PPB April 2018

A client called recently with a major worry. “We have a big problem with our customer service representatives not getting along with our salespeople,” she said, explaining that the company’s CSRs were not being supportive of the newly hired sales associates. “If our company is to survive, we need these new sales associates to be motivated and productive, and I’m worried they may quit. Can you do anything to help?” Ah yes, the old customer service vs. sales professional smackdown—a frequent source of headaches for many business owners. So why does it happen and how can it be resolved? The simple answer to why these breakdowns occur relates to behavioral style. Behavioral styles are the natural ways that individuals process information, make decisions, solve problems and relate to one another. We all have behavioral preferences and there is no such thing as a “right” or “wrong” style. That said, certain styles do have competing preferences and, unfortunately for my client and others like her, clashes in behavioral style—particularly between sales and customer service professionals—are common and can be detrimental. One tool for assessing personal behavioral preferences is the DISC assessment. It is the brainchild of WilliamMoultonMarston, an American psychologist and comic book writer who created theWonderWoman character, and who also created an early prototype of the lie detector test. Fascinatedwith the way our personalities affect workplace performance, in 1923 he developed an inventory of personal behaviors and classified these behaviors into four basic categories: Dominant (problemsolvers), Influencer (people oriented), Supporter (teamplayers), and Controller (process oriented)—hence the acronymDISC. Seventy-five percent of successful sales professionals are either highly Dominant, Influencers or some combination of the two, according to Target Training International, Inc. (a company that has developed a commonly-used DISC assessment). These behavioral preferences make them wonderful at what they do—they are friendly, establish relationships easily and are confident, enthusiastic, articulate and strategic. They are also competitive, extroverted, have a high sense of urgency and are able to handle adversity with optimism. This makes them natural-born sellers. They also Why CSRs And Salespeople Clash The likely cause is different behavioral styles. Here’s how to understand and address it. by Claudia St. John 70 | APRIL 2018 | THINK