THOUGHT 4 THE WEEK

I guess keeping me waiting fifteen minutes past our scheduled meeting time gave me the first clue I was probably dealing with a WARM/TELLER; someone who wasn’t particularly in touch with time.

Sure enough, he entered reception like a whirlwind; coat half off his shoulders and, being directed to where I was sitting by the receptionist, he apologized for running late. His handshake was firm as I rose to accept it. He kept walking almost pulling me along before letting go and, though we had only spoken once on the telephone, he smiled freely seeming genuinely pleased to see me.

As he strode from the reception he beckoned for me to follow. Without turning around he asked if I’d like a coffee and as we entered his office he picked up the desk phone and with a joke asked Heather to “Pop along”. Before finishing his conversation with his secretary, he gestured for me to take one of the casual seats away from his desk.

He eventually flopped next to me, still ranting about roadworks when Heather entered without knocking and asked how I took my coffee.

Ten minutes and a refill later he was still lambasting the city planners when he abruptly stopped and asked what I could do for him. Before I could answer his mobile rang. Answering it without hesitation he held up a ‘policeman’s palm’ and mouthed something at me.

All this indicated I was dealing with a WARM/TELLER, and that I needed to allow time for inevitable delays, interruptions and distractions during just about every meeting with him. At any time he could be completely at peace with his world or flaming mad about someone or something. I had to remain flexible and above all, calm!

I made a mental note to allow twice as much time between my meetings with him and my next customer and be prepared to listen to just about anything. Yet, I had my job to do. So, how was I going to keep this human dynamo on track?

He was certainly assertive, so telling him what I wanted probably wouldn’t go down too well. He also displayed his emotions freely; I could see exactly ‘how’ he was feeling.

The trick with a WARM/TELLER is to remain fluid. Don’t be fazed by anything they say or do and strive to keep their interest. I had to listen intently to his stories to find out about him and introduce into his anecdotes how my ideas and service could make him money; WARM/TELLERs like money!

His personality is outgoing, headstrong, impulsive and enthusiastic. This trait genuinely welcomes sincere flattery for achievement. So, when he’d finished his phone call, I asked how he’d got into his present position and where he saw his career going.

As he began to tell me his story, I quietly withdrew a notepad.

I’d been warned to expect someone who doesn’t display much humor; someone who is cautious around strangers; someone who doesn’t take things at face value; someone who doesn’t believe in single answers and seeks solutions based on a balance of consequence. Get past this, however, and she is an excellent customer.

From this description, I anticipated meeting a COOL/ASKER. I, therefore, needed to be sure of my technical abilities or take someone along who possessed them.

Arriving ten minutes ahead of our scheduled meeting allowed me to compose myself. Sure enough at precisely three minutes to our appointment; her secretary led me to her office, knocked and entered ahead of me. She introduced Mrs. COOL/ASKER to me, rather than me to her, giving me the impression I had entered a Headmistress Study.

Her office was tidy and business-like with a monitor and a Smart Tablet on her desk. A large logistics chart was on the wall adjacent to her. She was dressed formally wearing a crisp blouse under a somber jacket. She stood as I entered the room. With a perfunctory smile she said, “Good morning” and, “Please take a seat” indicating with her hand for me to use the chair next to her desk. She then seemed to wait for me to open the conversation.

Her demeanor within this almost ‘clinical’ environment, confirmed my expectation that she was a COOL/ASKER. Recognizing this I had to keep my emotions in check. I had to stick to the facts to gain her confidence in my abilities or I might as well leave now.

Curiously, the COOL/ASKER may appear assertive even though they are not naturally so. They gain their authority by following the rules, the protocols and procedures. They seek to comply and expect others to do the same.

Expecting a meeting with a COOL/ASKER, I had emailed an outline agenda in advance and referring to it I opened by thanking her for seeing me stating today would take no longer than the allotted time unless she thought to extend it.

As I was speaking I removed two copies of that agenda from my case offering her one. I asked if anything should be added or amended. Receiving it without comment she produced her own copy for comparison. I said nothing. 

It read:           

After a few moments of contemplation, she expressed almost indifferent satisfaction that this might be an appropriate agenda but mentioned item number six had yet to be discussed.

Hard evidence carries more weight with the COOL/ASKER who remains suspicious of hearsay or anecdote. So, I’d brought copies of my formal qualifications plus two copies of my company’s service brochure, having revised its layout and memorized the page numbers to each main section. I had also researched her business through the Internet. If asked I could state their mission statement; what their principal markets are; what gross turnover they had achieved for the most recently audited years; how many people are employed; and, who their chief competitors are.

I anticipated no real decisions would be made during this meeting other than whether we would meet again. The COOL/ASKER must concede possible areas of concern before they have any interest in going further and everything, but everything must be submitted in writing prior to each meeting.

For meeting number two, I would forward a second agenda building on the first, with a copy of documents for discussion and allow two hours. For meeting number three, another agenda with a copy of preliminary report capturing items discussed from meeting two; another two hours. For meeting number four, I would forward the final agenda with an itemized report of the agreed areas of concern with alternative solutions to explore, set against a calendar for submission together with explanatory charts and supporting documentation; two more hours.

The pure COOL/ASKER is very high maintenance and moves towards resolutions sequentially. They can, however, yield extraordinary volumes of business directly and through professional introductions. Yet, most people can’t or won’t invest sufficient time to work with them on their terms.

After we had agreed on procedures and the sequence of our meetings, I asked if I could show her a model that outlined the four areas of my work. She agreed. I then asked, “What is your attitude towards ...?

That meeting went really well; I knew straight away I was dealing with a COOL/TELLER. Her office was tidy, coordinated and functional. Not too many personal items on display with a neat row of files on the return to her desk.

Her greeting was formal; no ‘hail-fellow-well-met’ reception from this lady. She was dressed conservatively and, giving me a firm handshake, looked me directly in the eye. With just a hint of a smile, she gestured for me to sit on the chair before her desk.

But the real clue was how quickly she wanted to get down to business. She was polite and spoke with quiet authority, never giving away much emotion at all. She made it clear from the outset she could only allow the twenty minutes we had agreed over the telephone. Sitting upright in her high back leather chair she looked directly at me and asked what I thought I could do for her. I reminded her that this meeting had come about because a colleague had recommended we meet and with twenty minutes in mind I suggested it might be sensible if I noted her opening questions; what she particularly wanted to get out of this meeting. This was well received.

COOL/TELLERs don’t like to be caught ‘off-guard’. They want to know they can rely on those they have ‘on-their-team’ to deliver what they want when they want it. They want to be in control and formulating a working agenda at the outset gives them the focus to direct events. I could see getting quickly to the purpose of our meeting was respected. I left my briefcase next to my chair just in case she wanted hard evidence of my credentials. Confirming her agenda I asked where she wanted to begin.

She chose a heading stating it would be a sensible starting point and I opened with a soft-question that allowed her to probe me with “What do you mean?” This ‘invitation’ gave me permission to offer more information through more soft-questions.

After twenty minutes we had discovered and agreed what she wanted to explore. I paused reminding her that my time had elapsed. With a small smile of acknowledgment she glanced at her wristwatch and said she could allow a further ten minutes, but would have to arrange another time should this meeting fail to ‘conclude’. I used this extra time by asking her to describe her role in more detail so that I could fully comprehend what she does, what worked for her and what might be improved. Apart from making general background notes we never did start a formal fact-find.

At the conclusion of this meeting, she said she thought I had displayed a reasonable grasp of her situation and agreed to meet again in two days at the same time and place. I said I would email confirmation of that meeting and attach an outline agenda based on the things we had begun to explore today. This was well received.

COOL/TELLERs want meaningful specifics; not wandering generalities. They want their time used effectively and I could expect more of the same during the next meeting. 

Well, what a contrast from my last meeting. Smiling like a long lost friend he rested his left hand on my shoulder as we shook hands. He reminded me of my childhood recollections of Father Christmas; jovial, friendly, inviting, trusting.

His office was more a den than a place of work with lots of personal items and pictures of his family. His overcoat lay slung over the back of his chair. I knew from the start I was probably dealing with a WARM/ASKER.

Recognizing this, it was essential I became his friend before anything else. I needed to give him sufficient reasons to trust me personally with those things most precious to him: his family; his employees. People come first with a WARM/ASKER and that means personal trust.

I remained relaxed and cordial; pulling out paperwork or raising an agenda this early would make him feel I was a machine. He would probably clam up and I would lose any relationship before it began. Oh, he’d never be so rude as to tell me to leave; he simply wouldn’t respond to any future contact from me.

OK, how do I behave with a WARM/ASKER? I took things slow and deliberate drawing upon his experiences with his family, his staff and his business; all the people who are important to him. Though in truth, almost everyone is important to him; even me!

I mentioned we were meeting because a close personal friend of his trusted me to do the right thing for her. I explained that I really needed to take the time to get to know him as a person and how he feels about his family, his business and his friends; not just for now, but for the foreseeable future as our relationship grows.

WARM/ASKERs are not assertive. They can be oversensitive to people’s feelings expecting their own to be accommodated, too. Therefore, I must use gentle persuasion to encourage him to move forward rather than appear pushy. As he freely displays his emotions, I was prepared to accept even his sadness as he let me into his private life; a loved pet had recently died.

WARM/ASKERs are not decisive, preferring consensus to outright decision making. So, I expected more than a couple of meetings with him and probably involving those he felt needed to join in, too. This awareness is helpful because it allows me to prepare specific, simple solutions to each of his concerns and ‘chat’ through ways of resolving them ~ together.

I needed to allow for his social agenda, too. If he does business with me it will be because he likes me. And, if he likes me enough to seek my advice, I can expect invitations to family or business events and must be careful to attend as often as possible.

After twenty minutes of hearing about his world, I casually asked, “What is your attitude to ...?”