Issue 26
February 2000

Prairie Grains is the official publication of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, South Dakota Wheat, Inc., and the Minnesota Barley Growers Association.

Copyright
Prairie Grains Magazine
February 2000

Does your personality affect your marketing strategies?

By Kris Versdahl

Why is marketing so difficult for some farmers and easy for others? Why do some farmers use certain strategies and avoid others? Why can women sometimes be better marketers then men?

Your personality may have something to do with it.

Personality does indeed affect marketing strategy, according to Roy Smith, a Nebraska farmer and marketing expert.

Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator model, Smith says we can better understand what makes us tick.  The Myers-Briggs concept breaks our personalities into four general areas.  And Smith says where we shake out in these areas has a pretty interesting impact on how we make marketing decisions.

Introvert, extrovert marketers

To understand whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, you need to think about what your source of strength is, or "what pumps you up and gets you going."  Smith points out that whether you're an introvert or an extrovert doesn't really have anything to do with how outgoing you are.

"In marketing, I think an extrovert is the one who discusses and shares ideas with other people," says Smith.  "I think farmers involved in marketing clubs are more likely to be extroverts."

Smith says on the other side, farmers who are introverted are more likely to keep things to themselves, and are more apt to take somebody else's advice.  "For example," says Smith, "I think an introvert is more likely to hire a marketing expert."

As far as marketing success is concerned, however, Smith says he doesn't think it makes much difference whether you're an introvert or an extrovert.

Intuitive or Sensory?

How you prefer to receive information will help you understand whether you're intuitive or sensory.  Smith says an intuitive person is one who relies on insight and ideas, and a sensing person is one who relies on past experiences.

In marketing, Smith says an intuitive person is more apt to be innovative, and try new things.  "I believe that an intuitive person is more likely to use futures and options," says Smith.  "The sensing person, on the other hand, is the one who would probably say, 'Well, this worked pretty good for me last year and the year before, so I think that's what I'll do.'"  Smith says the sensing person is more likely to stay strictly in the cash market.

Again, as far as marketing success is concerned, Smith doesn't believe it matters whether you're an intuitive or sensing person, as long as you use your marketing tools wisely.

Feeler or Thinker?

Understanding how you make decisions will help you determine whether you're a feeler or a thinker.  "A feeling person makes decisions based upon convictions, while a thinking person makes decisions based upon logic," says Smith. 

Interestingly, Smith says research has shown that 75% of women are feelers, and 75% of men are thinkers.

Smith says a feeler is more likely to be subjective and can deal better with emotional situations, while a thinker is more likely to be objective, and wants everything to be rational.

Smith says this is one area that has a big impact on our marketing decisions. "Marketing is not rational," he says, "but marketing is emotional.  That's why we hear that women are generally better marketers than men.  They are more comfortable dealing with emotional situations."

"If you're going to succeed at marketing," says Smith, "you're going to have to learn to deal with emotion, and that can be difficult."

Perceiver or Judger?

Your orientation to the world helps determine whether you're a perceiver or a judger, explains Smith.  "The perceiving person is flexible, while the judging person is structured and organized."

Smith says a perceiver generally enjoys risk and can make decisions based on incomplete information.  The judger prefers low risk situations, and needs to know all the facts before making a decision.

How does this impact marketing decisions?  "In marketing, you can know everything there is to know today, and tomorrow all the facts change and your decision may be wrong regardless of how much you thought you knew," says Smith.  You can imagine how frustrating this is to a person who has judging tendencies.

Can personality sabotage marketing?

Research shows that a typical male farmer has an ISTJ personality profile (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging).  "The same personality characteristics that make us good producers can be the same ones that can make us poor marketers," says Smith.  "Similarly, a typical female farmer has an ISFJ personality profile (Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)."  Smith says contrast that with the typical personality profile of a speculator – ISFP (Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving), and it starts to make some sense.

What does it all mean? 

Smith says that understanding your own personality profile can help you become a better marketer.  "I get mad when I hear people say that farmers make bad marketers.  We can learn to become good marketers but it means we need to understand what we need to change, and realize that it may not be easy or necessarily fun, but it can be done and it can be done very successfully."

To learn more about understanding your personality characteristics, you can take a free online analysis at www.keirsey.com that will tell you which four personality characteristics you have.  The site also has information about famous people with personality traits similar to yours, as well as the types of jobs that might be most suitable for your personality type.