Know client profile

Profiling clients allows you to communicate in ways they will best understand.

7 MIN READ

HOW IT WORKS Ward went to the Extended DISC Web site, entered a password, and proceeded to select answers to questions such as, “When speaking, this person: has a calm, friendly tone; speaks rapidly; cuts off small talk; tries to control the conversation.” She then submitted her answers online. Within 30 minutes she was e-mailed a three-page response that included a summary and a DISC profile graph detailing what characteristics the person does and does not exhibit. Also included was a page of tips on how best to communicate with this person.

In Ward’s case, she was told to be patient and to let the client go through things carefully and see everything in writing, and not to force the client to state an opinion. Then the assessment suggested what not to do, how to manage next steps, and how to retain the relationship. Not surprisingly, this client was a high “C.”

“It’s amazing how just a tiny bit of information helps,” says Ward, who adds that she’s not the kind of designer who walks in and says, “You should paint this wall red!” But, Ward says, “it turned out that that’s exactly what this [highly conscientious] client wanted. She wanted me to take charge.” Because Ward has years of experience, she might have eventually discovered these responses herself, but profiling helped get her to that point more quickly. Ward foresees a day when the system at Harrell Remodeling might be sophisticated enough that it can be used before a person becomes a client. “But we wouldn’t want people to feel like we’re profiling them,” she says. Getting the information would have to be a seamless part of a conversation.

That’s possible, says consultant Morgan, who is a distributor for Inscape Publishing’s eight-question assessment (for more information contact her at rebecca@rebeccamorgan.com), which can be used with prospects on the phone or in person. After a conversation, you reflect on what you heard, such as whether the person spoke quickly or slowly and what types of questions they asked, she says, and then you use the assessment to determine how best to communicate with the prospect. Once you’ve done it a few times, you become more conscious of how people are speaking and the kinds of questions they’re asking.

MATCHING WITS It’s pretty much a given that those who use DISC for profiling clients use it on themselves and their staff. “We know that a high ‘C’ is a tough customer for us,” says Liz Wilder, president of Anthony Wilder Design/Build, in Cabin John, Md., whose company has used DISC with employees for seven years but which only began profiling clients three years ago. “We communicate better with clients because we understand them better,” Wilder says. “[Completing] the [profile] takes out some of the emotion and gets us back to the basics of how they receive information rather than how we like to deliver it.” For example, she says, “an ‘S’ or ‘supportive’ person, will want a stable process and more security. A ‘D’-type personality wants to know the bottom line.”

Wilder matches staff with clients based on the profiling. “Anthony [Wilder] is an ‘I’; he shoots from the hip,” says Wilder of her co-owner husband. “If we have a couple where one’s a ‘D’ and the other is an ‘I,’ we know Anthony will get along with them. Both usually have a higher energy level and faster pace, so I have him follow through. On the other hand, JP [Ward, a designer] likes things spelled out, so he works better with ‘C’ and ‘S’ [types].” The client profiling process is part of AWDB’s checklist and is used for interactions with every client.

Neither the staff at Harrell Remodeling nor at AWDB did any particular training for putting profiling into practice. Staff just need to be familiar with the DISC tool and be willing to make adjustments in communication style if necessary. As Mattson points out, profiling is helpful because “it’s more difficult to adjust if you don’t know that you should adjust or what [you should] adjust to. You might intuitively know that something is not working, but you can’t figure out why a person isn’t making a decision. Remodelers get paid to make people feel comfortable. The conversation you have with homeowners differentiates you.”

Stacey Freed is a senior editor for REMODELING.

About the Author

Stacey Freed

Formerly a senior editor for REMODELING, Stacey Freed is now a contributing editor based in Rochester, N.Y.

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