This week we look at an age-old sales trait that, unfortunately, is common to many salespeople. Personal responsibility in sales involves being responsible for results. Holding salespeople accountable for their results is part of the sales manager’s job. If you are experiencing a problem in this area, as a sales manager, your first task is to stop the salesperson’s excuse making. That move is the first step to accountability for the salesperson.
Personal Accountability
This is the ability to be responsible for the consequences of one€™s own decisions and actions. It involves taking responsibility for these decisions and not shifting the focus of blame or poor performance somewhere else (i.e. others).
A salesperson with strength in this trait will not try to make excuses for a bad decision. He or she will normally make every effort to try and identify the cause of that bad decision. Their focus will be more on correcting the problem to ensure future success than on protecting themselves.
A weakness in this area indicates a salesperson is more concerned with appearance and image than with results and success. They will seek to place blame for a bad decision on any factor which does not lie solely with them – doing so would detract from their abilities in the public image. Although achieving goals and success can be important to this person, their self-image is often fragile and protecting it is far more important.