To help you identify the Enterpriser personality, think of the looks you
see at an amateur poker table when the players want to give the impression
that they have really good cards. Enterprisers like to give the impression
that they have cards they have not played yet. Even when they don’t have
the cards, they attempt to give you the impression that they do.
Enterprisers are restless and poised for action. Think of a viper—ready
to strike at any minute. In conversations, you’ll primarily hear them push-
ing for the bottom line. This obsession with the bottom line is their most
obvious tell. Enterprisers cannot help themselves because they are impa-
tient by nature. Enterprisers are also notorious for their frequent inter-
ruptions—to move the conversation along at a faster pace and insert their
forceful opinions.
Enterprisers are confrontational. For them, it’s not about tact and diplo-
macy; it’s about getting to the point of resolution quickly. They tend to be
abrupt in their speech and often ask questions about time and results, such
as, “Where’s this headed?” or “How long will it take?”
In conversation, differentiating between the body language and audi-
tory signals of Enterprisers and Analyzers can sometimes be confusing, be-
cause both personality styles are good at exhibiting a poker face. Yet we
know there’s a huge difference in our approach with Enterprisers and
Analyzers. The most significant difference between the two personality
styles is their preference between quickand right. Enterprisers will push to-
ward speedyresults and Analyzers will push toward accurateresults. Their dif-
fering pace is what sets them apart.
Another way to differentiate between Enterprisers and Analyzers is their
voice patterns. The voice pattern of the Analyzer personality style is con-
trolled. The voice pattern of Enterprisers is also controlled, but just when
you think they’ve settled into an even pattern, they’ll punch a word for ef-
fect (see Figure 18.3).
160 SELLING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
FIGURE 18.3Conversational Clues: The Enterpriser Personality
Voice Pitch: Punches certain words