Left to their own devices, would your salespeople do just enough to get by:
- to give the illusion of being busy, perhaps in an attempt to justify the size of the investment the company has made on their behalf?
- Or, would they go the extra distance – do whatever it took to attain department goals and contribute to the accomplishment of company initiatives?
If your company is like most, you have salespeople who fall into both groups. So, what distinguishes those in the “do-whatever-it-takes” group from those in the “do-enough-to-get-by” group?
The answer usually boils down to two things — beliefs and goals.
An individual’s beliefs have more to do with his accomplishments than almost any other element. An individual with weak skills, for instance, but strong beliefs about the possibility of a positive outcome of an activity will typically outperform an individual with strong skills and weak beliefs.
Why?
Because the person with strong beliefs will “do the behavior.” Because he or she believes the intended outcome can be accomplished, they will perform the necessary tasks regardless of their skill level. They may have to work harder than the person with superior skills, but over time, as they continue to do the behavior, their skill will improve.
The person with weak beliefs, despite his or her strong skills, will at best make a half-hearted attempt at performing the tasks, or perhaps avoid doing them altogether and instead offer several reasons why any effort would be fruitless.
Goals also drive behavior. A person with goals — personal goals, professional goals, performance goals, financial goals — whatever they are, has a target at which to aim. And, with a target in sight, the person can develop a plan to hit it.
Combining the two concepts, beliefs and goals, we can conclude that people are most motivated to take action to pursue goals that they believe can be accomplished and also to which they have a personal connection.
As a sales manager, your challenge is to provide your sales team with opportunities to channel their motivational energies in ways that support the accomplishment of department goals. An effective way to accomplish that is to involve your people in the goal development process. When you collectively develop a goal, it’s THEIR goal as well.
When you view your people as an integral part of the goal development process, rather than merely the mechanism for accomplishing goals, you increase the likelihood of those goals being attained.
Dave Harman is an associate with Sandler Training. He has over 30 years’ experience in sales and sales management with Fortune 500 companies as well as small, family-owned organizations. He has held positions from sales to senior management with companies such as Conoco/Vista, Amresco and Ohio Awning, and owns his own business. He earned his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. You can reach him at [email protected] or (888) 448-2030.
