It is always common that every individual around us have different attitudes and ways of doing things. Their way of thinking, networking and interacting with people might change. During a networking session, meeting or a gathering, it is important for the Marketers to understand different behavioural styles of people in order to effectively network.
Philosophers invented a model called DiSC in order to develop better understanding of behaviours. In fact, now DiSC is a universal language that has been documented and validated in over 25 countries around the world.
When I was in USA for the BNI Conference, Dawn Lyons conducted a very interactive session regarding this with various group activities. I found it very useful and thought of sharing it with my readers.
“Room Full of Referrals” Trainig by US Referral Marketing Expert Dawn Lyons
Generally, in any networking room, you will get four types of people: Go-getters, Promoters, Nurturers and Examiners. Understanding the behaviour of these four types of behavioural patterns is vital for marketers to network and understand anyone in the room for better communication with adaptive style.
So, who is a Go-getter?
A go-getter is a busy and innovative individual who would be equivalent to the “D” in DiSC. These individuals are generally very driven, result-focused, quick paced and even often impatient. Simply put, these are people who have a “get it done right now!” attitude. They are strong believers in pragmatism and are never hesitant to bend a few rules. They are the type of people who understand that it is a lot easier to ask for forgiveness rather than having to beg for permission. They are also so incredibly focused that people may take them to appear detached. They are so ambitious about their ideas and goals that they forget to take the time to enjoy other things.
Go-getters attend networking events in order to gain new business prospects and rub shoulder with the successful people in the event.
Who is a Promoter?
Promoters are people who are energetic supporters. They urge and use persuasive means to popularize or sell something. Promoters are comparable to the “i” in DiSC. They are very friendly and positive people who have the happy-go-lucky attitude. Known to be fun lovers, promoters love to be on the go and always look for enjoyable ways of doing things. At the same time, they are the type of people who tend to avoid confrontations and would prefer to casually mingle with clients over a meal rather than working on a serious proposal in the office quarters.
Promoters are also often dreamy individuals who have a plethora of ideas in their head and always manage to get others excited about their ideas. They would even be bold enough to take risks and generally stay away from researching information or doing their homework before making decisions. Instead, they rely solely on their instincts.
Promoters attend networking functions to meet new people, have a great chat with friends and make sure that they are noticed in the event. In short, they love to hang out.
Who are Nurturers?
Nurturers are the kind, helpful, caring and incredibly patient people who graciously gives gentle care to a person in order to assist in their growth or development. They are equivalent to the “S” in DiSC. Nurturers are wonderful listeners who like things to be slower paced than go-getters and promoters. They like dealing with things in their own way and in their own time and do not like being rushed or pushed into anything. Rather, they are grateful for quality time with people and their comfortable temperament makes it easier for others to approach them. Due to their relaxed nature, they have the gift of developing strong networks with others. As dependable and supportive individuals, nurturers are amazing team players. They tend to stay away from risks and would rather tolerate a difficult environment than having to put themselves through a change.
Nurturers attend networking events to connect with others they are already acquainted with and also meet down-to-earth people. Their focus in attending these events is to strengthen and deepen their interactions and relationships.
Who are Examiners?
Equivalent to the “C” in DiSC, examiners are people who carefully analyze and inspect other people in detail and further test their skills and aptitude by asking questions. Examiners are highly efficient and methodical individuals who are driven by their tasks. They are very focused on finding information and acquiring knowledge and they love to check off things in their extensive “to do” list. Due to the fact that examiners love information, they take a lot of consideration and time ahead of making any decision. You could call them perfectionists.
Examiners are very good communicators due to their extensive knowledge on a variety of topics. They are careful about expressing their emotions and are rather guarded people who can sometimes be rather uncomfortable around individuals who are lively and expressive, such as promoters. Examiners will always see the complex side of things and their natural intelligence and cleverness gives them their own unique style of wacky humor.
Examiners attend networking events solely to promote and market their business and as soon as they achieve their goal, they will leave the events as promptly as they can.
In conclusion, once you start to have a clearer understanding of these four behavioral patterns, it will naturally become far easier for you to identity what category any individual falls under, thereby allowing you to adapt to their style and making them feel good and comfortable.
Ragulan Tharmakulasingam 