To say that all sales people are alike is to miss a critical point. Not only are they different but those differences affect everything from their ideal sales job to the best way to motivate them. For years we have separated sales people into ‘hunters’ vs. ‘farmers’ and left it at that. While those are valid groupings, they are not sufficient.
One difference can be seen in their prospecting techniques. Some people dive into cold calling and can crank out the calls all day. Others find that to be so distasteful that they would quit sales if they had to make another call. In our research, we have discovered that fitting the prospecting style to the personality style can be one of the best ways to increase sales. Networkers should network and cold callers should cold call! It’s about that simple.
We recommend the Predictive Index assessments to look at individual sales people to determine their styles. We also help managers use that same information to motivate and manage their people more effectively.
Interested in trying Predictive Index? Contact me at steve@waterhousegroup.com and I’ll arrange a free demonstration.