Yikes, my client is an INTP!

By Cynti Oshin
Director, Client Services/Business Development


And for the crowd who has never taken the Myers Briggs, that means his preferences are “introverted, intuition, thinking and perceiving.” And so what exactly does that mean to the account person? We’ll get to that later.

After 20+ years in some form of account/project management, I have seen the dangers of not identifying the best way to work or communicate with a client. In fact, I’ve seen the pitfalls with my co-workers. We have a little microcosm here in the S&E offices, which serves as a great example.

Rick Stanton HATES interoffice emails. And even more, he hates emails from me. Minute by minute, I risk antagonizing him by sending a written confirmation, request, outline of meeting minutes, etc. He’d much rather I pop my head in his office, tell him and let him be. Lisa Dahlby, our account manager, prefers communication via email, as when I stop by her door for an informal conversation or request, it can interrupt her rhythm and workflow, or worse yet hamper her required focus on a client. Jon Njos, our media director and partner, is a little more like me. Either way works fine – but if it doesn’t eventually get written down, it will get lost in the chaos of a workday.

In order to get what we need from our colleagues, we are best served by identifying the most effective means by which to communicate. No mystery here. And the same goes for our clients. Our S&E roster of clients falls into every category imaginable of work styles. One would prefer at minimum to meet face to face once a month in addition to the usual emails and phone calls. Another is not as concerned about a face-to-face meeting, but would like consistent phone access. Some like email. Some would like to be in on the details, others just want the big picture and trust that it will be executed properly. It’s best to know who likes what and meet them there. You’ll probably get what you need with less effort and more quickly if you do.

Going back to the INTP personality, it means that this individual is a thinker and likes structure and logic. Communication should be clear and factual. You should be prepared to be questioned, critiqued and challenged by your client. You want to avoid being emotional or sharing too much personal information. So skip the lengthy emails detailing what you did last weekend as a lead-up to why you’re reaching out. He just wants to focus on the business at hand.