In our work with Sales Managers in the Insurance Industry, the common frustration we hear is, “I could make more money, have more control and freedom over my calendar and be less stressed if I were in personal production.” So why do they do it?
There are a variety of reasons, all of which you should certainly uncover before you hire someone into this role if you want to coach them to perform at their best. Some do it for prestige (I’m a leader in my firm) and some do it in the hopes of one day heading up the entire organization, which includes the promise of economic bounty.
The best and happiest in the business do it because they want to help lead themselves and other people to financial success and they would do it regardless of whether they were compensated for doing it. It’s a calling that they cannot ignore! Quite honestly, we’ve found it’s almost impossible to sustain the type of energy and engagement required of the Sales Manager role without having this “leadership calling”. So, how do you find out if someone has this leadership calling?
The easiest way is to determine what the particular job rewards and search for people who are motivated by the rewards the job delves out. We use a job rewards/culture questionnaire for the job and a values/motivators questionnaire for the candidate or the person currently in the role, plus we ask specific questions to help our clients identify who has this leadership calling. Or you could just put someone in the role and see how quickly they burn out or thrive.
I was invited to share our research project titled “If the Sales Manager position could talk, what would it say it needs to produce Superior Performance” to a GAMA-sponsored study group this afternoon. There were 30 Learning Leaders from the Insurance Industry who were sharing what they look for in a field leader and how they develop their managers. What our research found is their Sales Manager role rewards people who are motivated to help people and lead others and themselves to financial success through employing the most efficient use, of time, talent and resources. Please go to our website http://www.MKPGroup.com/study to get a copy of this report.
A particularly surprising discovery that we shared with this study group is the fact that values/motivators trump talents! Meaning, if someone has average talent but they are getting their values/motivators met, they have the extra energy and engagement that outperforms someone who is more talented. Just like EQ trumps IQ, values trump talents. With a burning desire, people can move mountains! What are you doing to discover and engage that desire in yourself and in your team?
