At the beginning of every year, I engage my clients in a review using behavioral profiles, in our case Extended DISC (Dominant, Influencer, Steady relater, Cautious thinker), to help them identify and hire the right salesperson for the right sales role – New Business Development, Account Manager (i.e. Customer Service), etc. It comes as a shock to some that not all salespeople have the necessary behaviors for every sales role. Let me explain.
The New Business Development (BD) role requires that person to be out in the public or your industry rooting around for new people and companies to engage. Every person they meet will be a stranger (or should be). The BD person needs to quickly assess whether or not the person/company they have engaged is going to buy sooner rather than later. From a DISC perspective, this person must qualify/disqualify the prospect decisively (high D), be comfortable meeting and engaging new people (high I), promote change and be open to travel (low S), and have some quantitative skills to process myriad prospects (medium C).
For the Account Manager (AM) role, what types of behaviors are important? The most critical roles are the caring, feeding and nurturing of your existing clients/customers. You want the AM person to maintain, cross-sell and up-sell. And, at all costs, not lose the client. So what DISC profile should the AM have? With the emphasis on correct invoicing and order fulfillment, a high Cautious thinker is paramount. To caudal, listen to and nurture the client you will need a high Steady relater. To be an internal advocate for the client, the AM will need a medium Dominate and medium Influencer.
All in all, your BD person and AM are very different people. If you just lump all salespeople into one category, you have probably experienced some frustration and disappointment. Not all people are built the same way. Not all people are motivated to do the same behaviors or activities. When you look at your sales team, develop an appreciation for the diversity of roles and the people to fill those roles.
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.
