There’s no denying that the sales function is a critical component of any successful business. You could have the greatest widget or service offering on the planet, but without the proper sales support to talk it up and push it out, you won’t stand a chance against your competitors, especially if they have a superstar amid their sales team. You know the type: he or she has all the answers, handles every objection with ease, closes all the big deals, consistently blows quarterly targets out of the water, and has earned platinum member status within the company’s Top Performers club. Customers love these reps and the company loves them even more as they consistently contribute to the bottom line. The only thing that would make these superstars better is if there were more just like them.
If you’re lucky enough to have one of these superstars in your midst, consider sitting them down to find out exactly what makes them tick. Identifying key behavioral patterns, for example, can be the first step to uncovering the traits required for others looking to succeed in the same role. How do they prefer to interact with each prospect? How do they engage with both management and colleagues in order to support their goals? What motivates and drives them to be the successful salesperson that they are? Once the key patterns for success in this role are exposed, you’ll be well on your way to building a galaxy of sales superstars within your organization.
Don’t have a sales superstar to model your sales legion against? Fear not. There are job assessment tools out there that can help you to define the ideal behavioral and cognitive requirements for your sales superstar before you even begin your hiring process. This can be customized based on your company environment and team dynamics and will provide a benchmark and behavioral pattern for the position to help better predict on-the-job performance.
Using a job assessment tool, along with some internal group analytics of successful salespeople, premium global sports lifestyle brand, ’47, was able to identify key behavioral factors that would drive sales success both within their Key Accounts division and as they looked for additional field sales reps. This, coupled with a highly interactive and customized sales training program resulted in an improved hiring strategy, the creation of a successful sales team and a boost to their bottom line. You can read the full story here.
