August 2004
A born salesperson?
For seven years I sold equipment and network services for AT&T. I even won several awards and twice was selected to the Council of Leaders, an honor given to the top 3% of the sales force. I am however not a typical sales type. Employers who use the DISC behavioral assessment would screen me out as a candidate for a sales position.
I love using the DISC as an assessment tool in my coaching practice. For those not familiar with it, it scores people on four factors, Dominance (how you handle problems and challenges), Influence (how you interact with other people), Steadiness (how you handle a steady pace and work environment), and Compliance (how you respond to rules and procedures set by others.)
Traditional salespeople are high in both the Dominance (D) factor and the Influence (I) factor. They love to solve a problem or go for a goal and at the same time they enjoy being with people and interacting with them. It certainly makes sense. So why was I different?
First when you use the DISC assessment you get two scores. One shows how you are naturally and the other how you have adapted. (In the work environment almost everyone adapts a bit.) I knew that the sales arena required someone outgoing and quota focused. I truly wanted to succeed so I became goal oriented and extroverted to meet the need I saw existed.
Adapting to that extent is tiring however. I did this for seven years and did it well. But when the opportunity arose to be a Quality Manager focused on improving processes within the sales environment I jumped at the chance.
What a relief to have a job that allowed me to be the natural me. As a seasoned sales professional I was in a unique position to help the sales force to define its processes. The reason for the confusion was that everyone was doing things differently!
As a Quality Manager I was focused on "the way things work" as well as helping people get the sale closed faster. It was a job I thoroughly enjoyed and was very good at. It also allowed me to use my practical and persistent side - something that was appreciated by management and employees.
How was I able to perform so well at a sales job using a style foreign to me? I really wanted to succeed. I was a single mother with two young children and they were my motivation. I knew that with sales commissions I could provide them with the kind of life I wanted for them. You can do almost anything you want with motivation. I also created a "teaching" model for the sales process that helped me adapt more easily. It was however so much easier for me when I found a job that suited the real me!
Employers often use the DISC as a screening mechanism for particular jobs. Managers can decide what behavioral style would be best for a particular job and screen candidates accordingly.
I have mixed feelings about people doing that. On the one hand I would never have had the wonderful sales experience I had at AT&T if they had used the DISC as a screening device for me. (AT&T would have lost a great performer too!) On the other hand it is always better to work from your strengths so matching the behavioral style of the person to the job works best for both employer and employee.
Take action:
- What is your behavioral style? The cost to take this assessment is $75 and that includes a half hour session with me to review your results as well as a 22+page behavioral style report. This is a great tool for those looking for a job. It is also invaluable for a sales professional. Call me at 781-598-0388 to set up an appointment.
- The DISC can also help you with communication. People with different behavioral styles prefer different communication styles. Think about the way that you like to be communicated with? Are you a straight to the topic person with no small talk? (D and C) Do you prefer some personal comments first? (S) Maybe you like a warm friendly atmosphere? (I)
- Think about a time that motivation helped you do something that was really difficult for you? How did it work? Is there a lesson here for your work today?
- Read The Four Dimensional Manager by Julie Straw and Alison Brown Cerier Learn how managers can use the DISC as a management tool.
- The DISC is part of step 2 of my Value Program ©-Assessments. What are the other steps. Send an email to asparker@asparker.com with Value Program as the subject and your name in the message. I will send you an email detailing all the steps.