Profiling Sales Skills To Create 'Models Of Excellence' For Sales Success
Client Organisation:
Scientific Sector
Position:
Sales Teams
Context:
A company who recruited sales professionals in 'bulk' every year was interested in establishing if there was a way to predict who would turn out to be a star performer and who wouldn't. On paper the qualifications that people offered would not help determine how effective they would be in the field selling.
Objectives:
To establish the 'difference that makes the difference' for the succesful sales agents. This can then be used as the basis for coaching success and for future recruitment drives.
Format & Duration:
The best sales professionals from the last few years recruitment drives were profiled using the LAB Profile. In addition some of those who had required a higher degree of coaching were also profiled. The initial profiles were conducted online and then face to face profiling used to check key paterns. The use of an online system reduced the amount of face to face time and consequently the cost of the project.
Outcomes:
From the profiles of the high achievers it was possible to generate a template of which attributes they all had in common. A cross reference with those attributes of the lower achievers confirmed which were most important to success. In identifying which motivational traits were most important it was possible to create a template for recruiting - a 'model of excellence'.
Comments: A good motivational profile is a predictive tool, since the traits that are measured (with the LAB Profile) are those motivational traits that determine behaviour. In an environment where certain poeple are consistently more successful then these exemplars can be considered as models for successful recruitment.