers to make decisions for them. They always talk about “giving to others” and ways to “make this a better world.” They are not risk-takers at all. They release stress “in buckets!" They never say anything, but when they do, it’s in “postal” proportions. When you see the news on television, about a guy who killed someone, and the neighbor comes on saying: “Gee, he was such a nice guy!” Most likely, an Amiable.
Now you know the four personality types. Here are some notable things to remember. Releasing stress is a very common human action. Just like eating and then releasing the food, it is the same thing with human interactions. I never saw it that way until this lesson. We are not robots; our personalities are an indication, or expression, of how we release tension. Most people are a combination of two of these personalities. I am definitely an Expressive-Driver! I hate “accounting”, and indecision bugs me! I am also a risk-taker! Both good and bad for me, but most cases good!
The order matters here because there aren’t going to be too many Amiable-Drivers, because they are somewhat opposite. Most people are either Expressive-Drivers, or Driver-Expressive, or Analytical-Drivers, or Analytical-Amiable. Most people have one dominant personality, and a second or third non-dominant one. Yes, I’ve met Drivers who are both Expressive and Analytical in nature, but that’s kind of rare.
Personal tragedies, or successes, can change some people’s personalities, at least from their appearance. Some Expressives become Drivers after experiencing success or fame. These same Expressive sometimes become Amiable. We all know of celebrities that go through these transformations.
So you are a salesperson. You sell cars, or real estate, or insurance, vacuums, appliances, toner, make-up, anything, and you are trying to make a sale. If you discover the prospective customer person being Analytical, you better show the numbers. If they are a Driver, you better talk big results! If you are talking to an Amiable, you better talk kindly. If they are an Expressive, you better get emotional! If you are talking to a couple, then find out which one the Driver is and which one is the Amiable, (most couples are opposites, or should I say complementary) and talk to each of them in their personality. Sometimes the man is the Amiable, so you never know until they talk. If you get two Drivers, it is an easier sell. If you get two Analytical, or two indecisive Amiables, good luck! Remember in sales, opposites don’t attract, but birds of the same feather definitely flock together!
During the training, Floyd showed us a very revealing video. In it, they showed random people, being asked: What is the first thing they would do if they won a million dollars? The Drivers first wanted to buy a business and invest in real estate. The Expressives talked about how it would “feel” to have a million dollars first, then about buying new sets of clothes, new cars, makeovers, to make themselves look better. The Analyticals immediately asked how much they would really get after taxes. The Amiables first talked about sharing the money with their families and then giving a percentage to a charity or a church. They interviewed about twenty-five different people, and there wasn’t a majority of one personality that stood out. Most people responded with two or more personalities. They would say “invest the money first, then buy luxury items for themselves, then give some away.” So that person is more Driver than Amiable. Some people said: “Help out my family and friends in need, then maybe invest.” Then that person is more Amiable than Driver. The key was what was the “first thing” they would do.
If at this moment you are asking: “Robert, I am not or never will be a sales person. In fact, I truly hate the sales world! How would this help me?”
My response is this: When I first absorbed this “Four Personality Types” in my brain, I didn’t think much of it. Then I slowly realized that these personalities are present in every situation! I was totally applying it on an everyday basis. Look at yourself. You are at least two of these four! Look at you friends and family. Is you mother an amiable? Everyone has an Amiable brother or sister, the one who doesn’t like confrontations. My mother is definitely the Driver! She single-handedly took us all to America. My father is definitely an Amiable! He explodes once in a while! I got my mom’s Driver side, and some of my dad’s Amiable side, the sharing side. Look at the people you know at work, your friends. Who is the Analytical? Who is the Driver who doesn’t share anything, and the Expressive one doing art or music, which one is he? Go to a social gathering, a party, or a nightclub. The Expressives always stand out! The Amiables won’t dance. Neither will the Analyticals! The guy or girl who’s hosting the gathering? Probably an Expressive-Driver!
I will end this column with this story. I was once in line at the supermarket, and I swear to God I saw all four personalities in strangers within two minutes. The Driver kept asking for another cashier to open. The Expressive was trying to strike a conversation with another guy in line. The Amiable was helping the cashier bag her groceries, after giving a dollar to some school function. Then you know what the Analytical was doing? Making sure the prices on his receipt was accurate! If you want to know, I never check the receipt, but I do ask for cashiers to open a new line, and strike conversations with strangers. I’m definitely an Expressive–Driver!
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About Me
Robert Calixto read a simple quote, and suddenly his creative floodgates opened! One of those self-defining, quotable quotes you read on Reader’s Digest. He is patiently working on a scifi/political thriller, a self-help/sales manual, and a biography. Being a columnist helps him focus on his newfound challenge, writing! The quote? ”You don’t find yourself, you make yourself.”
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