My grandfather was a wonderful man who taught me, along with his other grandchildren, through stories and parables.  Although he passed on many years ago, his stories still are in my heart and mind.

He once told a story of an old man who traveled to town with his donkey and his grandchild.  As the old man and the child rode on the donkey they passed a merchant. The merchant saw the two riding on the donkey and said, "How can you put such a burden on that poor animal?  You both are strong and should walk beside the donkey."  The old man and the young boy dismounted.  As they continued, they passed another merchant who also had an opinion. "Why do the both of you walk when you can be riding on the donkey?  Surely one of you should ride the donkey."  With that the old man placed the young boy on the donkey and they proceeded toward town.  As they continued on their journey they passed yet another merchant who said, "Why is it that this young boy who has strong legs rides on the donkey while you, an old man, walk?  Surely you should ride the donkey." With that the old man took the young boy from the donkey and mounted the donkey himself.  Well, it wasn't long before they encountered another merchant who saw the old man riding the donkey and commented, "Why is it you ride the donkey and the boy walks?  You should both ride the donkey."  The old man now raised the boy upon the donkey and they both rode into town.

Now the old man was always well intentioned.  During his journey he spent much of his time responding to the wishes of others.  One could say it was more important to the old man to get the approval of others than to do what he thought was right.  By doing what others wanted him to do he gained their approval but was not true to his own truths.  He gave up what he believed was the correct way and did what he believed to have others think well of him.

Now what is the business application?  It is the Need for Approval. When we test candidates prior to making recommendations to hire we screen for the Need for Approval.  When a salesperson has a Need for Approval there is a dramatic Impact.

 

The Impact of Need for Approval

Explanation:  When a candidate Needs Approval from prospects, their need to be liked, and in extreme cases, loved, is greater than their need to close business.

Impact:  This candidate will avoid saying or doing those things which, in his/her mind, would change how the prospect feels about him/her.  This includes, but is not limited to tough questions, legitimate confrontation and the potential inability to handle rejection or a 'no'.  The result is that this candidate will develop pipeline
bloat - prospects that remain in the pipeline with relatively few of them getting closed or eliminated.

Need for Approval is the second most powerful and
most common weakness we find in salespeople. 

Salespeople with this weakness are 35% less effective than salespeople with no need for approval.

Hey, grandpa thanks for teaching me about how the Need for Approval in sales doesn't work.  When I sat on your lap at the age of five did you know I was going to be in sales? Were you preparing me?

Thanks grandpa, I love you.