In a recent blog I started a series of explorations focused on the human patterns that influence everything you do.
Today you’re going to dive into the third pattern…Options and Procedures.
If you haven’t read the background to these human patterns…you can find it here before diving into this week’s blog.
Options and Procedures
Frederick Herzberg an American Psychologist found that when looking at motivation, too much red tape is likely to cause dissatisfaction. Interestingly he also found that, for many people, a lack of procedures was also a problem.
This Meta Programme highlights the different ways sales people process their experience and in particular the level of freedom they feel to make choices or conversely are constrained by the sales structure, process or company norm.
Asking a sales person “Why did you choose this job?” will result in two types of response…
Sales people with a Procedural preference are likely to tell you the sequence of events that led them being in the role. They’ll share their story of how they were contacted by a recruiter, they liked the sound of the role, went through the interview process, liked the people that interviewed them and eventually got the job! They will tell you the ‘HOW’.
Sales people with an Options preference will give you the criteria that this role met for them…industry, location, package, career progression.
Procedural sales people love to follow a process with precision. They will frequently refer to “the right way” and “the wrong way” to do things. For these guys there’s a start, middle and an end of every process and please don’t interrupt them when they are in the middle of it because they won’t be able to give you their full attention until they’ve got to the end…or at the very least a convenient point to pause! They are task-driven and can get so caught up in completing a task that they may forget the outcome for doing it.
Sales people with an options preference want the freedom to choose…to experiment and continually deviate from the process in order to add variety and choice. These sales people are outcome-driven…once the outcome is agreed they are likely to find their own route to it. They are less likely to follow a process because it’s not their natural way.
There is always a sales process to follow with varying degrees of flexibility depending on your organisation so it’s important to understand the implications of this Meta Programme…you are unlikely to get a sales person with an option preference to follow the process exactly. Pushing them to do so will crush their creativity and flexibility to go with the customer’s flow.
Your sales people with a procedural preference are great at following your sales process every time though are not usually good at dealing with curve balls from your customers and changing the process to suit in the moment.
As with other Meta Programmes there is no right or wrong way to be.
When procedural and options sales people get together there can often be friction. I remember sharing this Meta Programme with a group of sales people and they laughed as they told me the conversation they had on a regular basis whilst working in their call centre…
“Yes (fist-pumping)…I got the sale.”
“You did it wrong.”
“How could it be wrong…I got the sale?”
“You didn’t follow the process.”
They, at last, realised the reason this was happening…and it didn’t happen again 😉
Procedural sales people don’t relish making choices as they just want to stick with the process they know.
Options sales people need the perception of choice, so they are free to make their own decisions. Get clarity around the outcome and set boundaries for their choices then let them get on with it. Be sure to give them 2 or 3 choices max or they get stuck. Too many choices and they won’t be able to decide.
Most Noticeable Traits of an Options Preference
- Need a choice to stay engaged
- Get bored with the process and go off course
- Focus on the outcome rather than how
- Flexible in the moment and more comfortable with going off the normal route
- More creative in generating solutions
- Are less able to replicate successful strategies that occur unconsciously
Most Noticeable Traits of a Procedural Preference
- Follow a process exactly
- Need clarity on each step of the process
- There’s a right way and a wrong way.
- They can be task driven…ticking the completed box
- Can lose sight of the outcome
- Can be critical of others not following the process
Influencing Strategy
To influence sales people with a procedural preference, pay attention to the instructions you give…be exact and unambiguous. Tell them that it has always been done that way, that this is the right way to sales success. They like clear cut steps, preferably those that are already tried and tested. Bear in mind they are likely to follow the process even when it’s not the best choice.
When influencing sales people with an options preference, set the parameters, clearly identifying the musts and constraints. Emphasise various possibilities and be sure to emphasise they have the choice of route to the desired outcome. Then stand back and watch the results!
Keep in mind…
Preferences are context dependent and only a significant emotional event has the power to change a sales person’s preference in a given context. Be mindful of this whilst leading your team…be vigilant to observe behaviours and language and notice changes that could indicate something happening in a person’s life. This will impact how you communicate, lead and coach your sales people.
Leading a sales team with a range of preferences requires a desire to analyse what you see, hear and feel when observing each one. When you master the ability to interpret what you observe, you will have found the key to unlocking the door to each sales person’s success.
Until next time,
Leigh 😊
PS If you want to discuss how you can support your sales team’s preferences do get in touch.
Thank you Rashid Khreiss for the great photo.
