What makes a great sales person?
Posted by Thereasa Fullmer on Wed, May 06, 2009 @ 12:12 PM
I am fascinated at what makes people tick: Why they are who they are? Why are some sales people successful? Is there something inherently different between people that end up in sales or as teachers or nurses or accountants? My favorite course in grad school was organizational theory. We had a professor who had a PhD in Psychology and an MBA and she taught us all about the different personality traits that tended to be suited different roles within a company...
Based on some pretty extensive research it turns out that sales people are easy to spot using the Meyers-Briggs personality test: ENFJ's tend to make the best sales people(E = extrovert, N = intuitive, F = feeling, J= judging). They are described as:
- Genuinely and warmly interested in people
- Value harmony, and good at creating it
- Exceptionally good people skills
- Loyal and honest
- Creative and imaginative
- Enjoy variety and new challenges
- Get personal satisfaction from helping others
So how does a personality type tie to compensation? Well think about it. Do you really think if you are an accountant (typically ISTJ's) or a teacher (typically an ESFJ) that you are willing to take on the risk of having 40-70% of your total compensation vary based on your ability to convince people they need a product or service that you provide? I would venture to say no. Your personality type probably isn't well suited to handle that kind of pressure but sales people thrive under pressure. They love to compete. They enjoy talking to new people and learning new things. That's why sales people need to have their own compensation model. And even within sales organizations different sales roles require a different level of incentive compensation mix.
And when you want to build the right kind of incentive mix for your sales people it's important to consider a few things: what are they selling, who are they selling to, what are the primary objectives of the role, etc.
To find out if your comp plan is doing what it's supposed to do, grade your plan here: http://www.makanasolutions.com/compensation-Plan/