Why Do Sales People Sell?
New study shows sales motivation differs sharply by country
U.S. and Singaporean Sales Teams: ôShow me the money!ö | Aussies and Norwegians: ôDonÆt tie me down!ö | Canadians: ôLet me use my abilitiesö
A major new study of sales motivation to be presented in November at the annual convention of the Society for Marketing Advances reveals significant cultural differences driving sales success. ôIt helps explain why some of our best made-in-the-USA sales management practices arenÆt more effective in other nations,ö says Dr. John F. Tanner, III, associate professor of Marketing at Baylor UniversityÆs Hankamer School of Business. ôThe answers may lie in what really provides motivation for salespeople.ö
The study, co-authored by Tanner and noted researcher George W. Dudley at the Behavioral Sciences Research Press in Dallas, Texas, asked almost 41,000 people across nine nations what they hope to obtain from their sales careers. Motivations assessed included opportunities to use talents, make money, work creatively, obtain status, interact with people, be self-managed, progress into management, freedom from routine, and opportunities to be of service to others. The nations studied include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, U.K. and U.S. The study used the Sales Preference Questionnaire (SPQ«), to obtain data. SPQ is a specialized psychological test used world-wide to assess sales prospecting call reluctance.
ôTheir motivations form a colorful and vastly more complex tapestry than superficial stereotypes allow,ö says Dudley. ôSales motivation in the U.S.,ö adds Tanner, ôis more money-motivated than in other nations, but there are other more complex motivations at work.ö Thirty-three percent of U.S. salespeople and 36 percent of the salespeople in the U.K. say they work primarily to earn substantial incomes. This compares to only 9 percent in Norway and 11 percent in New Zealand, where ôlifestyleö considerations such as opportunities to use their abilities and freedom from routine are considered more important. In fact, ôsuccessful U.S. salespeople often shun advancement into management,ö Dudley adds, ôbecause they can usually make much more money in sales.ö That further distinguishes U.S. salespeople from those of other nations, where sales is frequently viewed as a temporary step on the way to management. Over 12 percent of Australian salespeople actually seek a career in management.
For the majority of Australian salespeople, opportunities to use their abilities and freedom from routine are more important motivators than making money, a preference shared by salespeople in New Zealand. However, only 17 percent of the salespeople in Singapore are similarly motivated. Like their U.S. counterparts, Singaporean salespeople sell primarily to make money.
U.S. salespeople are more money-motivated than salespeople in other countries. But, they are also more service oriented. Fourteen percent of American salespeople say being of service to others is their primary motivation. Among the countries studied by Dudley and Tanner, salespeople in only one other country, New Zealand (11.5 percent), even approach that level.
What do these differences portend? Says Dudley, ôKnowing what makes salespeople tick is critical for finding and keeping top producers.ö According to Tanner, co-author of the leading university-level textbook on selling, ôThe implications are serious and far-reaching, especially when it comes to multi-national sales management practices. American sales management and training and procedures adhere to our presupposed values and perceptions, and may not be optimal, or even suitable, for other countries.ö
A full copy of the research is available from the authors or can be viewed online (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
