Did you know that according to a recent study by MIT, 90% of the information transmitted to our brains is visual? With so much visual data constantly being processed by our brains, it comes as no surprise that we retain visual information almost 6 times as efficiently as we do with non-visual information. So how can sales leaders leverage this information to ensure your entire salesforce can make the most of your data? First, we need to understand who actually makes up your sales team.
Bartle’s Player Types When researching the motivational drivers of video game players, renowned psychologist Richard Bartle discovered that players fell into four main character types- Killers, Achievers, Explorers, and Socializers. Keep in mind very few people fall entirely into just one of these buckets, and most people are a mixture of types. So let’s talk about each of these player types and how their brains are engaged by visualization.
Killers Killers are what you think of as the quintessential sales rep. Killers are focused on winning, ranking, and direct peer-to-peer competition, but they only make up less than 1% of total players. We expect to see a higher percentage of killers in the sales field due to the intrinsic competitive nature of the work, but they are still a minority on almost every sales team.
Killers LOVE visualization. They want to know exactly how they are performing in the latest competition and just get more motivated when they see their rival pass them with their latest sale. Intuitively visualized real-time data is one of the most powerful gifts you can give your killers. They will push themselves harder, close more deals, and drive healthy competition between your best reps.
Achievers Achievers make up roughly 10% of all players and are focused on attaining status and achieving preset goals quickly and completely. They are always looking to find the next achievement to work towards, the goal that piques their interest, and more efficient ways to work towards that goal.
Your achievers need visualization to properly set the runway and show them actual progression towards their chosen goals. Anyone who has worked in sales before knows exactly how hard it can be to stay motivated when you have no idea how close you actually are to your goal. Achievers will feel this lack of motivation even more so than the average rep, so supplying them with a visualized representation of their progress is extremely vital to their productivity, mental space, and overall workflow.
Explorers Explorers make up another 10% and are focused on expanding what is possible with a drive to discover the unknown. In sales, these players look to find the next industry to target and the next company to focus on. Traditionally, this work has been mostly thankless and can quickly cause burnout for those explorers, which inevitably leads to turnover.
Explorers NEED data visualization, not only to help keep them motivated but also to prove their worth within a company. Having well-visualized data allows these explorers to get powerful insights into new industries and companies while also showing their managers just how much work these oftentimes quiet reps are accomplishing behind the scenes. The work of an explorer doesn’t always end in a simple conversion like a closed deal, so choosing the right data to visualize to really tell the story of these reps’ crucial work is extremely important.
Socializers Finally, socializers make up a massive 80% of players and are focused on collaboration with a drive to develop a network of friends and contacts. That’s right, 80% of people are socializers and want to forge relationships within the work environment. This massive portion of your workforce is rarely incentivized to sell the way they want to, though the relationships they forge with coworkers and clients can oftentimes be the most powerful tools in your sales cycle.
Socializers love having data visualized, and not just because it gives them more time to build those meaningful relationships. Well-visualized data helps your socializers interact with their teammates in more meaningful ways, helps foster comradery in competitions, and lets them get a clear vision of where they stand on their quarterly goals.
No matter who makes up your sales team, a great way of visualizing your data streamlines and simplifies your rep’s daily tasks, which inevitably leads to massive pipeline gains. Help every member of your team reach their highest potential with a strong data visualization platform.
