Mark Thurmond, Senior Vice President of Sales for RSA, knows what goes into creating a great sales team. After reworking his own sales organization, the group saw a 30% increase in deals ranging from $250,000-$500,000. In that same quarter, it closed more million-dollar-plus deals than it ever had.
“Sales talent management is a huge issue for any leader. You’re only as good as your people, and you want to make sure you have all the right people on the bus when you are transforming your sales organization,” said Thurmond.
If your organization wants to find the right people, you should start by defining what success looks like in a sales role at your company. This is more than just saying you want highly motivated, intelligent, and disciplined people. That could describe any professional role at any company. Best-in-class sales organizations create a Success Profile outlining what success looks like in their organization. That profile is used to hire (get the right people on the bus), but it can also be used throughout the life cycle of the seller to ensure long-term success. When the road gets rough, you want to make sure you have the right people navigating the bumps along the way. A success profile will help set you on the right course for successful sales talent management.
What are the key components to your success profile? For more strategies on improving sales talent, download our white paper: 5 Laser Focused Strategies to Build a High Performing Sales Team. The paper outlines several key steps for managers, including:
- How to Create a Success Profile
- How to Find the "Not-in-Play" Players
- How to Transform New Hires into Successful Sellers
- How to Manage for Success
- How to Retain Your Best Talent
