Why do salespeople stop selling when we pay them a portion of everything they sell?
Most of us who are leading organizations are pretty dutiful about our jobs. And we always have been. That’s why the boss noticed us early in our career and promoted us.
Today, it seems like salespeople just stop selling somewhere short of goal. Not all salespeople, but a significant number.
Our observations show that salespeople who enjoy their involvement in missions, in church and in their families (especially from their grandchildren) have more of a challenge with this than others.
They are living exactly the way we desire for our team members to live—especially at a Christian formatted radio station. But the question remains: Why do these salespeople stop selling even when we pay them a portion of everything they sell?
We work for…what?
It is because we work for more than money. Not just Christian people, but everyone works for more than money—especially as we get older.
What is that more that we work for?
Often, it is a positive social relationship with family, friends, co-workers or employers. Let’s call this Relatedness Needs.
Sometimes, the more is the desire to create something new or the completion of something significant. We can call this Growth Needs.
But many times we’re only pushing the commission or money button. For those trying to rise above materialism, this often works only for those that have strong Existence Needs—that is, hunger, thirst, shelter, safety.
Existence, Relatedness and Growth are the three building blocks of human needs that psychologist Clayton P. Alderfer offered in ERG Theory—his replacement of Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs.
Throw in this motivational soup a dose of the Apostle Paul’s example in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (New International Version)
What happens when you have a contented salesperson that is short of goal? Typically, something else in their life is providing enough joy and satisfaction to displace the pain from not reaching that goal.
So what do you do about it?
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