The Double-Edged Sword of Result-Driven Sales

Recently, my ever-insightful colleague, Djordje Maricic , left a gem on one of my LinkedIn posts about sales:

"As long as the focus is on profit not on value, and there is enough workforce, behavioral standards will remain less relevant. Sales is about building a relationship by exploring the best solutions for one's customers/partners and ??money is just a byproduct (an important one for sure)."

While Djordje's reflections carry weight (and let's face it, he often leaves us pondering ??), my own jaunts down the sales boulevards paint a slightly different picture. I've observed that sometimes, the racers – those result-driven aficionados – often zoom past the value-based drivers, especially in the fast lanes of direct sales or sales with shorter cycles.

Enter the Saville Assessment Work Roles model – our trusty compass that features 8 individual work roles across 4 behavioral clusters, pinpointing one's working style. In the grand prix of sales, the frontrunners often fit the mold of Strivers, Finishers, and Relators.

Hire a team chock-full of these types, and you'll seldom need to whip out your "motivational pep talk" notes or remind them about that looming deadline. ??

But, ah! Like every rose with its thorns ??, there are challenges in managing a team of high-octane sales champs:

1. Friendly Fire ??: The innate competitiveness, while electric, can sometimes fry the team's circuits. Rather than nurturing individual accolades, the trick lies in devising team dynamics that stoke the flames of competition yet seamlessly align with the organization's ethos.
2. Drive vs. The Comfort Zone ??: Once the moolah starts flowing, one of their primary drives (read: cash) might take a backseat. It's like feeding a cat too much tuna – eventually, they'll just nap! The challenge? Keeping the fire alight without the promise of endless tuna.
3. Taming the Bulls ??: High-competition can sometimes resemble a bull in a china shop. Left unchecked, the team culture can spiral from assertively aggressive to passively defensive, which, between us, is about as useful as a chocolate teapot for a sales squad. ??

So, while Djordje brings to light the timeless essence of value, there’s no denying the electrifying results a result-driven team can deliver. The art lies in balancing the scales ??, ensuring that the pursuit of results doesn’t overshadow the values and cultural tenets of the organization.

Because at the end of the day, isn’t sales just a dance between results and relationships?