| 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. “It helps explain
why some of our best made-in-the-USA sales
management practices aren’t more effective
in other nations,” says Dr. John F.
Tanner, III, associate professor of Marketing
at Baylor University’s Hankamer School
of Business. “The answers may lie
in what really provides motivation for salespeople.”
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.A.
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.
“Their motivations form a colorful
and vastly more complex tapestry than superficial
stereotypes allow,” says Dudley. “Sales
motivation in the U.S.,” adds Tanner,
“is more money-motivated than in other
nations, but there are other more complex
motivations at work.” Thirty-three
percent of U.S. salespeople and 36% of the
salespeople in the U.K. say they work primarily
to earn substantial incomes. This compares
to only 9% in Norway and 11% in New Zealand,
where “lifestyle” considerations
such as opportunities to use their abilities
and freedom from routine are considered
more important. In fact, “successful
U.S. salespeople often shun advancement
into management,” Dudley adds, “because
they can usually make much more money in
sales.” 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%
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% 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%), even approach that
level.
What do these differences portend? Says
Dudley, “Knowing what makes salespeople
tick is critical for finding and keeping
top producers.” According to Tanner,
co-author of the leading university-level
textbook on selling, “The 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.”
A full copy of the research is available
from the authors or can be viewed online
at http://business.baylor.edu/web/DEPT/COMM&MKT/SMA2003paper.pdf
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
About Behavioral Sciences Research Press
Behavioral Sciences Research Press (BSRP)
is a small Dallas, Texas organization with
a large international reach. Since 1979,
BSRP has concentrated in three core areas:
scientific (psychological) research and
development, publishing and training. BSRP
specializes in psychometric and training
applications which are practical without
being superficial. The company successfully
balances good science, sound psychological
applications and excellent customer service
and support. BSRP researches, discovers,
manufactures and refines some of the applications
leading consultants around the world use
and sell. Chances are that a major BSRP
research project is underway somewhere in
the world right now.
About Baylor Business
Students at Baylor's Hankamer School of
Business encounter a variety of experiences
that strengthen their value system, develop
their leadership skills and help them build
a global perspective based on a strong Christian
foundation. Today, there are approximately
3,500 students enrolled in Baylor’s
business school. More than 22,000 Baylor
Business Alumni are making a difference
in business, in the world, and most importantly,
in the lives of people.
Baylor University is rated as a "Best
Buy" in the 2002 Fiske Guide to Colleges.
The Baylor Business undergraduate program
ranks in the top 16% of accredited collegiate
business programs in U.S. News and World
Report.
Baylor Business graduate programs also garner
national attention. The MBA program is rated
in the top 20% of accredited collegiate
business programs in U.S. News and World
Report. In addition, the MBA program is
ranked as one of the "Top 80 Business
Schools in America,” in The Princeton
Review.
Baylor Business Executive MBA programs are
recognized for excellence world wide. The
Dallas EMBA is ranked 1st in the Dallas/Fort
Worth metroplex, 14th in U.S. and 25th in
world by The Financial Times. Baylor’s
EMBA programs are rated Tier One by US News
and World Report.
The Entrepreneurship program is ranked 1st
Tier by Entrepreneur magazine and 9th by
U.S. News and World Report.
The Accounting program is ranked 10th by
The National Association of State Boards
of Accountancy, for pass rate on 2000 CPA
exam.
For more information, visit The Baylor University's
Center for Professional Selling .
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