Using Behavioral Style Analysis to improve your effectiveness and raise your production is a three-step process.  The first step is to know yourself.  The second step is to be able to “read” or interpret the other person’s behavioral style and the third step is to be able to modify your approach to that person to create a win-win environment.

So lets start with step one, knowing yourself.  I recommend that you keep your style analysis personal profile in a file that you can refer to from time to time.  Make sure your business plan is taking advantage of your natural strengths.  Look for ways to develop and profit from those strengths.  Try to identify stress creators and devise a plan to avoid those areas.  Update your profile when you see or realize that changes have occurred in your environment.

What follows are some general characteristics of the four behavioral styles.  Remember that most of us have two or even three behaviors above the energy line so you may have to look at a combination of characteristics to see yourself.

HIGH D—You are results-oriented with a sense of urgency to accomplish goals and meet deadlines.  You like closing fast.  Sometimes you can be argumentative and you may try to overpower the other person.  You love to win.  Follow-up and follow-through may be weak areas for you.  You are comfortable working with two or three people at the same time.

What about your business plan?  First, it should challenge you.  Track the bottom-line and set your goals high enough that if you don’t quite make it you still have a great year.  Stress will be a natural part of your business but don’t let it control you.  Two strategies that will ALWAYS result in growing your business:  1)  Ask for bigger orders.  2)  Ask more often.  This will always work for you.  You don’t need much organization but you do need some.  A daily “to do” list will probably be enough organization to keep you focused on the goal and moving in the right direction.

HIGH I—You are a social, people-oriented person and not too interested in the details.  You may over-promise.  Be careful about being too talkative.  Try to remember that the person doing the talking is doing the buying.  You may close too slowly or not at all if you get too involved in the conversation.  You will be at your best when you are enthusiastic about your product or service.  Sometimes your sales presentation may be too wordy and not in a logical order.

What about your business plan?  It should be challenging.  You too should track your bottom-line and set your goal high enough that you have a great year even if you don’t quite hit your target.  The same strategy will work just as well for you.  Ask for bigger orders and ask more often.  You tend to get involved in too many projects at one time so anything you can do to stay focused on the goal will make you more effective.  A daily “to do” list is an absolute requirement for you to stay on track.

HIGH S—You are the natural salesperson, friendly and personable.  You are steady and dependable but easily discouraged.  You may tend to have a low level of confidence in yourself.  You are great at follow-up and follow-through but you may “over service” some clients. There are times when exhibiting more enthusiasm would get you the business.  You may have a tendency to over use facts and data. You may wait too long for the close, a real problem when you are working with D’s or I’s.  You are a great listener and really good at building relationships.

What about your business plan?  You are a “systems operator”, not a telemarketer.  So build yourself a “system” that will produce an ongoing list of leads and a steady flow of referrals.  Set yourself up two mailing systems.  The first system is a letter that goes out to every client monthly, or at least quarterly.  Every letter does three things for you.  First, it is a marketing contact.  It keeps your name in front of them and on their mind so that when a need (opportunity) arises, you are the one they think of.  Second, it contains an actionable idea.  Tell them about some new product or service that you can provide for them.  Always take this approach, if you didn’t tell them about it then they don’t know about it.  Third, the letter always asks for a referral and gives them a place to write three names and phone numbers.  The second mailing system is designed to identify and introduce you to new prospects.  

The most powerful tool you have is this question:  “How can I help you?”  You will always be more effective in person than over the phone so do whatever you have to do to get in front of people.  Get them one-on-one, introduce yourself, and then ask:  “How can I help you?”  And don’t forget to ask whom else they know that you can help.

In goal setting, the key for you is to track the WORK that you do, not the results.  If you raise the assets, everything else happens almost automatically.  So track the work—how many productive meetings did you have this week and how many new assets did you raise?  Your strong suit is probably not decision-making so managing a portfolio and selecting individual stocks and bonds could create some stress for you.  Be a financial planner; think long-term capital growth for your clients.  Select a couple money managers or mutual funds, learn all about them and their holdings and sell their capabilities and their expertise to your clients.  

You are very good at following a process.  So set up a process that moves you forward and then work your process.  Remember that a lot of people are going to say “No”, but focus on the process and not the individuals that you talk to.  Work the process and everything else falls into place.

HIGH C—You know the data.  But you may over use that data, or over-analyze.  Sometimes you will need a little more enthusiasm to make the sell.  You may have difficulty selling products that fall below your own standards.  You are well organized and you provide excellent service to your clients.  Guard against catching analysis paralysis.

What about your business plan?  PLAN YOUR WORK.  WORK YOUR PLAN.  Close your office door or ask for the desk by itself at the end of the hall.  Don’t get caught up in the up and down emotions of the I’s and D’s in the office.  Sell what you do best, analysis and problem solving.  A lot of people will want to do business with you because you are so analytical.  Use your computer to manage your database, regular contacts by phone and mail.  Ask for a referral on every contact.  Set goals that will make you step out of your comfort zone.  Decision-making may not be a strength for you so use mutual funds and money managers.  Learn everything you can about them.  Sell them to your clients and let them make the everyday investment decisions for you.  Financial Planning will give you a great opportunity to use your analytical skills.  You will find business opportunities the other advisors missed.  

Try to do your research and analysis outside of office hours, and do it regularly.  You will be a lot more comfortable and, therefore, more productive if you are organized and have a plan to follow.  Again, the key for you is to have a plan and work your plan.

HAVE YOURSELF A GREAT DAY!

Ron Keese