Vibrant Coaching

A session by Nicole Greer, a leadership and business coach, focused on the “four elements of success” in learning how to effectively approach and communicate with clients: Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. Your products and manufacturing processes are already excellent, she says, but you need to focus on the last ‘P’; people.

Earth: solid, steady, reliable, detail-oriented, knowledgeable, reliable.

Water: buoyant, accommodating, flexible, calming: “I’ll take care of it for you.”

Wind: energetic, communicative, new ideas, a change agent.

Fire; passionate, driven, pioneering, a sense of urgency; they like to win.

To overcome that first visceral reaction—which could turn out to be negative—you need to understand what kind of elements your customer has in play. And play to those elements. Analyze your clients—what is the personality, the values, the desires? What motivates them? And then adjust your elements to give them what they want and need.

Each element has strengths and challenges. But according to sales guru Don Carroll:  “Uncommunicated expectations are a pre-meditated opportunity to be disappointed.”  Bring the elements of your personality into sync with the customer, and support future success.

Galynn Nordstrom is senior editor of Specialty Fabrics Review magazine.