December 16, 2009
Edited and Written by Ira S. Wolfe
Published by Success Performance Solutions. Major Sponsor,
2008 Best Places to Work In Pennsylvania
What's Inside this issue of The TotalView:
1. The Four Personalities of Christmas Shopping
2. Perfect Labor Storm Warnings
3. Quotes from the Hire Authorities
1. The Four Personalities of Christmas Shopping
It's the night before before Christmas and all through the stores, everyone is scurrying and rushing toward the doors.
The sales staff is exhausted, the shoppers are spent,
The businesses are hoping, they'll make enough to pay the rent.
But regardless of the holiday, one thing is for sure,
To predict how a person handles shopping, DISC will endure.
Using the DISC behavioral style model, predictions can be made on the buying patterns of holiday shoppers. You might recall that DISC identifies four behavioral styles that define how each of us responds to a job, a task, stress and, believe it or not, even shopping.
According to DISC theory, millions of people will purchase goods and services-on-line, by phone, or in person-during the final days using one of four styles. There is no magic or hocus-pocus to identifying these styles. All you need to do is observe and listen. Here are a few examples of DISC shopping styles in action:
The high D behavioral style says "Only 1 day? What's the big deal? There's plenty of time left." D types love the challenge. Ironically, the remarkable emotion of D behavioral style is a short fuse - traffic jams, long lines, crowded stores and D types don't mix. Internet shopping is tailor made for these direct, results-focused individuals. Gift cards and certificates are near perfect because they are much more efficient and they believe you can't go wrong with cash or its equivalent. Then again, the D behavioral style might cajole his administrative assistant to make the shopping list, check it twice, and be Santa's little helper. It shouldn't surprise anyone that high D behavioral types are the ones doing last minute shopping on Christmas Eve. And if anything needs to be assembled, Ds pay someone to do the handiwork. High D behavioral types give gifts that identify with increased productivity.
The high I behavioral type loves the holiday season, and the shopping, parties, and crowds that go with it. Shopping is an event, a day out at the mall with friends and families - the more the merrier. The I behavioral type plans a shopping trip with the attention normally given to planning a wedding. Shopping begins early and centers on meals. After all, how can you possibly shop without a big breakfast, numerous breaks for snack and lunch, lunch, wrapping up the day with a sit-down dinner? By the end of the day, the high I behavioral type has had a great time regardless of the success of paring down the gift list. The High I person is optimistic. There's always time for shopping! The high I behavioral type is highly influenced by those gifts with the most attractive wrappings, even if what's inside is not always practical. You can be sure he/she's an I if you hear, "I just couldn't resist buying it. It had my name all over it. I hope you like it too."
The high "S" behavioral style favors handcrafted gifts and homemade food. Christmas shopping begins and ends early. This steady, methodical shopper makes lists, clip coupons, and maps out a shopping itinerary before leaving the house. Although Black Friday marks the start of the shopping season for most consumers, December 26th is the right time to get a head start on next year's shopping list. The S behavioral style kicks into high shopping gear right after Labor Day and with few exceptions, gifts are bought, wrapped, and shipped before Thanksgiving. December isn't a time for shopping but for making cookies and preparing Christmas dinner. On Dec. 16, the high S behavioral style thinks, "Only nine days until after-Christmas sales begin."
C behavioral personalities work to avoid big crowds and don't understand how anyone can leave shopping to the last minute. In many ways, the C and S behavioral styles share shopping preferences. But the gifts they choose differentiate these behavioral styles. S personalities give gifts with a personal touch; Cs seek quality. The more practical C behavioral type purchase gifts that will last, and makes certain their gifts have the best warranties. During September and October, they do research to find the best-made, highest quality and most reasonably priced gift. These logical analytical types prefer to give gifts with a proven track record and can't understand why anyone would waste money on this year's fad.
If any of these types seem familiar, that is because they are. DISC is the universal language and dates back to....well as far back as Christmas itself. Learn more about DISC and its history here.
Perfect Labor Storm Warnings 
Women make up 97.8 percent of all preschool and kindergarten teachers, 97.3 percent of dental hygienists, 96.3 percent of all secretaries and administrative assistants, and 95.5 percent of all child care workers.
Source: The Shriver Report
For more workforce and hiring trends. subscribe to the Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 blog.
Purchase the NEW Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 books (soft and hard cover versions) at PerfectLaborStorm.com.
Quotes from Hire Authorities
"Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, 'I have failed three times,' and what happens when he says, 'I am a failure.'
S.I. Hayakawa
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