It's more than money.
Behavioral style determines how sales people will sell. Will they jump right in and tell you all about their products? Or will they dazzle you with details, performance charts and graphs? There is a time and place for both types of selling, and knowing when to use each type is a skill in itself.
Internal drive and motivation (one's values), on the other hand determines why one sells. These factors also help you to predict the future behavior of sales candidates or prospects. Values drives are statistically three times more accurate in predictive validity than behavioral style in determining future winners. Will they get out of bed early on Monday morning and hit the street running? Or will they sleep until noon and not get a real grip on things until Tuesday?
Learning to understand and recognize different values drives and motivations will help you in two ways. First, it will allow you to better relate to your sales force. And second, it will help you to create incentive programs that motivate all of your sales people.
One kind of incentive would work wonderfully if all people were identical. But, we're not. So you need to be able to identify the styles and drives of the people on your sales force and to consider incentives that will motivate a variety of people and values.
Utilitarian: The drive for the dollar
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High: Competitive, bottom line orientation; wants practical solutions; hears the revenue clock ticking.
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Low: Enjoys helping others; puts others before self; service or support driven.
Individualistic: The drive for power and control
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High: Likes to take charge of projects; competitive, enjoys being a leader, will take credit or blame.
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Low: Very good team player, supports the project of cause, no hidden agendas.
Aesthetic: The drive for form and harmony
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High: Feels most creative in a work environment that is pleasing to the eyes and spirit.
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Low: Can get things done regardless of the surroundings, sees only the job task at hand.
Theoretical: The drive for knowledge
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High: Shows a high degree of curiosity; appetite for learning; technical creditability
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Low: Wants to learn enough to be practical and get results; quick implementation of ideas.
Social: The drive to help others
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High: Shows generosity in sharing their time and talent with others. a willing teacher and coach.
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Low: Won't be taken advantage of, maintains a business guard on giving away talents.
Traditional: The drive for order
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High: Well-disciplined, detailed problem solver, high respect for rules, procedures and protocol.
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Low: Very adaptable to new projects, sets new precedents, sees the big picture.
by Russell J. Watson, Ed.D
Every salesperson is motivated more than money. Do you know the unique combination that motivates of your people? Or have you assumed, as many sales managers do, that all your people are utilitarian and that commissions are their primary drivers? What happens to effectiveness when incentive programs miss the mark? If both salespeople and sales managers could gain a deeper understanding about how they are really driven, how much more might you achieve?
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