The Selling Strategy: Using Both Approaches

Posted by Carl Harshman on March 21st, 2020.

Just as #45 gives the late-night show hosts lots of material, Scott Adams (Dilbert) has provided us with comic perspectives on the reality of work.

The iWAM and LAB Profile are tools for measuring motivational and attitudinal patterns (or metaprograms).

There are companion patterns in the iWAM entitled "Goal Orientation" (Toward) and "Problem Solving" (Away From). Here is the Dilbert post for Saturday, March 21, 2020:

Frame 1 is based on the Problem Solving or Away From (LAB) pattern. By Frame 3, Dogbert shifts the strategy to Goal Orientation. It's subtle, but doesn't escape the perceptive pointy-haired boss.

Dan Seidman, our friend and sales guru, says that determining the orientation of your client or prospective customer provides the basis for positioning your influence strategy around achieving a goal, avoiding a problem, or, in some cases, both.

For more information about the connection between motivational and attitudinal patterns and sales/influence strategies, see The Secret Language of Influence.

For a look at your motivational and attitudinal patterns, check out the Inventory for Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM).