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A Lesson For Managers From The World Of Sales
Written by: Ian CookArticle Overview: Just as successful sales people identify their customers' needs, managers must learn their employees' motivators—wants and fears—and then try to satisfy these, in return for the required performance.
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Free Download - BOOK REVIEW: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (By Daniel H. Pink, Riverhead Books, 2009, ISBN# 978-1-59448-884-9) By Ian Cook |
A Lesson For Managers From The World Of Sales
By far the single biggest concern I hear from managers I work with is, “How can I get my people to do more?” Their number one challenge is how to ensure their employees are motivated. For the answer to this question we turn to the sales professional
Superior salespeople do many things well but one thing stands out. They get into the head of their prospect/customer! They start where their customer is–cognitively, emotionally, even physically. How do they do this? By becoming curious–asking questions and listening intently–about their customer’s:
- hopes & dreams (what they want)
- fears and concerns (what they don’t want)
Your employees are like your customers. They want things from their work. Let’s call these “benefits.” Examples are money, recognition, opportunity to learn and advance, balance, and challenge. Avoiding what they don’t want is also a benefit to them. For example, a pay cut, being downsized, boredom, stalling in their career. You are like the salesperson.
You are often, though not always, in a position to satisfy their needs. In return, you require their performance contribution.
Sales coach Tom Stoyan calls selling “helping your customer make a buying decision.” Managers, encourage your people to articulate what they want from their work. Many are not sure. You may have to facilitate their thinking process: “What do you want?” “Uh, I dunno. More money, I guess.” “OK, money. And what else?”
Know that most people will be motivated to perform once they perceive a clear link between their effort and the outcomes they truly value. This is when you make your “sale! Related Articles
Article Tags: employee motivation, leadership, management, motivation
Referred by: http://upwardaction.com
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About the Author: Ian Cook RSS for Ian's articles - Visit Ian's website Ian helps managers become the "best bosses" their employees ever had. Through his keynote presentations, highly interactive training workshops, team building facilitation and individual coaching, he helps his clients develop strong leaders at all levels of their organization. Ian works primarily with managers, mid-level to executive. His programs introduce cutting-edge skills and concepts around - transforming managers into leaders - fostering superior team performance. Ian began his training and consulting firm, Fulcrum Associates Inc., in 1988, following seventeen years of corporate experience in both the high-tech manufacturing and transportation industries. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill and a Masters degree in the field of Human Resources Management from Cornell University. Ian holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and is a presenter to Vistage International groups. Click here to visit Ian's website BOOK REVIEW A Leaders Legacy By James M Kouzes Barry Z Posner JosseyBass 2006 ISBN 9780787982966 You Gotta Getem To Wanna 6 Roles the Modern Leader Plays BOOK REVIEW Joy at Work A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job By Dennis W Bakke PVG 2005 ISBN 0976268604 BOOK REVIEW The Practice of Adaptive Leadership By Ronald Heifetz Et Al Harvard Business 2009 Choice Accountability The Bedrock of Superior Performance |
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