From a Service Point of View

When I was in the corporate world I was in sales.
Over the years I had several training seminars & classes on personality types and how to sell to them. Over the years I learned how to hone that skill and I found I used it in my social settings as well.

When I met one of my husbands former boss’s I knew immediately the type of guy he was. First clue was that he had to stand close to speak with me so he was looking down on me. He always needed to feel like he was in a place of power. I knew right then he was terribly insecure and when my husband had issues with him he & I would discuss what I had learned on how to deal with that type. It worked like a charm for my husband and he couldn’t believe once he knew these things how much easier it was with handling all the personality types in the office.

When I left the corporate world to work within my husband’s new business I never thought I would use those skills again or at least not as often. But boy was I ever wrong!

But what is different from my old sales career is the personality types from a service point of view.

There are several distinct personalities who call for our services.
After answering these phones for the last 3 years I have learned a great deal about the people who call. It helps immensely on how to sell to them as well as what information to go over in detail & what to gloss over. Some people work best with little info & some need way too much.

Because people call several times and we speak a great deal before the actual job is done for them I get a “feel” for them. I have a mental picture of what they look like as well as feel as though I know a lot about them.

At first this was a fun game.
I would tell my husband what I thought his first appointment would look like and he would return and say whether I was spot on or not even close. I have been spot on 99% of the time. He seems to get a real kick out of it and I must admit it does in some small twisted way is fun for me too through the course of my day.

Then my little game progressed to what they do for a living. It has become very easy for me to figure out. I get about 95% on this one. Here are some of the personality types and the questions they ask me, don’t ask or how they treat me….which is very telling.

Gender – No matter where they fall the differences between the sexes is very big.
Women will generally have a lot of questions in comparison to the men.
Women buy because they like the service, liked me, liked what button I pushed etc.
If I hear the kids screaming in the background I know they will want to talk about XYZ etc.
Men ask price – now when can you do it. Period. End of story. Mind is made up.
Women ask everything and will mull over and then call yet again. This will take several calls before booking with women.

Full time Mommy – This woman will give you so much more than you need to know.
She wants to talk to another adult and it is sadly apparent. Her number 1 concern about the product is how this will affect the baby/kids. Will this be toxic? Should she have them wrapped in bubble wrap while we are there? Would it be best if they move out of their home for a week? (Seriously I was asked this) Never a question of price, process or warranty only babies, babies, babies.

Pompous Man – This guy thinks he knows everything. Mr. Machismo.
I am just the little woman who answers the phone and he makes sure he tells me so in one way or another. He will always ask to speak to a MAN but since I tell him no man is available he reminds me that I am inferior by a snort or a comment. He shares with me that he has read everything there is to know about this on the internet so no need to share that info with him. He'd do it himself if he wasn’t so important. He makes sure to let me know with his sighing etc that he barely has the time to give me his name & address so we can show up. He talks fast and again makes sure to remind me before we hung up that I am just a woman.
This type heterosexual guy is sadly abundant and I think if they were double jointed and could give themselves fellatio they would never leave the house or speak to a woman again.

Government Employees – Living here in DC Metro makes a lot of these folks. They always ask to have the work done on a federal holiday or on a Friday when they telecommute. They don’t care about the details only ask about the cost so they can put it on their spreadsheet. They also don't expect this to be done quickly like civilians. They are government employees they know how long it takes to get anything done.

Military Personnel – I love these men and women. They are polite and call me ma’am.
They ask questions and listen to the answers. When I go through what they need to do prior to our arrival they thank me for the time I have given them and they do as requested. The only ones!

Techies – They have read our website from beginning to end and will only discuss through emails. They always compliment me on the great website. The phone apparently frightens them. They will take a week to correspond with me on details via email when it could be done with a 10 minute phone call. Websites and emails mean more to them than social skills so picking up the phone and actually having a conversation is unthinkable. When I ask for a daytime phone number for contact they say they only text. I imagine them as pasty figures who never see sun. They email me all hours of the day and night which proves they have no life, social or otherwise

Over 65 – These folks are the only reason we still need to advertise in the phone book. Honestly who knew that anyone used the phone book anymore.
They call & are so confused about everything.
Everything needs to be explained over and over again.
They always whisper, “Does he speak English?” like whispering this politically incorrect statement makes it better. I don’t mind them at all because they do make me laugh and while they appear to be confused they are generally nice. and sadly that is rare. I look at this as my grandparents.

Young Punk – This is alway a guy who tells me about all the homes or properties he has.
He is either a flipper or a land lord and never over 34. Always wants it for the cheap because you know he has a big car payment -those Mercedes ain’t cheap. Speaks in fragments and not full sentences to show me what a mover and a shaker he his – he doesn’t have time for full sentences. I picture him texting, ordering a latte & flirting with the barista all while talking to me on the phone. Never really listening to anyone but himself talk. He never stops bragging & I should be damn thankful he has taken time out of his day to call us for our services. He will always ask for a break in price and say it in a manner that he thinks I will be so frightened of losing the job that I will succumb to his request. I never do for these types.

Women in Leadership/Powerful Positions – This group fascinates me because they are like men only polite. They are of a “certain age” - baby boomers just older than me. They talk fast, don’t want a lot of information, spell out orders at me as though I work for them. Never a question – always a statement proclaimed with perfect diction and enunciation. They could be a bit intimidating if I didn’t realize that they had to be this way to get where they are. They are of that generation. Never rude but never warm. Just the facts ma’am and if they need to speak to us again their assistant always calls.

Cat Lovers – See Full Time Mommy’s but replace babies with cats. Only thing that really gets me is they add cat stories and honestly I want to scream. I never tell them that I HATE cats and that I do not understand why they even roam the earth....they are not real pets. Instead I listen and chuckle when appropriate. I know it's horrible of me - please don't send me hate mail.

Smokers – This group fascinates me. They always, and I will repeat, always ask about the chemicals used in the process. They want to know the harmful affects of said chemicals on their lungs. Stop laughing, they really ask this and don’t see this as odd. They ask me this as I hear them puffing away on a cigarette. While I address their concern for their health politely I really want to scream THIS STUFF HAS NOTHING ON THE CARCINAGENS YOU ARE CURRENTLY INJESTING. Actually had Rick arrive to a woman’s home where the bathroom tiles had turned yellow from smoke. She had a cigarette lit the entire time he was there and she questioned him repeatedly about the chemicals and the harm they may do to her breathing/health. Can’t make this shit up folks.

Realtors – Ooh, these are a special breed. As I have written before they too think they are VIP’s….interestingly enough especially the women. They will ALWAYS tell me that if we do a good job there is so much business they will send our way. As though we had no intentions of doing a great job until they told us that. They always tell us how wonderful the work is and all that work never transpires like they like you to think it will. Men realtors say the same thing but with less self importance attached.

Interesting shit isn't it? It is to me anyways. This is not random but constant. Guess we’re not all so different are we?