Maintaining Rapport when Exploring and Collaborating with the DISC Styles

Published with Permission from Assessments 24/7.

This is a Monday blog series; our regular coaching blog will be published on Thursday’s.

This blogs series has explored DISC styles, working with, and adapting to each, and how to develop and work with people based on their DISC style.  Following are tips for maintaining rapport when exploring and collaborating with each of the DISC styles.

Maintaining rapport in the exploring stage – how to explore with:

Dominance – High “D” Style

• To head off the “D’s” impatience before it surfaces, keep your conversations interesting by alternately asking questions and offering relevant information.
• “D’s” need to view the meeting as purposeful, so they want to understand where your questions are leading.
• When asking a “D” question, make them as practical and logical as possible. Aim questions at the heart of the issue and ask them in a straightforward manner.
• Only request information that is unavailable elsewhere.
• When gathering information, ask questions showing you have done your homework about their desired results and current efforts.
• Be sure to make queries that allow him to talk about his business goals.
• Gear your exploring toward saving D’s time and energy.

Influence – High “I” Style

• “I’s” get bored quickly when they’re not talking about themselves.
• Strike a balance between listening to their life’s stories and gathering the information you need to be an effective sales consultant.
• When asking business questions, keep them brief. If you can, work these exploratory questions in with social questions.
• The better your relationship with an “I” is, the more willing he’ll be to cooperate and talk about the task at hand.
• “I’s” can be so open they may tell you their fondest hopes and aspirations. If you can demonstrate how your product or service can get them closer to their dreams, they may become so excited about your product, and you, that they’re likely to sell you and your products and services to everyone else in their organization.

Steadiness – High “S” Style

• “S’s” can be excellent interviewees, so talk warmly and informally and ask gentle, open questions that draw them out (especially around sensitive areas).
• Show tact and sincerity in exploring their needs.
• If they do not have a good feeling about your product, company, or even you, they are not likely to take the chance of hurting your feelings by telling you so.
• They want to avoid confrontations, even minor ones. So “S’s” may tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than what they really think.
• They may not you about their dissatisfaction with your competitors. Even though this is exactly what you want to hear, the “S” may be hesitant about saying anything negative about them.
• Allow for plenty of time (possibly multiple meetings) for “S’s” to open up to you and reveal their innermost desires and pains.
• The more time you spend with an “S” exploring, the higher the odds you’ll be landing them as a customer.

Conscientious – High “C” Style

• “C’s” don’t care much about social interaction (beyond common courtesy and standard pleasantries), so get to the point.
• “C’s” often like to answer questions that reveal their expertise, so they can be very good interviewees.
• As long as you ask logical, fact-oriented, relevant questions, they will enjoy speaking with you.
• Phrase your questions to help them give you the right information.
• Ask open and closed questions that investigate their knowledge, systems, objectives, and objections.
• Make your own answers short and crisp.
• If you do not know the answer to something, do not fake it. Tell them you’ll get the answer for them by a certain time, and then do it.

Maintaining rapport in the collaborating stage – how to collaborate with:

Dominance – High “D” Style

• Your presentation must be geared toward the “D’s” priorities.
• Gear your presentation toward how they can become more successful, save time, generate results, and make life easier and more efficient; you’ll get their attention.
• Zero in on the bottom line with quick benefit statements.
• They want you to do the analysis and lay it out for them to approve or reject.
• “D’s” like rapid, concise analyses of their needs and your solutions.
• “D’s” like being in control, so give them choices backed with enough data and analysis to allow them to make an intelligent decision.
• Then, be quiet and let them make their decision. If you speak or interrupt while they are buying, you will dramatically decrease the odds of making this sale.

Influence – High “I” Style

• Show how your product would increase the “I’s” prestige, image, or recognition.
• Talk about the favorable impact or consequences your suggestions will have in making their working relationships more enjoyable.
• Give them incentives for completing tasks by stressing how their contribution will benefit others and evoke positive responses from them.
• Presentations need impact for people with short attention spans, so involve as many senses as possible.
• Show them how your solution will save them effort and make them look good.
• Back up your claims with testimonials from well-known people or high-profile corporations.
• Name satisfied acquaintances they know and admire.
• Sprinkle in “visualizing future ownership” questions, such as: “If you were already running this software, how would you use it?”

Steadiness – High “S” Style

• Show how your product or service will stabilize, simplify, or support the “S’s” procedures and relationships.
• Clearly define their roles and goals in your suggestions and include specific expectations of them in your plan.
• Present new ideas in a non-threatening way.
• Provide them time to adjust to changes in operating procedures and relationships.
• When change becomes necessary, tell them why. Explain how long the changes will take and any interim alterations of the current conditions.
• Design your message to impart a sense of stability and security.
• “S’s” like to be shown the appropriate steps to follow, so share those with them.
• Involve them by asking their opinions and encourage them to give you feedback.

Conscientious – High “C” Style

• Emphasize accuracy, value, quality, and reliability.
• They dislike talk not backed up by evidence.
• Describe a process will produce the results they seek.
• Elicit specific feedback by asking, “So far, what are your reactions?” or “Do you have any questions that you’d like me to clear up?”
• Present your solution that shows them they’ll be correct in making the purchase.
• Base your claims on facts, specifications, and data that relate specifically to their needs.
• “C’s” are cost-conscious; increase their perceived value with facts and ROI data.
• “C’s” are the most likely to see the drawbacks, so point out the obvious negatives before they do. Let them assess the relative trade-offs when choosing between competing (yet imperfect) products or services.