Here is a quote from Michael Dlouhy's Powerful Networking Secrets :
"400 years before Jesus Christ, the Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates wrote about the four basic personality types and called them Phlegmatic, Sanguine, Melancholy, and Choleric.
In 1921, Dr. Carl Jung wrote the most detailed book ever on this subject. He called the 4 personality types Feeler, Sensor, Thinker, and Intuitive. Florence Littauer later wrote a detailed book about Phlegmatic, Sanguine,
Melancholy, and Choleric."
When you talk to people and really listen to what they have to say, you will realize that they are either open or self contained and they are either direct or indirect.
Open people will readily answer your questions whereas self contained people will either not answer your questions, skirt around the question, that is they will give you an answer that is not related to you question or instead of answering they will ask a question of their own.
Direct people will give you much more than you asked for and will try to control the conversion. Indirect people will answer with a few words and many times hesitate before answering. Direct people can think and speak at the same time whereas indirect people must think and then speak.
I will now use the above information to describe the four types of personalities. I will be using Michael Dlouhy's technique of identifying the types using colours. It is much easier to remember four colours than to remember "Phlegmatic, Sanguine, Melancholy, and Choleric" or even "Feeler, Sensor, Thinker, and Intuitive".
So lets start with the Open and Direct people. We call them the Blue personality type. They make up 15% of the population. You ask them a question, they don’t quit answering. They just keep going and going and going until you have to interrupt them to ask the next question. THAT is direct. And they’re open. Blue will tell you their life story, including all the gory details you never wanted to know. The combination of open and direct means that Blue is very confident in what they know and what they do. They can walk up to anybody and talk about anything. Blue loves being with people and is always the life of the party. The favourite occupations for a blue are sales, entertainment or public speaking.
Open and indirect people are the Yellow personality type. They make up 35% of the population. These are just amazing people. They are the best listeners. They’re dependable. They’re easy to get along with. They are team players. They are
so patient and supportive and they’re nurturing. They’re very open with their feelings, but they are indirect. In other words, you ask them a question, they answer, and they stop. When they answer your question and stop, that means they’re open, but they’re indirect. That is a yellow. Yellow has built the largest organizations, when they finally get the belief that they can do it. Yellow is polite and softspoken. Happy with themselves. They enjoy life and they enjoy being alive. They dance to a different drummer. They don’t like confrontation. They hate any kind of bully.
Self Contained and Indirect people are the Green personality type. They make up 35% of the population. When you’re talking to Green, they’re trying to calculate and figure out ahead of you why you’re asking the question. So you need to take a breath. You need to slow down. You can’t talk too fast with Green. They are indirect & selfcontained. They think they’re the smartest people on the planet. So what they do is, they try to figure out, calculate and analyze why you’re even asking them the question. So ask the question and let it sink in before you go on. Slow down the pace. The indirect will not give you more information than they think you need. (Yellow & Green) They enunciate their words correctly and they talk slower, so that while they’re talking, their mind is still figuring out why you’re asking the question. In fact, Green spends so much time in their head, trying to figure things out, that they get paralysis by analysis. Recognize that. Give Greens a breathing space when you talk to them. Green expects you to listen to what they have to say. If you don’t listen to them, they’ll scratch you off their list. And never be late with a Green. If you have an appointment with them, be on time or early. One minute late is noticed and frowned on. Greens are very punctual people. They pride themselves on being punctual and correct.
Self Contained and Direct people are the Red personalith type. They make up 15 percent of the population. Red is very direct, like the Blue. But what happens is, sometimes people think they’re being open, when they’re not. They are just very, very direct. Direct and selfcontained. They will go right to you and want to know why you are asking that question. But then they’re also selfcontained, like the Green. They won’t show you their weakness. It’s critical to them that they keep that away from you. Red is so direct in answering your question that you might think they’re being open with you. But they aren’t. They’re being direct, and they are going to control the conversation. They’re going to ask you a question, and don’t think you’re going to avoid the question. They will get their questions answered. Red is money motivated, driven by money. Everything in their core revolves around money, success, being #1 in the company. Yellow isn’t at all focused on money, and they often have more of it than Red. Red also demands a show of respect. If Red calls you and decides to join your network marketing business, don’t dare try to stick them under somebody else. They are going to be sponsored directly frontline to you, or not at all. “I don’t need anybody to burp me, diaper me, hold my hand. So don’t you think you’re going to put me under somebody else.” So don’t go there. And don’t think you’re going to coach Red. Because Reds are not coachable. Some of my very best friends are Reds. But I wouldn’t have them in business with me if you gave me the company. I wouldn’t do it. You go out to eat with Red, they try to order you to eat what they’re eating. If you meet with them in their office, they never tire of telling you how their company’s success depends entirely on their actions. I just couldn’t tolerate their ego.
It is important to note that 70% of the population is indirect. So if you are talking to a crowd of people, slow it down otherwise you will lose most of your audience.
This is just a brief synopsis of the topic. There is a lot more information available so if you are interested in more let me know.
At Mentoring For Free, on the first Saturday of every month we have a special call where Michael Dlouhy and Richard Dennis discuss the personality colours. If you want to join us let me know and I will give you the number and the PIN.
