The Role of a Salesperson is Motivating Customers To Take Action

Potential customers come in all different levels of motivation to act. The primary role of a saleperson is to move the prospective customer from whatever level they are at to a peak buying state and motivate them to take action. Yes, there are other roles but this is the most important. Do you agree or disagree? -Seth

it is the major role of the salesexecutive to bring in sales for the company. this can only be achieved when he /she successfully motivates the prospective customer to make a decision to buy her/his product. motivating them to take action is right if the action is to his/her favour. yes there are other roles, but this is paramount as long as the motivation is towards her product, and not otherwise.
temitope -temitope

I think it's an oversimplification, so put me down as disagreeing. It does not apply to the "roles" that have been assigned to many salespeople by the companies they work for, yet they are still in sales.

Many salespeople work as part of a team and their individual roles are defined. The common goal is to move product or services. The "motivation" aspects are multidimensional, encompassing both the internal and external forces that will make sales happen. -Ace Coldiron

Ace... I need simple. I am not a mind that grasps innuendo or perception accurately, nor do I have quick recall or memory. Thoughts of mine often dissipate with their utterance or written conveyance. Therefore, kind sir, when you speak of roles that sales people have, what exactly are you referring?

In MY OPINION, a service department is part of a sales team, as are shipping, service, "welcoming committee" and billing departments are all part of the team. Is that what you are referring as a role? If so, I completely agree.

Aloha... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

The simple answer then to Seth's question (agree or disagree) is I disagree. -Gary A Boye

Except that I was talking to ACE... NOT SETH... -rattus58

I think the primary function of a salesperson in most organizations is selling products or services to prospective and current customers. If my use of the word "roles" is a diversion you can disregard it.

My point was that salespeople meet prospects with all different levels of motivation to purchase a product or service. The salesperson's job is to move prospects from whatever motivation level they are currently at to being highly motivated to purchase now and from them. Sometimes the prospect is already there but then the salesperson is filling the role of "order taker". -Seth

Ok.... this dang site erased my post again... maybe the ROLE of the site owner would be to FIX THIS AGGRAVATING CONDITION OF THIS CONTINIUING ISSUE FOR ME....

Now that this is off, I'm doing the short version...

The ROLE, if you want to call it that, is to understand your client.

Once you have that understanding, you can make a connection between your offering and your clients potential for using it and examine what areas that your offering can have a positive impact on your clients family, lifestyle or business.

Once you have discussed these areas of potential impact, and you both have an understanding of how these may benefit, you are in postition to then make recommendations to your client.

The above processes come from understanding your client. This comes from questioning adequately and PAYING ATTENTION.. meaning listen to what they say. I actually think that you have to cover the who, what, when, where, how, how much, and what else for each segment of your approach with your client if you are interested in getting it right and earn the right to ask for the sale.

The forgoing are my opinion, owned by me severally and in person... :)

Aloha.... shds; ;bg -rattus58

You can understand everything there is to understand about your client but if they're not motivated to act there will be no sale.

Still no sale without motivation to act.

Still no sale without motivation to act.

Still no sale without motivation to act. -Seth

This from Denis Waitley:

Motivation is a much aligned, over-franchised, over-promoted, and misunderstood.

Motivation is a force which moves us to action, and it springs from inside the individual.

I agree with Rattus and Waitley. This is not a new subject--I crossed that bridge years ago when I learned what motivation is. I know it's gratifying to think we make our living with magical powers, but it just isn't the case. -Ace Coldiron

This is true and not a magical power.

If I ask you a question that reminds you of/ brings to your attention an awful problem that you feel is important and that motivates you to take action is that a magical power? No.

If I fan the flame of your existing desire will it increase your motivation to take action? Most likely. -Seth

Let me reverse this somewhat..... What do you believe creates motivation or how do you believe motivation is developed?

Do you believe that one should be moved to buy something that they have no use for strictly through skillful manipulation in order to create motivation?

Aloha.... shds; ;bg -rattus58

I'm losing you here, which is easy for me, but if you ask a question that uncovers a problem or condition that your client would like to rectify or solve, isn't that uncovering question a/the key part of that continuing dialog? :cu

Aloha... shds; ;bg -rattus58

Motivation is personal, based on personal needs.

Not at all. I think trying to create a need from scratch in the prospect's mind is a waste of time. You are much better off to prompt an existing need. -Seth

And how do you uncover that need?

Aloha... shds; ;bg -rattus58

I think the most common method for uncovering needs is skillful questioning. -Seth

There does not have to be a continuing dialogue (strike when the iron is hot) but their does have to be a need. -Seth

You would have to give a few examples of the last few flames you personally fanned among your prospects to increase any spark of motivation inside me to accept what you're saying. It wouldn't be worth your time.

I've been in enough selling situations over the last four decades--and written enough sales--to know what selling looks like. Seth, you're buying into the fiction.

In any event you're switching gears on us. Certainly you realize that there's a difference between the role of motivating, and fanning the motivation (derived from needs) that already exists. I think you're trying to strike a valid point, but you haven't got it all thought out.

Lastly, I could give you several examples of successful salespeople who I deal with on a very regular basis whose primary role in their job is something different from motivating customers to take action. In each case their primary roles would differ from those of the others. Some deal with the principle of inertia, particularly those in account management. In the course of their work, and life, I'm sure they fan others' flames--but that is NOT their primary role.

I could also give examples of people whose primary roles ARE congruent with your statement. Your idea here simply does not cover all the variances among this vast category we call selling. -Ace Coldiron

I am not switching gears. The words "roles" and "motivation" seem to be getting in the way. I have since removed the word "roles" and will replace "motivating" with something less offensive, maybe "inspiring". In a large number of instances the objective of the salesperson is to make a sale and for that to happen the prospect has to want to take action now. Some prospects are ready to take action when you meet them, others are only a nudge away. There is an entire spectrum of motivation levels. If the salesperson has any hope of making a sale today that salesperson will need to discern the prospects level of motivation to act now and find a way to bridge the gap in mental state between where the prospect currently is and where the prospect needs to be (ie; red hot). Only when the prospect is motivated to act now will a sale happen. -Seth

Now we're getting some place.

"Discern the prospects level of motivation to act now..."

That's an objective.

"Find a way to bridge the gap in mental state between where the prospect currently is and where they need to be..."

That's an objective.

"Bridge the gap..."

That's an initiative, both strategic and tactical.

The motivation, or lack thereof, is inside the prospect. The objectives and initiatives are the substance of the roles played by the salesperson or sales team

I'll go back to my original statement when I described your statement as an oversimplification. I've tried to point out why. We in this sales profession lose too many good people to other lines of work because they are misinformed or buy into this Lomanesque view that selling is less than a learned science. "Fanning flames" and "striking while the iron is hot" sounds great but they are are metaphors that don't reveal the true nature of the work that these people could make a lot of money at. And--it IS work...not a bunch of platitudes and simple cliche's. -Ace Coldiron

It looks as if we agree on the concept. I believe that is the heart of selling. Learn how to do that and the world is your oyster. -Seth

This thread appears to have ran its course. I am going to close it down. -Jeff Blackwell