Sell the way they buy - part four: GREEN

Introduction: In the 1970’s I met two people who had a profound impact on me - John G. Geier, Ph.D. and Dorothy E. Downey, M.S. Their Personal Profile System is accurate, inexpensive, self-scoring and fun. Their four categories of behavior – D, I, S, and C are often referred to as DISC (pronounced like a computer "DISK")
In a follow-up study, Geier surveyed 100 males and 102 females ranging in age from 22-60 years with a mean age of 32.4. They fell into these categories of behavior.


High C behavior (I call this behavior grouping GREEN) – They are represented by those scoring at the top end of the C scale:

This behavior is described as:

Male: immovable, hopeful, satisfied, self-controlled, watchful, protective, logical, defensive, and realistic.

Female: watchful, uncertain, wishful, patient, satisfied, immovable, self-controlled, stubborn, probing, and cautious.

Low C behavior (Low GREEN) - represented by those scoring at the bottom end of the C scale:

Male: initiating, expansive, individualistic, absent-minded, affectionate, trusting, humourous, and ingenious.

Female: resourceful, persistent, vigorous, eager, forgiving, and rebellious.

Very few people separate male from female in these studies, which is a mistake.

According to Dale Carnegie, it is important to “talk in term of the other person’s interest.” It's important that we as salespeople sell the way others prefer to buy. Unfortunately, most salespeople sell as if they are selling to a mirror image of themselves. They aren't. By doing so, they are mismatched with their buyers almost 75% of the time.

Geier and Downey suggest a negative trigger for the HIGH GREEN buyer is attempting to use excessive charm and a sweet-talking approach. If we operate as if they will buy from us because they “like” us, we are mistaken. They value facts and data and are suspicious of opinions only. They trust statistics and data-based facts.

These social tendencies are quite easy to identify. We’ll look at nuances in subsequent blogs. For now, let's just say these types of buyers dislike social chit-chat, and use an analytical, investigative approach. They like salespeople they feel have done their homework. It’s best to emphasize quality over quantity, and provide validated studies, descriptive materials.

To decrease their fear, think and express yourself in terms of re-shaping and finding the value in slow, methodical changes.

They make choices based on thinking more than on feeling.

Granted, this is high-level material not suited to everyone with these behavioral tendencies. However, it's a start, and opens our eyes to seeing the world as others see it.

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