Are you already letting the color language speak for you?
Gert-jan de Rooij
24-03-2022
Coaching, negotiating, active listening, understanding people, communicating and connecting. Today's sales manager must be a true all-rounder and, above all, have your soft skills well in order. Yet we all experience that sometimes conversations do not go smoothly. You do not understand each other or it seems as if the other speaks Chinese. A pity, because by immersing yourself in the thoughts and actions of your conversation partner, that connection will come naturally.
You probably recognize it: colleagues who are always talking in meetings, while others hardly ever open their mouths. Or potential clients with whom you immediately connect, while with others that connection is hard to find. People's behavior is sometimes difficult to gauge, so you don't always understand others. Yet it is precisely this understanding and insight into people's behavior that can help you further. Not by studying psychology, but simply by immersing yourself in a few basic skills from behavioral science.
'Self-insight in communication is the foundation for effective collaboration and even better functioning'
Philosophy of Carl Gustav Jung
With a few extra handles you will not only get to know your conversation partners better, but also yourself. Both useful with colleagues and (potential) clients, as well as privately. Because even among friends and family it can be a real eye-opener! At Kenneth Smit we have been working for years with the color language of Insights Discovery - based on the philosophy of Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung - where everything starts with self-insight. That foundation is going to help you work together more effectively and function even better. Because why does your behavior seem completely normal and someone else's strange, irritating or confusing? Just by taking a good look at yourself and understanding why you do as you do, you are much better able to understand the other person as well.
'The colors give you a good idea of your own behavior and the way you react'
In color language, the four basic behavioral preferences that every human being has within them are linked to a color; red, blue, yellow and green. The colors give you a good picture of your own behavior and the way you react. At the same time, it gives insight into why other people react differently. For example, someone with a lot of blue in his or her profile is very focused on details and objectivity; an organized and methodical worker. Red behavior represents deliberate decision making; behavior that suits ambitious, decisive and direct people. Yellow stands for expressive and feeling; creative people who like to think out of the box. And green stands for caring and harmony and suits stable, helpful team players.
Preference dynamics
You may think that by doing this you are immediately pigeonholing, labeling or biasing someone. Definitely not! Someone is never just red, green, yellow or blue. The color theory assumes that we all have all colors in us, but that we have a preference for a certain dynamic. Also, in your daily work, one day you may react more 'red' while the next day green is better. But just what is on the program, with whom you are working or having a conversation. By recognizing the color of yourself and the other person, it is easier to adapt and you have a better sense of how that person wants to be treated. Moreover, it allows you to communicate your own message much better. In my opinion, this is the step towards more effective communication, connecting and a lasting customer relationship.
Want to learn more about Insights Discovery's color method and how it can help you and your sales team move forward? We'd love to help!
