"Some people think all sellers are incentivized by commission, but from my experience, that's not the case."
This insight from Edward Cannon, Sales Effectiveness Lead at JLL, cuts right to the heart of why most sales enablement programs fall short. We've all seen it happen: companies invest heavily in training programs, roll out comprehensive enablement initiatives, and then wonder why results vary so dramatically across their sales teams.
The truth is, treating all sellers the same is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Every sales rep brings different motivations, goals, and working styles to the table. This is where understanding seller personas becomes crucial for any sales leader or enablement professional looking to maximize their team's potential.
In this article, we will analyze Edward's framework for identifying three distinct seller personas and explore how to tailor your enablement approach to each one.
Most sales enablement programs operate under a dangerous assumption: that all sellers are wired the same way. Companies spend thousands of dollars creating comprehensive training modules, assuming that what works for their top performers will automatically work for everyone else. But Edward's experience tells a different story.
"Most enablement programs fail because they treat all sellers the same," Edward explains.
This one-size-fits-all approach ignores the fundamental differences in what motivates individual sales reps. The result? Enablement programs that miss the mark entirely for significant portions of the sales team.
This mismatch between seller motivations and enablement approaches creates several problems:
The solution isn't to create more training content, it's to understand who you're training and what actually drives them to perform at their best.
Through his extensive experience in sales and enablement, Edward has identified three distinct seller personas based on their core motivations.
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The Commission-Driven Seller is exactly what you might expect: they're motivated primarily by closing deals and maximizing their earnings. These sellers are focused on efficiency and getting to the end goal as quickly as possible.
What drives them:
These sellers often get frustrated with lengthy training sessions or complex development programs. They want practical, actionable tools that directly impact their ability to close deals and earn commissions.
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For Recognition-Seeking Sellers, status and visibility matter more than financial rewards. These sellers are motivated by how they're perceived within the organization and by their peers.
What drives them:
These sellers often perform well when they feel their contributions are noticed and valued. They're motivated by opportunities to showcase their expertise and take on responsibilities that increase their visibility within the company.
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Growth-Focused Sellers are motivated by learning, development, and professional challenges. They get bored with repetition and constantly seek new ways to improve and expand their skills.
What drives them:
These sellers are often your early adopters when it comes to new sales tools, techniques, or methodologies. They're willing to invest time in learning if they believe it will help them grow professionally.
Understanding these personas is only the first step. The real value comes from tailoring your enablement approach to match each seller's motivations and working style.
Commission-Driven Sellers need practical, operational support that directly impacts their ability to close deals. They don't want to spend time on activities that don't clearly lead to revenue generation.
Effective enablement strategies:
Provide operational, task-driven support. Focus on giving them tools and processes that streamline their workflow. This might include CRM shortcuts, email templates, or proposal automation tools that save time and reduce administrative burden.
Take administrative work off their plate. These sellers view non-selling activities as obstacles to their success. Look for ways to reduce paperwork, automate routine tasks, or provide administrative support that frees them up to focus on selling.
Help with supplier setups and paperwork. Anything that removes friction from the deal-closing process will be appreciated. This could involve pre-approved vendor lists, simplified contract processes, or dedicated support for complex administrative requirements.
Focus on removing obstacles to closing. Identify the biggest barriers these sellers face in closing deals and provide targeted solutions. This might include objection handling scripts, pricing guidance, or streamlined approval processes.
Keep training brief and results-focused. When you do provide training, make it short, practical, and directly applicable to their daily work. Skip the theory and focus on techniques they can implement immediately.
Recognition-Seeking Sellers need opportunities to showcase their expertise and gain visibility within the organization. They're motivated by status and reputation, so your enablement approach should create pathways for them to demonstrate their value.
Effective enablement strategies:
Create opportunities for them to share expertise. Make these sellers speakers at enablement sessions, have them mentor newer team members, or ask them to lead training on topics where they excel. This gives them the visibility they crave while providing value to the team.
Showcase them as thought leaders. Encourage them to write blog posts, participate in industry events, or contribute to internal knowledge sharing initiatives. Help them build their personal brand within the company and the broader industry.
Email their accomplishments to executives. When these sellers achieve significant wins, make sure leadership knows about it. Copy them on emails to executives highlighting their successes, or include their achievements in leadership reports.
Provide leadership development opportunities. These sellers are often interested in management roles or team leadership positions. Offer them chances to lead projects, mentor junior team members, or participate in leadership training programs.
Growth-Focused Sellers need variety, challenge, and continuous learning opportunities. They're motivated by development and will engage deeply with enablement programs that offer new skills and experiences.
Effective enablement strategies:
Create dynamic learning experiences. Use ai sales roleplay, interactive workshops, case study analyses, and other engaging formats. These sellers respond well to hands-on learning that challenges them to think critically and apply new concepts.
Vary training formats and content. Don't stick to the same training format every time. Mix in different methodologies, guest speakers, real-world scenarios, and collaborative exercises to keep things fresh and engaging.
Provide personalized development plans. Work with these sellers to create individual development roadmaps that align with their career goals. This might include specific skill-building activities, certification programs, or stretch assignments that push them out of their comfort zone.
Keep sessions engaging and participatory. These sellers want to be active participants in their learning, not passive recipients of information. Use discussion-based formats, peer learning opportunities, and practical application exercises.
Edward emphasizes a crucial point that many enablement professionals miss: "You've got to fit the right tool to the right profile." This means you can't just create one amazing training program and expect it to work for everyone.
Creating an effective persona-based enablement strategy requires a systematic approach:
Start by evaluating your existing sales team to identify which persona each seller most closely matches. This doesn't have to be a formal assessment—often, you can determine this through observation and conversation.
Look for clues in how they respond to different types of training, what questions they ask, and what seems to motivate them most. Commission-Driven Sellers will often ask about ROI and practical application. Recognition-Seeking Sellers might volunteer for presenting opportunities or ask about leadership visibility. Growth-Focused Sellers will typically engage deeply with new concepts and ask for additional resources.
Once you've identified your seller personas, create enablement programs tailored to each group. This doesn't mean you need three completely separate programs, you can often adapt existing content to better serve different personas.
For example, when introducing a new sales methodology:
Modern sales enablement technology can help you deliver personalized experiences at scale. AI sales coaching platforms like SellMeThisPen can provide different types of practice scenarios and feedback based on individual seller needs.
Commission-Driven Sellers might use AI roleplays focused on overcoming final objections and closing techniques. Recognition-Seeking Sellers could practice presenting to executives or leading team meetings. Growth-Focused Sellers might explore different sales methodologies and communication styles through varied roleplay scenarios.
Track the effectiveness of your persona-based approach through both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Look at performance improvements, engagement levels, and seller satisfaction with training programs.
Be prepared to adjust your approach as you learn more about individual sellers and as they develop over time. Someone who starts as Commission-Driven might become more Growth-Focused as they gain experience and confidence.
The days of one-size-fits-all sales enablement are over. Edward's insights show that understanding seller personas: Commission-Driven, Recognition-Seeking, and Growth-Focused is crucial for creating enablement programs that actually drive results. The key is matching the right tools and approaches to the right profiles. When you tailor your support to what truly motivates each seller, you create an environment where everyone can thrive.
In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and Edward dive deep into the nuances of seller personas and how to create enablement programs that actually work. They discuss the common mistakes companies make when treating all sellers the same and provide practical strategies for identifying and enabling different types of sales professionals.
Edward Cannon is the Sales Effectiveness Lead for EMEA at JLL, where he focuses on developing and implementing sales enablement strategies across diverse markets. As a former seasoned seller turned enabler, Edward brings a unique perspective on what really motivates sales professionals and how to create training programs that drive results. His experience spans multiple industries and geographies, giving him deep insights into the varied needs and motivations of sales teams.
