2009 was not a banner year for sales achievement in most industries. Economic conditions certainly played a role. Staying motivated through such a tough economy is probably one of the chief issues salespeople and sales leaders faced last year. Some salespeople steeled themselves by “refusing to participate” in the recession and found ways to exceed their quotas and grow their business. Many individuals and companies did not.
In good times and bad, motivation always plays a key role in sales success. That is why I find this RSA Animate video, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” so fascinating. It is based on a talk by Dan Pink about the science behind what motivates people, which he has written about in his book “Drive.” Thank you to Jim Stroud at The Recruiter’s Lounge for bringing this to my attention:
For me, this topic raises a lot of interesting questions, especially with regard to sales.
Salespeople are supposed to be different from the rest of the population in several important ways, one of them being that they are MONEY-motivated. If there were ever a situation where people are often presumed to be “better-smelling horses,” sales is it.
I do not doubt that there are some people who are very money-motivated, but what if there are not enough of them to staff your sales force? Or any sales force?
- One solution may be to stack the odds slightly in your favor by hiring more money-motivated salespeople than your competition, if this is even possible.
- Or maybe, the competitive advantage comes from building a sales culture that takes into account that most salespeople aren’t solely money-motivated.
If you take the message of the video seriously, it would seem that the greater opportunity for success comes from finding other or additional ways to motivate salespeople than simply money.
What if you could engage and motivate the majority of your sales force that isn’t driven exclusively by financial gains? How much would that be worth? In market share? In revenue? In profits? What if, upon closer examination, you discovered that what motivated your top performers was not actually money?
For salespeople, would you be more motivated if you looked at your work through the lens of mastery, autonomy and purpose? What if your company encouraged and provided you with opportunities to pursue these aims? Is that the type of environment in which you could be productive and want to remain for a long time?
In such a framework, a few questions come to the forefront as important for fostering highly-motivated salespeople:
- Sales training: Does your company have a serious and on-going commitment to sales training? Are new reps given sufficient training to put them on the path towards mastery of their products? After initial training, what opportunities are reps given to continue to improve their skills?
Are there any important awards or recognition given for achieving sales mastery, independent of quota attainment? Even if you have some of these in place, are they sufficient or should their visibility and importance be enhanced? How do you demonstrate that training, learning and on-going development are a priority in your sales organization?
As an individual salesperson, do you set aside time to improve your skills and abilities? How do you feel when you do so? What resources have you invested in or uncovered to improve your abilities? If you don’t feel like a master of your craft, what are the deficits in your skills and how can you improve upon them? Have you set a goal for the one area you need to improve the most?
- Input from the field: By the nature of their work, most outside salespeople enjoy a fair level of autonomy. The aspect of autonomy that the video highlights is being self-directed and being able to shape one’s work.
Many salespeople express great satisfaction at being able to find solutions for their customers’ needs, but what if this process were periodically turned inward, toward their own company and workflow? Are salespeople’s suggestions for improvement — in products, customer service, in their own selling processes — listened to and acted on? Is there a forum or process for receiving such input from the field? Is such input welcomed, invited? Does the company seek out such input on a regular basis, and given it, how does the company respond? If a sales representative offers a great suggestion that is adopted, how is their contribution recognized?
Are salespeople encouraged to share ideas and selling strategies, and if so how is such communication encouraged and facilitated? If a salesperson comes up with a creative way or strategy to close a deal, does the management consider it or shut it down?
As a salesperson, what is one thing that would greatly improve your day-to-day selling? Have you asked for it? Do you seek out additional resources and share ideas with others in your company?
- Mission: Is there a specific mission for the sales force? What specifically is the sales force trying to do for their customers and why does it matter? The mission of the sales force should be tied to the company mission, but a sales mission that has a meaningful motive tied to specific sales objectives could be even more powerful and motivating. Does the sales force know what that mission is? Can it be expressed in a phrase or single sentence? Is it grand enough that it inspires, e.g. Steven Jobs’ putting “a ding in the universe”? (Note: Salespeople at Apple stores are not commissioned, yet sales have grown at rates that would make any sales leader envious.) If a salesperson does something exceptional for their customers, how is it recognized?
As a sales professional, do you have a personal mission statement that expresses what you are looking to achieve? Are you selling a product you are passionate about? Why or why not? Should or could you be more passionate about your products, and if so, why? What difference are you making for your customers?
What questions does this video raise for you about sales motivation?
“Should every company eliminate commissions for its sales staff? Probably not. But should entrepreneurs, managers and the rest of us step back every now and again and question the supposedly fixed laws of the universe? Definitely.” – Dan Pink, “Forget carrots and sticks, they don’t always work,” the Daily Telegraph, May 22, 2010.
Lisa McCallister specializes in recruiting for medical device sales and marketing positions with an operating room focus, such as orthopedics, electrosurgery, endoscopy and a wide range of surgical specialties. She has recruited two Rookie of the Year award winners. Connect with her on LinkedIn or check out her blog, MyJobScope.com.
