Assertion:
People who are assertive are more willing to stand up for
their views and are not afraid to overtly deal with conflict.
This scale is a continuum that runs from passive (active avoidance
of conflict) to aggressive (potential ?creator? of conflict).
Salespeople do not want to create conflict but must not be
afraid to deal with objections, indecisiveness or even criticism.
Confidence:
Those who score high on this scale cannot be shaken in either
their confidence (e.g., by rejection) or in the product they
represent. They feel confident in their own abilities that
they can discern a potential need, show the product benefits,
counter the objections and close the sale.
Achievement:
The primary goal in sales is not to develop relationships
but to identify a potential selling opportunity and either
move on or achieve results. Therefore, a good sales candidate
is less driven by relationships (e.g., customer service) and
more by achieving results, i.e. making sales and making money.
Initiative Risk-taking:
Sales is not where you wait for something to happen but you
take charge of the situation and make it happen. You must
have the initiative to step up to a potential opportunity
and define a positive outcome. Additionally, since a ?sale?
may not be the customer?s stated agenda, there is an element
of risk/rejection that you must feel at ease dealing with.
The goal of this assessment is to identify people who
are socially aggressive, exhibit a take-charge attitude
where they like to influence others, and have the confidence
to deal with others when there is social ambiguity and
the possibility of rejection. They are usually achievement
oriented, feel responsible for their own successes and
are often socially demonstrative about their successes
(e.g., display the trappings of success which is related
to ego needs as they seek the success image). They are
not reliant upon others for direction, support or motivation
but are more internally driven. Often their strong social
skills are secondary to their desire to influence others
and sell their product. They are independent (need little
external structure) and have less need to join organizations
(i.e., entrepreneurial) or work on teams.
This is different from CUSTOMER SERVICE
where they exhibit a strong motivation to help others
and meet the needs of CUSTOMERS as they define them.
Salespeople drive from their PRODUCT (opposed to stated
customer needs) and assume that a shopper or client
may/may not have an interest in any particular item
(making a purchase at that time) but your goal is
to help identify their unstated needs and make a sale.
The assumption is that if a person is shopping, they
are probably interested in purchasing (rather than
just looking) so the goal is to meet those expectations
even if the customer is indecisive.
Independence:
Successful salespeople know that sales situations are
unique and there are many types of customers and situations.
You must be capable of providing your own structure,
not be afraid of doing it on your own, and you must
have the fortitude and confidence to deal with a lack
of social structure.
Egoist Dynamic:
Someone who scores high on this scale is driven by their
confidence because their self-esteem is based on their
ability to do something well. They want to be the best
at whatever they do and take great personal pride in
their success. They are not casual in accepting a mediocre
performance but push to personally excel. They are competitive
and like to be a winner. They identify with their successes
as this often defines who they are (e.g., a very successful
salesperson).
Leader
Dynamic:
This person is very motivated by taking control of
a social situation and not necessarily by helping
others. Their goal is to take charge and achieve their
agenda. This does not suggest they are socially offensive
but the driver is not for the customer to define the
setting but rather to get the customer to make a purchase.
Sales
Potential:
