A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast: 892: Sharon L. Sherman: Decoding Personality Types for Successful Client Outcomes

Today With Sharon L. Sherman:

Today on A Well-Designed Business I am joined by Sharon L. Sherman, founder of Thyme and Place Design. Sharon has been practicing award-winning kitchen and bath design for the past 40 years, is a Past President of the American Society of Interior Designers, New Jersey chapter, and was named 2022 Innovator of the Year by Kitchen Bath Design News magazine. She has worked with every personality out there and is here to discuss personality traits.

We delve into the four personality types she categorizes: Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. We talk about their traits, how to recognize them, and how to work with each one best for successful outcomes every time.

Pick It Apart

[2:09] Sharon explains that everyone has a different idea of what a difficult client is, but by understanding our own personality traits we can better understand and work with all types of clients.

[9:30] Sharon introduces the four personality types she has defined: fire, air, earth and water.

[11:28] LuAnn and Sharon discuss the traits of the fire personality and how to handle them.

[19:26] Sharon describes the air personality as expressive, friendly, and appreciative, but also need to be appreciated.

[25:56] Sharon explains that those with the earth personality are stable and grounded and comfortable like your favorite pair of jeans.

[29:56] Sharon and LuAnn talk about the water personality, which tends to be analytical and organized.

[38:36] Sharon and LuAnn how to determine personality types and work with each one better.

LuAnn Nigara and Sharon L. Sherman's Ah-Ha Moments

“There's really no such thing as a difficult client. It just sounds like a match that's not well matched.” – LuAnn Nigara

“To resolve a problem—that's when we have to step out and detach and start to observe and see and to, quite frankly, employ those sales skills.” – LuAnn Nigara

“Clients make our world go round. Without them, we're no longer in business..” – Sharon L. Sherman

“If you understand how to speak to your clients, and how to ask them questions, and listen to what they're saying…you start to see who that person is going to be.” – Sharon L. Sherman

“If anybody right now has a recent interaction with any client that went negatively—just now think about the different personalities and try and identify what personality they are. Probably, you handled it from your personality. And if that ends up being true, then that is really a very foundational reason why the problem escalates—because you're handling something from your perspective as opposed to the way they need it handled, not because it was an unsolvable problem.” – LuAnn Nigara

“I didn't let fear overcome my love for what I'm doing.” - Sharon L. Sherman

More About Sharon L. Sherman

Sharon is the founder of Thyme and Place Design, headquartered in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She’s been practicing kitchen and bath design for the past 40 years and is a Past President of the American Society of Interior Designers – New Jersey chapter.

Her award-winning designs and editorial comments have been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, Design Milk, Bergen NJ magazine, Kitchen & Bath Design News, Woman’s Day, Country Decorating, Design NJ, New Jersey Home Magazine, 201 Magazine, The Best of Bergen, as well as several books.

Her blog “Tips from the Trade” appears in digital form on DesignNJ.com and KBBonline.com. She has also appeared on HGTV’s My Big Amazing Renovation and episodes of House Smarts with Lou Manfredini. In 2022, she was a featured *Voices From The Industry* speaker at the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s international convention and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Kitchen Bath & Business magazine and has received the 2022 Innovator of the Year award from Kitchen Bath Design News magazine.