Freedom Figure Fix

I endured once working for a maleficent chief exec. One of the many examples of this unwelcome trait emerged from his views on hidden drivers.

He’d encourage all salespeople to mortgage themselves up to the hilt. Whatever house they were thinking of living in, he’d batter them to get a bigger one.

He’d even revel in intrusive interview questions where candidates were forced to divulge monthly outgoings so he could gauge ‘hunger’ (or desperation).

He believed that with such a large monetary noose around their necks they’d be super-determined to hit ever-ludicrously enormous sales targets.

I was reminded of this when a medical therapist asked me to write down personal goals for activity once treatment succeeded.

On vision and dreamboards and the like (for instance, blogged on here), many a seller pins up a postcard of the idyllic holiday destination. Where they’d whisk their partner off to on quota-busting commission. Or the car of their petrolhead fantasy. Or any of the myriad status symbols or material desires that they hope will make them happy. All intended to be a daily visual motivational reminder.

I’ve regularly had chats with salespeople (especially on motorways heading to meetings a fair lick away) where what they’re hoping to spend their commission on crops up. And one-on-one you can refer to this throughout the year.

But I’ve never asked everyone at a team forum to detail what the number one item they’ll be earning commission for would be. I struggle to imagine any of the salesteams I’ve worked with liking this as a public exercise. Even the American ones.

So I was intrigued to learn about your Freedom Figure.

It sounds similar to the Breaking Bad Calculation.

What is the cash you need to accumulate to set you free?

In Sales in a sense making 100% of your allotted number gives you freedom.

So you should know yours.

In which case, the two pillars you must get to grips with are how you’ll get there and what you’ll do once you land.

I often like to use different, more tailored words to gain extra recognition. Alternatives for ‘quota’ and ‘target’ are thin on the ground. I’m not sure freedom figure is the right vibe on its own. Yet what you seek freedom for, now that could make a good image that sticks…