Crystal Knows All: You’re Being Profiled

What is Crystal?

Crystal is a personality detection tool developed at Harvard Innovation Labs. It was designed to combine social science, technology and communication to help people understand and connect with others more effectively. The technology automates the process of getting to know potential clients, co-workers and team members, without wasting time and energy.

As the field evolves, other tools, such as Humantic AI, have emerged. These tools offer even deeper personality assessments that use frameworks such as DiSC and the “big five” traits.

Leslie Venetz, founder of The Sales-Led GTM Agency, was an early adopter of Crystal and currently uses Humantic AI to assess prospects’ risk aversion before introductory sales calls. 

“If they have a high-risk aversion, I adjust my sales style to include more time for questions overall, more trial close-style questions to pull out all concerns, and I am much more prescriptive in offering next steps,” Venetz explained. “Having that small bit of DiSC personality information is hugely helpful in allowing me to sell to prospects the way they like to buy.”

Bob Hutchins, CEO of Human Voice Media, emphasized that Crystal isn’t a new concept. “The use of psycholinguistics to determine personality traits is not a new idea or field of study,” Hutchins explained. “It goes back to the early 20th century. What’s new is that companies like Crystal Knows and competitors like Humantic are integrating AI tools to be more efficient and process larger amounts of information.”

How does Crystal work?

Crystal aggregates publicly available data from people’s online posts and information others share about them. Its personality profiles are generated by analyzing public data gathered from user and peer reviews, LinkedIn accounts, Google, Facebook pages and blog posts.

The app maps this information onto one of 64 unique personality profiles for each person to provide a detailed description of their traits. Crystal uses this information to show you how to communicate with them in a way they’ll appreciate, right down to the words and phrases you choose and even your tone of voice.

How to use Crystal

Here’s a deeper look at getting started with Crystal and how to find and use its insights. 

Getting started with Crystal

To get started with Crystal, first install the Crystal Google Chrome plug-in, or link the tool to Salesforce, HubSpot or Outreach if you prefer integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) system. Once the plug-in is installed, follow these steps:

1. Open LinkedIn. Navigate to the LinkedIn profile of the person you’re interested in.
2. Load the profile. Allow the profile to fully load in your browser.
3. Locate the Crystal button. You’ll notice a small Crystal button appear on the right side of the browser window.
4. Click the button. Click this button to display Crystal’s personality assessment sidebar.
5. Review the assessment. The sidebar will show detailed insights — including communication tips, suggested language and tone adjustments — to help you connect more effectively with that individual.

For example, here’s what our screen looked like when we loaded Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ profile into LinkedIn:

Bill Gates’ LinkedIn page, with the Crystal plug-in on the right.

James Shaffer, managing director of insurance brokerage Insurance Panda, is enthusiastic about the tool’s capabilities. “I’ve found Crystal’s decision-maker profiling surprisingly accurate,” Shaffer noted. “It’s eerie how well it nails personality traits, especially when I’m preparing for high-stakes sales calls.”

Shaffer’s Crystal interactions have yielded impressive results. “Once, I adjusted my tone and approach based on Crystal’s insights for a C-suite executive, and it paid off — my proposal was accepted on the spot,” Shaffer recalled. “While it’s not perfect, it’s an invaluable starting point for understanding how to connect with someone.”

Crystal’s communication advice

When a profile is loaded, you’ll see Crystal’s customized communication tips for that individual at the top of the sidebar. In our Bill Gates example above, you’ll see that Crystal offers the following advice: 

• Speak to him in a straightforward manner.
• Address his concerns early on.
• Provide all details, even those that seem minor.
• Avoid overly emotional language.
• Don’t gloss over any objections or issues with your product.

Crystal’s DiSC profile results 

Beneath Crystal’s communication advice, you’ll see a diagram with its personality assessment based on the DiSC personality profile test.

These are the four DiSC factors:

• Dominance
• Influence
• Steadiness
• Conscientiousness 

In our example, Crystal assigned Gates a “C” classification (Conscientious), indicating that he makes decisions only after careful consideration backed by thorough information and research.

Hutchins has been impressed by Crystal’s behavioral predictions. “I’ve seen the behavioral predictions be mostly accurate,” Hutchins noted. “It’s always fun to test this out by looking up friends and colleagues. Often, when I send them their [Crystal] personality profiles, they are quite surprised at how accurate it is.”

Still, since Crystal pulls data primarily from LinkedIn profiles, its assessments may not be spot-on. “This data may not be enough to accurately guess a person’s full personality every time,” Hutchins warned.

Crystal’s sales stage advice

You can tell Crystal which stage of the sales process you’re currently in with a client. You have five options:

• Prospecting/targeting
• Discovery/qualification
• Sales opportunity
• Proposal and negotiation
• Sale pending

Once you choose a sales stage and select “Get Advice,” Crystal will provide guidance tailored to your prospect’s position in the sales funnel. For example, if you’re in the Discovery/Qualification stage with Bill Gates as a potential client, Crystal would advise the following:

• Prepare a thorough list of answers to likely questions so you’re fully prepared.
• Focus on presenting cold, hard facts and figures rather than sharing colorful stories.
• Share detailed information about your product’s features and logistics.

Additional personality insights and preferences

Crystal also shares the following behavioral insights and likely personal preferences about your prospect. Continuing with our Bill Gates example, you’ll learn the following:

• Expected behavior: Expect Gates to experiment with as many solutions as possible because he solves problems by comparing different approaches. He’s very methodological when making decisions and appreciates receiving detailed spreadsheet data.
• Email preferences: Crystal advises including highly relevant data in your emails when you’re attempting to prove a point. You should explain and justify your case thoroughly in each email and, at the end, provide Gates with multiple options for the next step.
• Meeting preferences: Gates will give you as much time as needed during a meeting because finding the right answer is important to him. 
• Energizers: Crystal predicts that overcoming hurdles is what energizes Gates the most at work.
• Stressors: The app suggests steering clear of unreliable and unproven information. It also recommends meeting him one-on-one or in pairs, since he isn’t comfortable meeting large groups of new people at once.
• Speaking preferences: When in a meeting or on the phone, Gates prefers that conversations begin with an issue that needs to be resolved. During discussions, he strives to remain objective and logical.
• Expectations: He’s comfortable with suppliers and trusted contacts testing ideas before final implementation, but he always wants to know what he can reasonably expect when you work with him.

Hutchins values Crystal’s behavioral insights. “I personally follow the advice of Crystal Knows any time I am emailing or talking to a person for the first time,” Hutchins said. “Having this knowledge for the ‘first impression’ can go a long way. Especially when you know if the person is more introverted or extroverted.”

Hutchins further pointed out that following someone’s communication preferences is respectful and polite. “Do they like small talk, or do not?” Hutchins said. “I see this as a way of being courteous and kind to the person you are engaging with, as well as a way to strengthen the human relationship from the first contact.”

Shaffer has also had success when following Crystal’s behavioral advice, particularly with email communication. “When it suggests being concise or including data points, I adapt my message accordingly, and the results often speak for themselves,” Shaffer said. “It’s not always spot-on — there are moments where the advice feels generic — but when I trust it, it usually enhances my engagement with prospects.”

Crystal’s Playbook option

Crystal allows you to share personality assessments with co-workers and others through its Playbook option. These Playbooks offer strategies for the following tasks:

• Handling the product discovery phase with the client
• Conducting a demo
• Creating a confident sales pitch
• Closing the sale
• Managing the account post-sale

Crystal’s customized email templates

For each individual, Crystal provides nine distinct email templates tailored to a prospect’s personality, along with recommendations for the best subject line and body copy style.

For example, if you wanted to send a cold sales email to Gates, Crystal suggests the following template:

Hi Bill,

I’ve worked with people like you in the X industry for Y years and have calculated that one of the most common struggles that you may face is Z.

Over the past year, I’ve helped clients at B companies gain $C in revenue and find D more hours each week.

If you’re interested, I’ll schedule a call this week for us to talk more in depth.

Thanks, 

business.com

Crystal’s Writing Assistant and email integrations

Crystal’s Writing Assistant provides real-time guidance on customizing your writing style — including the words, phrases and tone — to better resonate with the prospect you’re contacting. It analyzes emails as you write them, highlights wording it finds ill-suited to the recipient’s personality profile, and suggests phrasing more appropriate for that person. For example, it may tell you to use “Hello” rather than “Hi there” when emailing Jane Doe and to add friendly lines like “Hope you are doing well.”

The Writing Assistant integrates directly with Gmail, Outlook and Office 365, making it easy to reap the benefits of email personalization with the most effective phrasing and tone.

Crystal’s team management insights

Crystal can also provide insights to help you improve manager-employee relations. For example, leaders can ask team members to take a 10-minute personality test and use the results to manage them better. Additionally, managers can create custom Playbooks for individual colleagues or the entire team to enhance group meetings, performance reviews, one-on-ones and workplace conflict management.

You receive hints about how to work with someone, such as focusing on goals, and how to speak with them, such as avoiding overly detailed messages. There are also tips on what comes naturally to that person, such as whether they feel comfortable making quick decisions or they dislike spreadsheets.

Crystal’s video meeting overlays

Video meeting overlays on Crystal. Source: Crystal

Crystal allows you to overlay information on each participant during video calls, which is helpful when you’re making a sales pitch. The platform is compatible with Google Meet and Zoom.

You can choose from automatic DiSC personality insights and communication tips on building rapport with each participant. The overlay also works in breakout rooms.

Crystal’s hiring insights

Crystal can help with employee recruitment by ensuring you hire for a cultural fit. You can access instant DiSC personality profiles to identify candidates who would be the best fit for the job and receive customized questions designed to pinpoint candidates’ strengths and assess their compatibility. Importantly, you can anticipate how your new hires will interact and collaborate with your existing team members, thereby reducing the risk of bringing on toxic employees. Recruiters can also assess candidates’ fit by analyzing text from profiles and resumes.

Crystal’s app integrations 

Crystal integrates with some of the best CRM software platforms (including Salesforce and HubSpot), as well as with LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, Google Meet and more. Business app integrations streamline your workflow by helping you access personality insights directly within existing tools.

Crystal also boasts a well-developed application programming interface that sales teams can use to enrich CRM records with personality traits, Enneagram types and more.

How much is Crystal?

Crystal offers a free version with personality assessment tools, basic writing assistance and five profiles. The Premium plan costs $49 per month and includes advanced tools, Playbooks, enhanced writing assistance and up to 200 profiles per year. A Custom tier offers even more robust tools tailored to your organization.

What are the pros and cons of using Crystal?

Crystal can be a valuable tool, but there are some concerns to be aware of.

Pros

• It seems to be very accurate. Crystal claims its personality tests are 97 percent accurate on verified profiles (when someone completes a personality test and gives Crystal an accuracy rating) and 80 percent accurate on assessments of potential clients or future employees. Shaffer has found this to be largely true. “The forecasting tools like speaking preferences and expected behaviors have been a game changer,” Shaffer said. “It’s not always 100 percent correct, but I’d estimate it aligns with reality about eight out of 10 times, which is good enough to make a difference in my sales cycle.”
• It aids digital interactions. Now that many workplace and sales interactions occur primarily via email, the writing tool can give you a real edge in quickly building strong relationships.
• It’s a great out-of-the-box training tool. For new reps, understanding how to handle individual prospects is sometimes as crucial as mastering product knowledge and sales steps. This can help new representatives win their first deals sooner, thereby boosting their confidence.
• It helps teams work well together. Using personality profiles to treat each team member as they’d like to be treated helps streamline people management and fosters a positive work atmosphere both now and in the long term.
• It integrates with popular products. The Chrome plug-in works well, and the email writing tool is user-friendly. Additionally, the integrations with the HubSpot and Salesforce CRM systems are excellent, thanks to the company’s investments.

Cons

• Its accuracy hasn’t been independently verified. The 80 percent accuracy figure is based solely on Crystal’s internal calculations, with no third-party validation.
• It has the potential for incorrect information. Relying solely on Crystal means you risk mishandling at least 20 percent of prospects or co-workers, which could lead to lost sales and internal team conflict.
• Reps may take shortcuts. Although technology can help, there’s value in learning about your customers the old-fashioned way. Some reps may forgo viable deals because they’re unwilling to engage with certain personality types.

Shaffer recommended a mixed approach that incorporates both Crystal’s insights and your own research. “Don’t rely on it blindly,” Shaffer cautioned. “Always involve your entire sales team in using Crystal so everyone’s communication style is aligned when interacting with a key decision-maker. That consistency can make or break a deal.”