Theory:
Inhibited Social Contact Initiation
Syndrome (ISCIS) is an aggregation
of emotion-based escape and avoidance
behaviors particularly associated
with the act of initiating first social
contact. It was originally postulated
by Dudley and Goodson in the 1970's
and is distinguishable from broader
concepts such as social anxiety by
the type, degree, onset and limited
specific nature of the symptoms. ISCIS
symptoms are provoked only by behaviors
associated with meeting new people
and subside or cease altogether once
first contact has been successfully
established. It can be observed across
contact-dependent life and work settings
such as business, government, academics,
fundraising, dating and other settings
where an individual's likelihood of
moving closer to self-selected goals
is directly linked to the frequency,
quantity and quality of new social
contacts.
When ISCIS limits
the contact initiation behaviors of
direct salespeople, called "sales
prospecting," it is termed "sales
call reluctance®." Although
sales environments can and usually
do differ radically from setting to
setting, success in sales invariably
requires the generation of new business,
ultimately measured by increased revenue.
Thus, contact initiation with prospective
buyers is a core competency for salespeople,
and failure to "prospect"
consistently for new business is the
most frequently cited reason for poor
sales performance. Neural network
studies, using only call reluctance
measures and unambiguous (objective)
outcome measures such as dollars of
commissions actually earned, have
shown that contact initiation with
prospective buyers, or the lack thereof,
can predict high and low sales producers
with up to 73% accuracy. So far, 12
distinct forms of sales call reluctance®
have been identified.
Contact initiation
with prospective buyers is necessary
but not sufficient for success in
sales. Other factors become equally
if not more important once first contact
has been made. However, contact initiation
comes first. Initiating contact with
prospective buyers on a consistent
basis must occur before sales can
be made, regardless of product sold,
sales training provided, production
incentives, sales supports or market
conditions.
Assessment:
The Sales Preference Questionnaire™
(SPQ*GOLD®) is a limited purpose
self-descriptive instrument used to
assess the presence, predisposition,
and degree of sales call reluctance®
in candidates for sales positions.
It is also used to provide assessment-based
support for training and developmental
applications with current salespeople.
SPQ*GOLD® measures
all 12 call reluctance® types,
three call reluctance "impostors,"
and includes three scales used to
detect non-standard attitudes toward
completing the instrument. One scale,
the "Brake" score, is a
statistical composite computed from
aggregating scores from the 12 diagnostic
sub-categories, and is interpreted
as an overall estimate of the effort
which could have been available to
support sales prospecting but is instead
diverted into non-productive coping
behaviors intended to reduce emotional
discomfort associated with prospecting
for new business.
Research:
SPQ*GOLD® has been the subject
of numerous research efforts aimed
at establishing its utility when used
as intended. These studies, some of
which are proprietary to the sponsoring
organizations, make SPQ*GOLD®
one of the most validated applications
for assessing salespeople in use today.
Current applications are based on
more than 300,000 administrations
internationally, making it the most
widely used diagnostic instrument
for assessing sales call reluctance®
in the world. Summaries of some of
the most recent studies are available
for review on our Research Page. New
studies are regularly completed, continuing
a research program originally begun
in the early 1970's.
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