Having spoken at many of the consultant companies in the franchise industry over the years, the truth of the matter is, I have never been a franchise consultant. By Nancy Friedman

Having spoken at many of the consultant companies in the franchise industry over the years, the truth of the matter is, I have never been a franchise consultant.

I have, however, been in sales all my life. And working with other people has always been a high priority. We have all met and worked with various personalities.

If you’re working alone, this article may not be for you. However, most of us work with somebody, sometime, somewhere. We interact with all sorts of personalities every day.

Let’s take a look at some of these with whom you may be working.

DORA DOWNER: Or as she/he is sometimes called: Ms. Negative. A dream killer. This person usually has some way to kill a dream and share the negativity they perceive. For some reason, it is almost as though they get a high from putting out a negative response to something that looks good to others. It’s exhausting to work with these types of people, especially if you’re a positive upbeat person.

THE SHARER: One who shares too much information. Confidence within a group should be and can be extremely effective and important. However, there are some people who cannot zip up their mouths and they tend to tell everybody everything. Often, and even worse, they change the narrative, which can be very dangerous.

THE KNOW-IT-ALL: My favorite way to handle this individual is when I know they’re wrong and I could prove it; however, I don’t want to embarrass them. A good answer to that is just simply say with a smile: “Well, maybe you’re right.” And then walk away.

It’s senseless and a huge a waste of time to argue with people who feel adamant they are correct when you can prove they are incorrect. While it seems like it might be ‘fun’ to do, it’s not worth it, unless it endangers someone, of course.

Be aware of these types of team members! They can be harmful, and often difficult to see in an interview.

Nancy Friedman

Nancy Friedman, the founder and chairman of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, is a popular keynote customer service speaker at franchise, corporate meetings and conferences around the country. She is now offering and specializing in Zoom programs, nancy@telephonedoctor.com, 314-276-1012.