Are Your Producers Diamonds Or Lumps Of Coal?

ARE YOUR PRODUCERS DIAMONDS OR LUMPS OF COAL?

Are your sales results less than exciting? Maybe your salespeople just don't have the right stuff . . . and never will.

One leading psychologist, Mark Friedman, president, Personnel Survey and Research Group, Princeton, New Jersey, says salespeople must have 'ego drive . . . a primitive, neurotic inner tension that motivates a person to conquer others through persuasion.'

Another sales shrink, Herbert Greenberg, co-chairman, Caliper, a testing service in Princeton, New Jersey, says only one of four individuals has the psychological makeup required of a salesperson. The remaining 75% will never really succeed, no matter how much coaxing or training they're given.

'If you take a lump of coal, no matter how much you polish it, it's never going to become a diamond-even though they're both made of carbon,' he says.

The true salesperson has 'a lust to get to 'yes,'' says Greenberg. He or she is ego-driven and lives to convince others.

A shocking 75% to 80% of the working population is employed in the wrong jobs, Friedman claims.

'50% to 55% of the people you employ aren't qualified at all for sales,' he says.

Another 20% to 25% have some sales ability, but are selling the wrong product or are working in the wrong market. In other words, they should be selling Toyotas or Life insurance instead of P/C insurance.

The problem is that people don't pick their careers rationally; they 'slosh' into jobs. Employers are guilty by failing to make applicants aware of the real requirements of jobs.

'You've got to get beyond superficial criteria,' Friedman warns. 'You need to know what's inside.'

Personal interviews have shortcomings. Principals often take a 'traitological' approach to selection-for example, they believe 'good salespeople are talkative.' But many talkative people can't sell. They're verbose, but not persuasive.

Four characteristics accurately predict sales success, Friedman says.

Most crucial is ego drive. The need for ego gratification, not money, is what really propels the ego-driven salesperson. Ego drive is 63% accurate in predicting sales success, according to Friedman.

The second quality is empathy, the ability to put oneself in the other person's shoes. That quality shouldn't be confused with sympathy, which is desirable for social workers and the like. Too much sympathy, in fact, can be ruinous for a salesperson, Friedman says.

Individuals with ego-drive and empathy are successful salespeople 83% of the time.

Two more characteristics complete the recipe for sales success. One is ego strength, the ability to bounce back from the frequent rejections salespeople face. The last is service orientation, the desire to be helpful.

Unsuccessful salespeople come in a few basic types. The salesperson with 'big E' (big empathy) and 'small d' (low drive) is regarded as a nice person, but doesn't have the drive to get the sale.

The 'big D, small e' (high drive, low empathy) individual is motivated but overbearing. He or she may make sales, but won't get renewals.

'Small d, small e' (low drive, low empathy) people shouldn't be in sales at all. They're better off in the accounting or computer department.

Friedman suggests asking 'projective questions' in interviews. For instance, 'What was it that you accomplished in your last job that you were most proud of, and how did you do it?'

It is revealing if the candidate talks about reorganizing the computer files or making a big sale. Based on this initial interview, the agent can 'exclude the obvious' and make a short list of candidates to be interviewed more intensively.

Not surprisingly, Friedman recommends giving a personality test to the finalists. Without a test to back up your judgment, people can fake their way through interviews, he claims.