As business people, and as relational beings in general, we are always looking for better ways to make deep connections with people. Just going through the motions, or following a script, is not enough. Our team team recently came across the Crystal app, which helps make connecting with people (genuinely) even easier.
Crystal is a software program that looks at characteristics of a person, according to the public information available on sites such as LinkedIn and Google, to create a personality profile of that person. Based on these personality profiles, Crystal helps you to understand how to best communicate with them – including what words, phrases and tone of voice to use that is most likely to make an impact, resulting in deeper connection.
Crystal creates it personality profiles based on the DISC (Dominance-Influence-Steadiness-Conscientiousness) personality classifier.
The personalities that make up DISC:
Dominant- likely to be direct, assertive, independent, and decisive. They are intense competitors that thrive with ambitious goals and challenges, preferring action over analysis.
Influential- confident, engaging and extremely approachable. These individuals love social settings and value connecting with others, are always looking to expand their network and social circles and enjoy spending time with new people.
Steady- naturally reserved people who look for like minded supportive, consistent, and loyal individuals in their relationships. They are known for being sympathetic to others’ perspectives, as well as excellent active listening skills.
Conscientious- extremely analytical, and gravitate towards process, structure, and rules. They are intensely skeptical and use logic to objectively make decisions, rather than being swayed by emotions.
Check out the personality profile of our team member, Jodi:
There’s a handy Chrome extension available, so you don’t even need to visit the website everyday to utilize Crystal’s capabilities – it is integrated into platforms you already use like LinkedIn and Gmail!
I talk all the time about making personal connections on LinkedIn and how that can be a great way to get new business. On LinkedIn, the Crystal extension will add a “View Personality” button to a person’s profile; it gives you tips for when you are speaking to that person, emailing them, working with them, recruiting them, and the types of things that come naturally to that person. No matter WHY you are reaching out on LinkedIn, this is very important information to have!
The “View Personality” button will also show up in Gmail when you have the Chrome extension – it can tell you to use “Hello” rather than “Hi there” when composing an email to a specific person, and adds friendly lines like “hope you are doing well.”
It even goes as far as to show you how to write an email to that person – what words, phrases, etc. resonate best with their personality profile.
For business communication, the ability to empathize and genuinely relate to others can make the difference between a connection made, email that is read, client gained…and one that isn’t. It lays the groundwork for better customer relationships and long-term brand loyalty.
Having this type of personality information readily available is a great asset when you are:
– recruiting
– meeting with a colleague or new client
– building your network with genuine connections
