FocalPoint Business Coaching Challenge of the Week: How do you make the most of a client’s behavioral style?

June 22, 2010 — Anonymous

Join FocalPoint Coaches Margaret Maclay and Thomas Jawan for this week's Business Coaching Challenge:

This week’s FocalPoint Business Coaching Challenge is being led by Margaret Maclay, a Certified Brian Tracy Business Performance Coach.

Margaret has more than 25 years of experience in global corporate strategic planning and process development. She has worked for corporations with worldwide reach to develop production efficiencies and strategies to maximize profitability and productivity. 

Today Margaret applies her expertise in conjunction with the Brian Tracy FocalPoint Coaching methods to assist executives, managers, business owners and teams to perform at their best everyday.

She was the 2008 recipient of the Campbell Fraser Award for Coaching Excellence, is the Director of the FocalPoint Coaching Behavior Assessment Center and believes, as Lee Iacocca said so eloquently, “Communication is EVERYTHING!”

So Margaret,

How do you make the most of your client’s behavioral style?

A significant aspect of coaching people to their top performance is focused on effective communication and that is driven by behavioral style.

To make the most of my client’s behavioral style, and to ensure communication at all levels is effective, there are three essential elements I always cover thoroughly. The results are amazing!

Understanding my client’s style.

A clear understanding of my client’s style allows for a great coaching engagement. Although the content of sessions may be similar, it can be delivered in a way which resonates with the individual.  Sometimes it requires creativity but that’s what makes coaching fun.

One of my clients had a terrible time focusing long enough to think through a plan; follow up on anything he promised to do; or even read session material. He was incredibly impatient and just wanted results. This was having a significant impact on his relationships with both his clients and his staff.

We discovered together that if the planning, tasks or reading were broken into very small chunks, he could focus long enough to get results. This had a huge impact on his credibility with clients and staff. One of the biggest wins was when, having found a book with 1 page chapters, he read and finished a book for the first time in 20 years – it happened to be about leading teams effectively – which he is now doing!

My client understanding his/her style.

Becoming aware of one’s own behavioral style can be a real eye opener. Most of us have an idea of how we behave, but seeing it written and speaking about it in depth can provide valuable insight. 

The first reactions tend to be judgmental and focused on the negative.

As their coach, I guide individuals to recognize the value they bring, celebrate and leverage it, which often has remarkable impact on their performance and business results.

Recognizing and embracing one’s limitations can also have advantages.

Further, when clients recognize that others may view their behavioral differently than they intended they begin to understand others reactions towards them. Many times I will catch a client mumbling “so that’s why ‘so and so’ reacted that way… .”

My client understanding the styles of others.

Learning to be aware of the behavioral styles of others has an incredible impact on one’s ability to communicate effectively.

By recognizing a particular behavioral style and adapting, valuable business and relationships can often occur which may not have otherwise been possible.

One of my clients is incredibly detail oriented, yet strongly motivated by results. Unfortunately, his presentations to clients were so bogged down with information that he was virtually unable to secure an appointment, and if he happened to get a face-to-face appointment, the prospect would lose interest long before any thought of closing business.

My client was certain he was lousy at closing. He wanted to begin our coaching engagement learning how to close sales. Instead, we began to learn about behavioral styles. His dedication to learning to identify and understand various styles led him to rework his presentations, positioning, and overall business strategies and tactics.

He now has the seats full for presentations and has radically increased his conversion to client rate…we haven’t even gotten to discuss closing techniques yet!

 

One final thing I do to make the most of my client’s behavioral style is to share best practices with my fellow coaches. Learning how others apply behavioral style tools, deal with challenging situations, inspire wins or find creative ways to convey a concept or principle, makes us all better at what we do. Please share your ideas, best practices, questions or comments below or contact me at mmaclay@focalpointcoaching.com. I would love to hear from you….

Thanks Margaret! that was amazing!

Comments

Margaret, Thank you so much

June 23, 2010 — Luisa Pittaluga (not verified)

Margaret,

Thank you so much for yesterday's presentation at Friedberg Properties.   You were amazingly clear to me and I am forwarding your contact information to the most important people in my life.   No wonder you won so many awards.

Warmest regards,

Luisa Pittaluga  Sales Associate/Friedberg Properties, Cresskill, NJ

 

As a Brian Tracy Certified

June 23, 2010 — Chris Allen (not verified)

As a Brian Tracy Certified Business Performance Coach, I have relied on a few tools and techniques to help me.  I've mentioned DISC before and definitely use this assessment tool as one of the very first things my clients and I discuss.  DISC helps the client understand their own personal style - their natural style and as well how they've been adapting it in the workplace.  Many times, the ways they've adapted are actually counter-productive to their ability to sell to prospects or provide appropriate customer service.  Early on, I also use two pieces that were put together by one of the coaches in our Focalpoint Network - Dan Creed.  The first one is called "Making Money with DISC" and the other is "DISC - The Power of Words."  One of the great things about our organization is we all share materials and best practices so overall, our coaches are able to provide help to our clients well beyond the curricula provided by Brian Tracy and Cam Fraser and the experience we have as coaches before we join the organization.  This makes for an unbeatable combination.

"Making Money with DISC" is really all about how to improve the sales process by tailoring it to fit the style of the person being sold to.  "DISC - The Power of Words" is an easy to use guide for quickly assessing people's DISC profile using the words they speak.  As part of this guide, there is a handy reference chart which provides key insights into the drivers for each style and how to work with them effectively.  Not only have these techniques helped me in my business, but also with my clients' businesses.  By teaching our clients these techniques, they can adapt their style to match their prospects and increase their conversion rates dramatically.

Another technique is to find out what the client does best and what they are passionate about - usually the same things.  It's important to leverage strengths in any business endeavor ... there are seemingly no limits to improving a strength so why not put them in the zone more often in their business.  The time management processes we put in place early on usually free up dramatic amounts of time to work on areas of passion.  This focus on areas of passion usually pumps up the client's attitude while driving the business forward simultaneously!

Chris Allen, Owner & Certified Performance Coach, The Business Spotlight, Inc.

"Lighting the Way to Your Success!"

Cincinnati, Ohio

513-272-6224     [513 27COACH]

www.TheBusinessSpotlightInc.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/christophershawnallen

One of the best selling

June 24, 2010 — John Schamante (not verified)
One of the best selling secrets taught to me many years ago by one of my mentors is that “a business takes on the personality of its owners or CEOs”. You can see it in the way they approach customers, treat employees, solve problems, and make or avoid decisions. It’s been my experience that the strengths and weaknesses of the CEO – of the true business leader - are as evident in the everyday management of the company as the name on his or her business card. As a coach. it’s key for me to understand the behavioral styles of my clients. Doing so early in the process provides me with a point of reference: a necessary focus which shines the first light of clarity between business owner and coach.. That understanding can be used to see how others in the enterprise view the CEO in good times (and especially in times of stress), how approachable they perceive him or her to be and how that business leader is likely to react to employees and customers. Understanding a client’s behavioral styles, both natural and adaptive, increases the trust factor between coach and client. Why? Because it allows communications in the client’s language: the one she/he uses to best advantage and prefers. We say “using a coach helps you achieve success faster then you ever thought possible.” Dealing with a coach who understands behavioral styles moves communications to warp speed…and success follows! There’s another powerful reason for me to do everything I can to know my clients’ behavioral styles: to help them better understand themselves. This very powerful tool speaks volumes about how we approach problems, interact with others, respond to change and deal with rules. The real advantage of understanding a client’s behavioral style is not to change clients, but to help clients leverage and adapt when necessary their styles to achieve desired goals by improving their influence and their communication with others. It was Socrates of Ancient Greece, after all, who taught: "Knowing thyself is the height of Wisdom.” I’m a believer!

Great points Margaret!  Thank

June 24, 2010 — Joseph Facchiano (not verified)

Great points Margaret!  Thank you.

Of course we all can improve on anything that draws our attention.  Knowing our own communication style is vital in understanding how to communicate with others. 

As business people, my clients must sell.  Selling is all about communication and transfer of enthusiasm from seller to buyer.  As a seller it is important to adjust communications toward the buyer's preferred style.  This is the best way to assure effective communication and achieve the transfer of enthusiasm that is necessary to close the deal.

Awareness of our own style and being able to identify the style of our buyer allows us to close the communication gap.  However, what if we are talking to a group of people?  We can't change our style for everyone.  But we can move our style to the middle, i.e. create a blend of styles in our message to appeal to everyone at some point.  When reviewing a presentation, say to yourself, "do I have something for everyone in my presentation; not only from a content standpoint, also from a communications style aspect.

Only awareness of our style and the adjustments necessary to communicate with others will allow us to be as effective as possible.

To your success!

Joseph Facchiano, Certified Business Performance Coach & Owner - FocalPoint Business Coaching of Lehigh Valley  http://www.JoFash.com

One of the best selling

June 24, 2010 — John Schamante (not verified)
One of the best selling secrets taught to me many years ago by one of my mentors is that “a business takes on the personality of its owners or CEOs”. You can see it in the way they approach customers, treat employees, solve problems, and make or avoid decisions. It’s been my experience that the strengths and weaknesses of the CEO – of the true business leader - are as evident in the everyday management of the company as the name on his or her business card. As a coach. it’s key for me to understand the behavioral styles of my clients. Doing so early in the process provides me with a point of reference: a necessary focus which shines the first light of clarity between business owner and coach.. That understanding can be used to see how others in the enterprise view the CEO in good times (and especially in times of stress), how approachable they perceive him or her to be and how that business leader is likely to react to employees and customers. Understanding a client’s behavioral styles, both natural and adaptive, increases the trust factor between coach and client. Why? Because it allows communications in the client’s language: the one she/he uses to best advantage and prefers. We say “using a coach helps you achieve success faster then you ever thought possible.” Dealing with a coach who understands behavioral styles moves communications to warp speed…and success follows! There’s another powerful reason for me to do everything I can to know my clients’ behavioral styles: to help them better understand themselves. This very powerful tool speaks volumes about how we approach problems, interact with others, respond to change and deal with rules. The real advantage of understanding a client’s behavioral style is not to change clients, but to help clients leverage and adapt when necessary their styles to achieve desired goals by improving their influence and their communication with others. It was Socrates of Ancient Greece, after all, who taught: "Knowing thyself is the height of Wisdom.” I’m a believer!

Coaching Behavior Styles As a

June 24, 2010 — Bryan Lockhart (not verified)

Coaching Behavior Styles

As a FocalPoint Business Coach, it is an essential first step in the coach/client relationship to understand our own and the client’s behaviour style.  Once clients receive the information about their communication profile and style, they are always absolutely impressed with how accurate the reports are and how they relate to them personally. 

Knowing their behaviour style can allow business people to communicate more effectively by tailoring their style to best match their staff and or their prospective customers.  For staff, providing the right type of tasks for individuals is essential to keep them motivated and producing at a high levels.  For customers being able to connect with them on a personal level and with their same level of enthusiasm will gain their business.

For clients who know their behaviour style, they quickly understand their value and key contributions to their team.  This has proven powerful to several clients who were able to understand their value at ‘closing’ complex sales, but realizing they did not necessarily need to be involved at the beginning of the sales process, but only the final step.  Imagine the gains made in sales, when the business owner realizes they are not the only ones who can sell most of the products and services!

Other clients have realized they have huge strengths in detail and quality, but some limitations around selling and this is best left to staff who have strengths in their behaviour style to gain prospective customers confidence and close the sales.

Knowledge of their own behaviour style is power in the client’s toolkit.  This power is great for both working and getting the most from staff, and for presenting and selling the company’s product or services to prospects.

Thank you Margaret!

Using these tools can only make your business better!

Bryan Lockhart, Certified Business Coach

Prince George, BC   Canada

http://bryanlockhart.focalpointcoaching.com/

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