Excerpts from Facilitating a Workshop...0:10 Introduction, Objectives, and Overview 0:10 0:10 The SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility Self-Perception Questionnaires 0:20 Section II: SOCIAL

FACILITATOR GUIDE

Facilitating a Workshop Using the Improving Sales Effectiveness With Versatility™

Concepts Guide

TRACOM Sneak PeekExcerpts from

REV JUN 2018

© The TRACOM Corporation, All Rights Reserved.

Facilitator Guide

Po

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Session Overview ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Roots of the SOCIAL STYLE ModelTM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Model Comes Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Session Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Session Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Two-Hour Session and Four-Hour Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Self-Perception Questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility Concepts Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Resource Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Additional Materials Available for Supplemental Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Preparation for the Self-Perception Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Additional Facilitator Preparation Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Post-Training Micro-Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Suggested Session Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Timing for the Two-Hour Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Timing for the Four-Hour Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility Session — Two-Hour Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Section I: Introduction, Overview, and Self-Perception Questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Section II: SOCIAL STYLE Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Section III: SOCIAL STYLE Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Section IV: Tension Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Section V: Versatility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Section VI: Session Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Optional Exercises — Four-Hour Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Style Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Taking My Growth Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Identify the Facilitator's Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Brainstorming Effective Customer Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

The Open: Estimating Your Customer's Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Giving an Elevator Speech—with Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Strategies for Doing Something for My Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Knowing What a Customer Accepts/Rejects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Developing Actions Toward My Customer Using the Style Dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Body: Communicating With My Customer—with Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Overcoming Resistance—with Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Getting to a Decision—with Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

PAGETABLE OF CONTENTS

© The TRACOM Corporation, All Rights Reserved. © The TRACOM Corporation, All Rights Reserved. 1

Facilitator Guide


IntroductionSESSION OVERVIEW

The SOCIAL STYLE ModelTM is easy to understand and apply. It provides an effective framework and specific techniques for helping people to improve their interpersonal selling skills.

This guide provides you, the session leader, with the necessary information for conducting either a basic or expanded session using TRACOM’s Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility (ISEV) Concepts Guide and accompanying Questionnaires. The session focuses on the essentials of Style and incorporates fifty years of collective instructional and facilitative experience with the SOCIAL STYLE Model.

To orient you to the Style legacy, this guide begins with a brief history of the SOCIAL STYLE Model. Next, it provides a game plan for successfully conducting both a basic and an expanded version of the session. The guide suggests instructional options depending on the amount of time set aside for training. Finally, the guide includes Supporting Research about the SOCIAL STYLE Model to enrich your knowledge of Style and Versatility and to prepare you for many of the questions typically asked by participants.

This guide lays out instructions and activities in a way to give you maximum flexibility in delivering the program elements. It is up to you to decide what level of understanding and skill development are necessary for your participants and to adjust the presentation accordingly.


Facilitator Guide

Session MaterialsSESSION MATERIALS

The following pages explain how to use the materials that are available for delivering this session. By carefully reviewing these materials, you will be able to select the session elements most appropriate for your participants and the time you have available for training.

Specifically, this guide covers the following items:

■■ Self-Perception Questionnaires

■■ ISEV Concepts Guide

■■ Resource Tools (PowerPoint presentation, participant handouts, marketing materials)

■■ Optional Exercises

■■ Additional resource materials available for purchase

■■ Additional facilitator preparation materials

TWO-HOUR VERSION AND FOUR-HOUR VERSION

This facilitator guide was designed to provide you quite a bit of flexibility in delivering a session. You will find that we have provided a suggested session outline and timing for both a two-hour basic session and a four-hour expanded session.

Two-Hour Session

The two-hour session is designed to provide an introduction to SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility. The session teaches your participants about the fundamental concepts of behavior versus personality, provides insight into the four SOCIAL STYLES, and demonstrates the impact that their SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility have on others, such as their customers.

Four-Hour Session

The four-hour session expands the participants' understanding of the concepts covered in the two-hour version through the use of a variety of hands-on experiential exercises that you may choose from. There is also significant additional content added to the session regarding the application of SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility concepts in selling situations.


Facilitator Guide


TIMING FOR THE FOUR-HOUR SESSION

SEGMENT TIME

ACTIVITYACCUMULATIVE

TIME

Section I: Introduction, Overview, and Self-Perception Questionnaires

0:10 Introduction, Objectives, and Overview 0:10

0:10 The SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility Self-Perception Questionnaires 0:20

Section II: SOCIAL STYLE Fundamentals0:05 Behavior vs. Personality 0:25

0:05 Observable Say and Do Behaviors 0:30

0:20 Dimensions of Behavior, Assertiveness, Responsiveness 0:50

Section III: SOCIAL STYLE Model0:05 The Four SOCIAL STYLE Positions 0:55

0:05 Your SOCIAL STYLE Position 1:00

0:10 Style Highlights 1:10

0:10 Recommended Exercise: Identify the Facilitator’s Style 1:20

0:05 Key Characteristics of Style 1:25

0:20 Recommended Exercise: Taking My Growth Action 1:45

0:05 SOCIAL STYLE Summary 1:50

Section IV: Tension Management0:15 Tension Management 2:05

0:30 Recommended Exercises: Strengths & Weaknesses of Each Style (substitution - you may opt one over the other -Style Forum)

2:35

0:10 Break 2:45

0:30 Recommended Exercise: Developing Actions Toward My Customer Using the Style Dial (substitution - you may opt one over the other - Brainstorming Effective Customer Interactions)

3:15

Section V: Versatility0:05 Selling in the Third Dimension 3:20

0:05 The Four Sources of Versatility 3:25

0:05 Your Versatility Score 3:30

0:05 Improving Your Effectiveness with Your Customer 3:35

0:20 Recommended Exercise: Strategies for Doing Something for My Customers

3:55

Section VI: Session Conclusion0:02 Program Summary 3:57

0:03 Next Steps and Key Learning 4:00

0:03 Free OnDemand Micro-Learning 4:03

0:02 Session Wrap-Up 4:05

Remember: you can add or delete alternative exercises to meet the needs of your participants (see the Optional Exercises section in the back of this facilitator guide).

© The TRACOM Corporation, All Rights Reserved.12

[IMPROVING SALES EFFECTIVENESS WITH VERSATILITY SESSION: TWO-HOUR VERSION][IMPROVING SALES EFFECTIVENESS WITH VERSATILITY SESSION: TWO-HOUR VERSION]

ISEV Concepts Guide Pages 1, 2 & 3

Visual # 1


Concepts Guide

1

Why is it Important to Learn About SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility?

Simply stated, here’s how it works. You have preferred ways to act and interact with your customers. For example, when you begin the sales process you may prefer to move fast, gather just the necessary facts, contact people, and get things going right away; or, you may prefer to take things slower as you sort out the details, consider alternatives, and contemplate the consequences of taking one course of action versus another. These behavioral preferences and patterns of behavior are a part of your SOCIAL STYLE.

Your customers also have their own behavioral preferences or SOCIAL STYLE. As you know from past interactions their SOCIAL STYLE can be quite different than your own. How effective you are with your customers depends on how you take their preferences into account, and how well you control your own. Your impact and effectiveness on your customers is a result of another key concept, Versatility.

Consider the variety of people you call on. Perhaps, one speaks loudly and prefers to dominate the sales conversation; another is highly focused on making the purchase and getting the deal done; another goes out of his way to be friendly and often ends up talking about matters unrelated to the sale. These and many other characteristic ways of acting and interacting with people are expressions of a person’s SOCIAL STYLE.

Your success in selling to a diverse range of customers depends on: your technical skills as a salesperson; specialized knowledge about your products or services; and, your ability to make your relationships mutually productive. The essence of Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility, is how you increase the interpersonal effectiveness and productivity between you and your customers and how you earn their support and respect.

Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility can also help you effectively plan and prepare for customer interactions, approach customers and analyze their needs, present results, handle objections and gain their commitment.1 You can learn to resolve, or even head off, unnecessary conflict caused by interpersonal friction that may arise during the give-and-take of the sales process.

1 “Commitment” refers to any significant decision you

ask a customer to make, such as making a decision to

purchase the product or service you sell, or entering

into an agreement with you or your organization.

Introduction

This guide is designed to teach you about SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility concepts and how they can help you develop skills to become a more effective salesperson. By applying the SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility concepts in this guide, you can develop better relationships with your customers and get more done, faster, with less effort. Plus, your customers will most likely increase their levels of support and respect for you.


[INTRODUCTION]

2

These SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility concepts apply regardless of what product or service you sell and regardless of what industries or markets you serve. The common element to every sale involves interacting with other people. Selling was once thought of as a one-on-one activity; however, the sales process is more likely to involve multiple sales calls and meetings with groups, committees, and multiple decision makers.

What remains the same for all prospects is your critical need to increase your sales effectiveness, which is achieved by managing your behavior and responding appropriately to the behavioral differences in others. When you focus on meeting others’ needs over your own, positive interpersonal relationships develop that provide opportunities for you to offer solutions and solve problems.

How the SOCIAL STYLE Model™ is UniqueThe SOCIAL STYLE Model is not complex. Its strength is that it is easy to comprehend because it is based on two scales of observable behaviors that form four basic SOCIAL STYLEs. Once you understand SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility concepts and principles, you can immediately employ them for real results.


Concepts Guide

3

Identifying the SOCIAL STYLE of your Customers Sales Survey

A TRACOM study surveyed recent SOCIAL STYLE training participants, who worked in sales, to determine how effective SOCIAL STYLE had been in their daily sales activities.

The survey questions focused on tasks specific to salespeople including developing relationships with customers, gaining customer trust, and closing sales.

Because the sales profession relies heavily on solid relationships, TRACOM wanted to research how SOCIAL STYLE training could contribute to better relationships and, ultimately, more sales.

Summary of Findings

TRACOM’s study found that SOCIAL STYLE training could dramatically impact a salesperson’s ability to create more positive relationships with current and potential customers.

A majority of the surveyed salespeople felt that SOCIAL STYLE training helped them establish better relationships and gain trust with customers and prospects.

Over half of the survey participants felt that as a direct result of SOCIAL STYLE training, they were able to close sales they otherwise might not have. The chart below illustrates the key findings.

key findings* percentage

More conscious about how their behavior impacts their customers 94%

Applied SOCIAL STYLE to their sales job 93%

Developed more positive relationships with customers 92%

Increased ability to influence or persuade customers or prospects 87%

Believe that their customers now have a greater sense of confidence and trust in them 87%

Improved ability to gain ongoing sales 78%

Build relationships with prospects more quickly 76%

Customers now more willing to disclose relevant information 75%

Convert prospects to customers more quickly 69%

Closed sales they otherwise might not have 58%

*TRACOM Group, Centennial, CO. The percentage reflects salespeople who either strongly agreed or agreed to the statements. Visit www.TRACOMcorp.com for research reports.

EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL STYLE FOR SALESPEOPLE

2

31

Visual # 1


Facilitator Guide

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION, OVERVIEW, AND SELF-PERCEPTION QUESTIONNAIRES

Welcome, Objectives, and Overview

Introduction

WELCOME participants to the session and provide a brief overview of the session.

ASK participants to turn to pages 1, 2 and 3 in the ISEV Concepts Guide to follow along.

■■ Welcome participants and stress the importance of active participation.

■■ Briefly review the history of SOCIAL STYLE.

■■ Cite the proven effectiveness of increased Versatility on page 3 in the ISEV Concepts Guide. Note: Additional information and statistics can be found in the whitepaper, "The Key to Sales Success" located in your Resource Tools.

■■ Explain what SOCIAL STYLE is all about. Say something like, “Did you ever notice that customers have certain patterns of behavior: some are animated and loud, some treat you like a friend from the start, others are all business? SOCIAL STYLE gives you a way of identifying a customer’s pattern of behavior, and of interacting with them in ways that will help you to increase your effectiveness in your selling process.”

■■ Ask participants to think about their past customers. Ask, “Besides, ‘they bought from me,’ what made your good customers good? And, what made the difficult ones difficult to sell to?”

VISUAL #1 5 MIN

Improving Sales Effectiveness with Versatility Session:Two-Hour Version

Use the ISEV Concepts Guide as your reference during the session that follows.


[IMPROVING SALES EFFECTIVENESS WITH VERSATILITY SESSION: TWO-HOUR VERSION]

Visual #10


[SOCIAL STYLE MODEL]

18

Unlocking the Keys to SOCIAL STYLEFrom the pattern of behaviors associated with each Style, we can make certain inferences about the key characteristics of each Style. These are referred to as the SOCIAL STYLE Need, Orientation, and Growth Action.

The Need is a primary motivating force for this person. The Orientation is how a person with this Style typically goes about achieving the Need. The Growth Action is what a person of this Style tends to overlook, ignore, or avoid in their interactions with others. Growth Action behaviors tend to be infrequently used in favor of the preferred behaviors of each Style and they are viewed by others as the greatest weakness of that particular Style.

For example:

�� The Driving Style’s growth action is to listen, which may get overlooked in favor of charging ahead to get their results.

�� The Expressive Style’s growth action is to check, that is, to stop and think about how their spontaneity and need for personal approval may be getting in the way of a productive relationship.

�� The Amiable Style’s growth action is to initiate, that is, to take action that may involve personal risk or cause an increase in tension in a relationship.

�� The Analytical Style’s growth action is to declare, that is to deliberately stop analyzing and make a decision or at least share what is causing them to not make a decision.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL STYLE

Need: To be rightOrientation: Thinking

Growth Action: To declare

Analytical

Need: Personal approvalOrientation: Spontaneity

Growth Action: To check

ExpressiveNeed: Personal security

Orientation: Relationships Growth Action: To initiate

Amiable

Need: Results

Orientation: Action

Growth Action: To listen

Driving

CONTROLS

ASKS TELLS

EMOTES

Understanding these key characteristics puts you at an advantage when developing successful strategies for interacting with your customers and for building productive interpersonal relationships with them.

ISEV Concepts Guide Page 18

18


Facilitator Guide

Key Characteristics of Style

Introduce the key characteristics of each Style: Style Need, Style Orientation, and Growth Action.

ASK participants to turn to Unlocking the Keys to SOCIAL STYLE on page 18 of the ISEV Concepts Guide

SAY key characteristics of Style are central to understanding Style behaviors.

■■ Style Need is a generalization about the basic need of each Style and is inferred from the Style Orientation. Inform participants that an individual’s specific need may vary in any given situation.

■■ Style Orientation is based on observed behaviors.

■■ Growth Action is based on behaviors that are observed rarely or not at all. Correlate Assertiveness and Responsiveness behaviors to Style Need and Orientation:

■■ Have participants think about how Style Need and Orientation directly correlate to the Assertiveness and Responsiveness behaviors that were discussed earlier. For example, the Analytical Style's need for time to think is consistent with getting things done at a slower-pace, being more interested in facts, and displaying less emotion.

■■ In the diagonally opposite corner, the Expressive Style’s need for approval and Orientation toward spontaneity is consistent with being louder and with more hand gestures.

■■ Ask participants to point out correlations they see between the Driving Style’s Need and Orientation and the Assertiveness and Responsiveness behaviors …same question regarding the Amiable Style.

VISUAL #10 5 MIN

Leader Tip: The key characteristics of Style are only a convenient way of summarizing basic Style characteristics. The descriptions of key characteristics are generalizations of behavior that fit most characteristics of each Style. They do not perfectly describe any single individual.


[OPTIONAL EXERCISES: FOUR-HOUR VERSION]

Optional Exercises — Four-Hour Version

You can draw upon the following exercises to enhance your session to best meet the needs of your participants. See the first section of this guide for suggested outlines for conducting a two-hour (basic) or four-hour (expanded) version of the session.

Important Note: Some optional exercises require additional materials, such as the ISEV Applications Guide, Skills Guide card, Do Unto Others—Accepts/Rejects Guide card, and Style Dial which are not included with the ISEV Admin Kit. Contact TRACOM for ordering information.

This table shows the optional exercises and their suggested running times:

Know Yourself/Control Yourself

OPTIONAL EXERCISESADDITIONAL MATERIALS

REQUIREDAPPROX.

TIME

1. Style Forum (Identify and discuss strengths and weaknesses of each Style)

None 45 Min

2.Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Style (Identify and discuss strengths and weaknesses of each Style)

Handout (in Resource Tools) and Concepts Guide

30 Min

3. Taking My Growth ActionHandout (in Resource Tools)

20 Min

Know Others

4. Identify the Facilitator’s Style (Skill practice in identifying SOCIAL STYLE)

Skills Guide Card 10 Min

5. Brainstorming Effective Customer InteractionsHandout (in Resource Tools)

15 Min

The Open

6. The Open: Estimating Your Customer’s StyleISEV Applications Guide and Handout (in Resource Tools)

15 Min

7. Giving an Elevator Speech—With Style ISEV Applications Guide 30 Min


Facilitator Guide

The Body

8. Strategies for Doing Something for My Customers

Handout (in Resource Tools)

20 Min

9. Knowing What a Customer Accepts and Rejects

Do Unto Others—Accepts/Rejects Guide card

25 Min

10.Developing Actions Toward My Customer Using the Style Dial (Skill Practice in applying Style concepts using the Style Dial)

Style Dial 30 Min

11. The Body: Communicating with My Customer—With Style

ISEV Applications Guide 30 Min

The Close

12. Overcoming Resistance—With Style ISEV Applications Guide 30 Min

13. Getting to a Decision—With Style ISEV Applications Guide 40 Min


Facilitator Guide

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EACH STYLE

Purpose

■■ The purpose of this exercise is to allow participants to learn more about their Style and to encourage them to begin thinking about how they can use their Style to be more effective in selling.

Recommended Time

■■ 30 minutes

Materials Needed

■■ Handout: Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Style (available in Resource Tools)

■■ Flipchart and markers

■■ Visual: Strengths and Weaknesses (Visual #27)

Directions

1. Give participants about 10 minutes to read more about each of the Styles in the ISEV Concepts Guide. (Driving Style: pg 13, Expressive Style: pg 14, Amiable Style: pg 15, Analytical Style: pg 16)

2. Divide class into groups by Style.

3. Distribute the Strengths and Weaknesses handout and ask the groups to (1) create a list of their perceived strengths and weaknesses when it comes to selling, (2) create a Style bumper sticker, and (3) identify songs appropriate for their Style.

You may want to read aloud the task described on the handout to make sure everyone understands it. (Feel free to modify the terms of the task to fit your organization. Just be sure that it includes a fairly significant task and that it involves meeting with customers face-to-face within a set period of time.

4. After about 10 minutes, ask each group to share its results and ask members of the opposite Style to provide feedback.

Available in Resource Tools

Handout

Read about your Style in the Concepts Guide and then, working with others who have the same Style as you, identify the strengths and weaknesses of your Style given Task described below.

Finally, create a “saying” or “bumper sticker” and identify some popular songs (past or present) that appropriately describe the theme of your Style. Be prepared to share your group’s results.

Style _____________________________________________________________________________

Task:

A small manufacturer has decided to offer a new, extended service/maintenance agreement to customers who sign-up by the 10th of next month. The extended agreement is not inexpensive and will require face-to-face selling. Now, everyone in sales must get up to speed on the terms of the offer and then contact their current and past customers to get the sales process going, fast!

Assess the strengths and weaknesses a person with the assigned Style would have in approaching and accomplishing this task.

Strengths: __________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Weaknesses: ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Bumper Stickers or Sayings: ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Popular Songs: ______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________


STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EACH STYLE


[OPTIONAL EXERCISES: FOUR-HOUR VERSION]

BRAINSTORMING EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS

Purpose

■■ This exercise gives participants skill practice in developing strategies for more effective customer interactions using real people and real situations as case examples.

Recommended Time

■■ 15 minutes

Materials Needed

■■ Handout: Brainstorming Effective Customer Interactions (available in the Resource Tools)

■■ Visual: Brainstorming Effective Customer Interactions (Visual #30)

Directions

1. Distribute the handout: “Brainstorming Effective Customer Interactions.”

2. Ask your participants to do the following:

■- Think of one of your current customers who is presenting you with a challenging interpersonal sales situation (e.g., a customer who doesn’t listen or one who can’t seem to make a decision).

■- Jot down some notes on parts A, B, and C of the handout.

3. After about five minutes ask participants to form groups of two or three and share their customer dilemmas and brainstorm different Style-appropriate solutions.

4. Ask for volunteers to share their customer problems and some of the suggestions that fellow participants have provided.

5. Ask how and why they believe that the suggested approach to interacting with the customer would be improved.

6. Give feedback to volunteer responses based on the Style-appropriateness of the idea.

Available in Resource Tools

Handout

Step 1

Think of one of your current customers who is presenting you with a chal-lenging interpersonal sales situation (e.g., a customer who doesn’t listen or one who can’t seem to make a decision). You’ll be sharing this tough situation with a few other participants.

Step 2 Jot down some notes on parts A, B, and C, below.

Step 3 After discussing your situation with others in your group, record the feedback that you receive in part D.

A. Challenging interpersonal sales situation I’m facing:

B. Likely Style of the customer:

C. What I’ve tried that hasn’t worked well:

D. Ideas from other participants:


“BRAINSTORMING EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS”

Documents

Excerpts from Facilitating a Workshop...0:10 Introduction, Objectives, and Overview 0:10 0:10 The SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility Self-Perception Questionnaires 0:20 Section II: SOCIAL