Q: “Denise, I caught your Denise Live this week about how recognizing someone’s personality can help you communicate better and I am looking forward to your four-part series on this! I am a promoter and have a senior seller who worked as an engineer all his life. Although he appreciates the work I am doing for him, he seems to be constantly annoyed. How do I win him over?”

A: If he was an engineer and he seems to be annoyed, he is probably has both analytical and controller personality traits in him. Analytical and controller personality types value:

• Tasks
• Efficiency
• Getting things done
• Punctuality

Let’s dive deeper to see how you can win him over:

• Tasks – Get things done in a timely manner. If you say you send a weekly report on Mondays, make sure you send the weekly report on Monday. If you said you would send him a document, make sure you get it done.
• Efficiency – Use language like, “Is now a good time to go over <blank>?” “Do you have five minutes?” “Can I go over four questions with you?” This language shows that you have an agenda for your conversation. If you are sending an email, be succinct and use bullet points.
• Getting things done – Provide the seller reports on what you have gotten done, what is still outstanding, and what you need from him to take the next step.
• Punctuality – I cannot stress this enough – be on time with your appointments!

But remember! Winning him over doesn’t mean he is going to act like a promoter. It means you will have earned his respect. You will be able to tell if you have won over a controller/analytical!

Club Zebra members can view the video here.