Suppose a member of your business leaders group had a great new proposition that they were planning to parade in the BBC’s Dragons Den. Let’s leave aside whether or not you think this is a good way to get investment – and free publicity. What will be crucial to your member’s success is how he or she stands up to cross examination by the different Dragons.
Dragons – like everyone else you meet in business – are not all the same.
While all the Dragons are universally portrayed as being pretty tough, there are of course contrasting aspects to their personalities and they have different preferred ways of absorbing information. So the ideal way to communicate with each of them – and get them to invest – differs from Dragon to Dragon. To achieve the right outcome your member needs to take into account that, on the surface at least, the straight-talking Scotsman, Duncan Bannatyne, seems as hard as industrial diamonds.
Mr Bannatyne can be classified as what’s known as a “Director Type”.
He’s a driven, task-orientated achiever who wants you to be succinct, straight to the point with no flim-flam. If you’re not clear enough when it comes to getting to the “bottom line” he’ll chew you up and then, in the jargon of the Dragon’s Den format, Duncan Bannatyne, will declare himself “Out!”. However, give him what he needs up front and he may eventually warm to you and possibly smile and maybe even put his hand in his pocket!
Peter Jones – while not exactly a softie – comes across as being more immediately affable and chatty.
He’s predominantly a “Socialiser Type” – a people-orientated extrovert who enjoys engaging with those around him. So Mr Jones will be happier to listen to a bit more of your member’s story if he or she makes it engrossing and entertaining as they illustrate their point.
When it comes to persuading people on a one-to-one basis to go for your ideas, your products or your services, it makes sense to use a different communication approach for different personality types. This is why I have launched my new communications-boosting session for business leaders groups: “Get Your Message Across To All Personality Types”.
It’s designed to enable your members to connect better with all those they need to interact with, inside and outside their companies.
If you’d like more information about this programme, contact me using my online form click here.
If your members do go on Dragon’s Den and they calibrate their answers to suit different personality types, they’ll have a better chance of securing that investment – or at least getting some civility from the Dragons.