Personality assessments, or “communication style” as I prefer, are highly valuable in the hiring process for one important aspect – communication. How many office conflicts have you seen where poor communication was adding oxygen to the fire? We see it in almost every office conflict. One way to diffuse these situations is to assess candidates before they join your team. Doing so allows the manager to know the preferred communication style of the new employee. This knowledge can also predict potential conflict areas between two employees before any conflict develops. However, there are still companies out there who harbor concerns about assessments. One common concern is mentioned in this BusinessWeek.com… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring For Style
Selling Style is one area we assess in our process. Some people refer to it as personality which I don’t believe is particularly accurate. Nonetheless, style is an important assessment for managing the salesperson but too many hiring managers assume certain skills based on a candidate’s style. When we refer to “gut-level decisions,” often those decisions are made based upon a candidate’s style. That method leads to hiring mistakes. One of our newer customers offered an interesting take on this style issue yesterday after a couple of candidate interviews. The candidates were markedly different in their styles, but their aptitudes, skills and motivations were relatively similar. Our customer’s comment: “I’m… Read More
Continue ReadingHow Does Your City Rank In Terms of Stress?
This article ranks 50 metros in terms of relative ”stress” and I was glad to see my metro did not make the top 10. We did, however, miss the “Top 10 Least Stressful” metros (by one place). Distressing, to say the least. Those of us who live in the Twin Cities love to brag on our quality of life, even more so than our weather. We love being in the top 10 of any silly survey. It made me think about the stress of working in sales. The constant pressure to perform. The uncertainty of the deal. The hidden power centers and arcane purchasing rules. The shifty clients and the… Read More
Continue ReadingResults Orientation In Sales
One of the most important aptitudes in sales is a proper results orientation. The key word is “results.” Oftentimes we encounter sales managers who place their focus on activity orientation instead of results. An example would be a salesperson who has a furiousness to their work…almost like their hair is on fire. But no significant deals seem to close despite their frantic pace. I used to work for a sales manager who would describe those salespeople as a horse-drawn wagon. There would always be a cloud of dust around them, but at the end of the day, the wagon hadn’t moved. Salespeople who lack a strong results orientation are often… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Sensitivity To Others
Today we wrap up our year-long Sales Traits Series with the final installment. This week’s trait is one that provides us insight into a candidate’s soft skills when relating to a prospect or customer. Sensitivity To Others The ability to be sensitive and aware of the feelings of others, but not to allow this awareness to interfere with objective decision making. A salesperson with strength in this trait will respond to the concerns of others even if they do not relate to the situation at hand. A weakness in this area is indicative of an inability to identify and relate with others on a personal level. Such a person has… Read More
Continue ReadingBenchmarking Pitfalls
We incorporate assessments into our hiring process and we sell assessments directly to companies. As you might guess, we are strong proponents of assessing candidates. Today’s ERE article presents an excellent explanation of what constitutes a “good” assessment. It is a long article but definitely an interesting read. One topic we often discuss with prospective customers is benchmarking their top salespeople. We don’t do it. We benchmark the sale in that we define the parameters of a typical and ideal sale. This information leads to the job skills needed to succeed in the position. Dr. Williams provides a clear description of the pitfalls of benchmarking top producers: How does one… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Role Confidence
This week we look at a trait that ebbs and flows with salespeople. Typically, candidates have a lower level of role confidence (a driver in their reasoning for finding a new job). Established salespeople who are having success tend to have higher role confidence. The lack of this trait usually reveals an indecisive, uncertain salesperson. This weakness unfortunately is most often revealed in front of a prospect. Role Confidence The ability to develop and maintain an inner strength based on the belief that one will succeed. Role Confidence is a combination of a salesperson’s ability to see their role clearly, positively, practically and functionally. They see themselves as valuable in… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series-Monitoring Others
This week’s sales management trait sports a word that I don’t particularly enjoy – “monitoring.” That isn’t a great description of this trait since it is far broader than that term. Nonetheless, in today’s world of remote salespeople, this trait will be in even greater demand in the near future. Monitoring Others This ability focuses on the actions and decisions of others in a practical, pragmatic way to identify both successes and mistakes. It is the ability to identify the causes of success and failure and to do so in an objective, accurate manner while not allowing personal feelings or biases to influence such decisions. A sales manager with strength… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series-Understanding Motivational Needs
Another sales management trait this week. Have you ever worked for a tyrant? Someone who had to have it his or her way only? Did you have to adjust completely to them? Understanding Motivational NeedsThe ability to understand the needs and desires of employees enough that this knowledge may be used to motivate them to succeed. The ability to encourage a self-starting, active pursuit of goals and objectives. A strength in this area is indicative of a manager who understands that everyone is unique and motivated by different things. They value individual desires and take the time to get to know an individual’s specific motivators. A manager with a weakness in this trait will tend… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Case Against Cloning
I had an interesting, quick call this morning with a suspect who was interested in our assessment tools. His question involved cloning, specifically, why not clone his top salespeople for a benchmark. We don’t benchmark in our hiring process or assessments. The presumption is that you can find a clone of your top people. Bad assumption since people are the ultimate variable. Beyond that, there are other variables that affect this approach. 1. The Ideal Sale. We start all assessments by profiling your typical sale along with your ideal sale. The present-day realities of a typical sale must be defined. However, we also profile what would be ideal in your… Read More
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