As we begin a new year, ask yourself, can you determine the traits that helped make the strongest salespeople successful in your company last year?
Can you define what makes a salesperson successful at your company at any given time?
Do you know how to create a better sales force?
Here’s a tip to help you in 2013:
Don’t be satisfied with a generic definition of success.
Everyone wants an employee who is highly motivated, driven, intelligent, disciplined, has positive energy, etc. . . .
Tell us something we don’t know. Those generic characteristics could apply to almost any professional role in almost any company.
Instead, you should define what success looks like in a sales role at your company. If your sales organization hasn’t defined the DNA of your top performers, then your hiring profiles are likely off-target. Start by asking the top performers on your sales team these three questions:
- How would you define success in your current sales role?
- What specialized knowledge do you have?
- What particular skills and behaviors make you successful?
Once you determine the traits your top performers have in common, you can create a specific success profile for any person in the same role. Now when you consider new candidates, you will be able to assess them against the top performers in your sales organization.
Remember this important point:
A success profile is a not a job description. It’s a profile of your perfect seller’s DNA. It’s a combination of the success competencies - knowledge required to effectively perform the job, and the success behaviors - what competencies look like when the job is being performed effectively. Only by defining the DNA for the right candidate will you be able to effectively source, evaluate and develop the role moving forward. It is a key component to creating a better sales force.
Think of the success profile as the gift that keeps on giving. When you start by clearly defining the knowledge, skills and behaviors people need to succeed in your sales organization, you’ve painted a picture of what success looks like. The success profile will then provide the basis for:
- Selecting and acquiring talent
- Onboarding and assimilating
- Managing and rewarding performance
- Developing and retaining talent
- Workforce planning and talent review
- Leading and promoting
