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Having a sales monologue instead of sales dialogue with your customers?

February 10, 2011 in Communication, Prospecting, Sales Relationships, Social Media, Social Sales

  • Have you ever noticed your customers getting that glazed look when you tell them how fabulous you and your company are?
  • Have you ever had your customers seem very agreeable in your sales meeting but never seem to follow through with an order?
  • Have you ever found yourself doing all of the talking whether in a client meeting or over the phone?

If so, chances are you are having a sales monologue and not a sales dialogue with your customers – you are nothing more than a ‘talking’ brochure and are wasting yours and your client’s time.

We all know what it is like to be in the presence of someone who only talks about themselves with no interest in anyone else.  They do not enquire about others’ wellbeing or interests; they seem totally concerned about their own needs and ambitions.

Imagine being one of your clients sitting there unable to express your concerns or be able to discuss ways to solve your challenges or achieve your goals, or get a word in edge ways.  Frustrating isn’t it?

Sales monologues were standard fair at the height of the ‘product selling’ days of the 1970’s and 80’s.  ‘Show up and throw up information’ was how many sales people sold back then, and some still do it today.  You would think we would have shifted our focus to a more enlightened sales approach by now, yet sales monologues still happen more than you think.  Where we are seeing it most often is in online community groups.

Take LinkedIn Discussion Groups as an example: watch and listen to the discussions on these forums and see what happens to anyone who tries to promote their business or tout for business in this space – they are set upon by the Group Community and read the riot act because they are not engaging in a discussion.  Engaging in sales monologues is causing people to be shunned by their online communities.

The new world of social media and sales is about sharing, educating, giving of yourself and working to enhance the communities you find yourself in.  Blatantly advertising yourself is frowned upon because it’s just the same as being a talking brochure and people don’t want that, and quite frankly, never have.

The key to conducting a successful sales dialogue is to start listening and tune into what people are saying.  You can get insights galore about peoples’ opinions, preferences and ideas at online communities like LinkedIn and Facebook.  This, in turn, will give you more ideas about what you need to do to engage in meaningful dialogue with others and develop the opportunities to produce something far more fruitful.   Let your customers or contacts do the talking, ask them questions, find out what they are after and then work with them to give them what they want and/or need.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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Transitioning from the old sales paradigm to the new world of social sales

February 2, 2011 in Communication, Sales Relationships, Sales Skills, Sales Talent, Self Development, Social Media, Social Sales, Strategy

When I began my career as a professional sales person in the early 1980’s we were trained in product and client communication skills focusing on handling objections.  We were given business cards, product brochures, a geographic territory of clients to manage and grow, and a car to get around in.  We did not have mobile phones, let alone smart phones / tablets, laptops, or CRM’s.   There was very little coaching and we were expected to make sales and make it work.

For a while there, let’s say 20+ years, it seemed like business as usual as many companies still clung to the Product Paradigm of Selling – ‘show up and throw up information’, however there were fundamental shifts of seismic proportions happening around us even back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.   The transition from product to solution selling was one significant shift, however, this was just a pit stop on the way to the far more complex selling world we find ourselves in today.

28 years on the sales terrain is a very different proposition – the new world of social media, social selling, the importance of collaboration and the centrality of the customer – we are truly entering a customer focused world.

Product and Solutions (the aggregation of products) no longer offers the competitive edge in the sales process, the shift in value, beyond product and product solutions, lies in ideas, creativity, collaboration, interconnectedness and innovation and means that the types of conversations we have with customers, suppliers, referral partners and the like is at the centre of effective selling and business relationships.
And buyers are way ahead of most sales people.  The conversations they are having about their suppliers, research they do before they buy, the journeys they take to purchase without any sales person’s involvement are important to watch and pay attention to.  And that’s not all – we need to pay attention to what they do and say after the sale, how they talk about us, their points of view, the influence they have over others ideas and opinions and the circle just keeps getting wider.  But are sales people and businesses keeping up.

According to Brian Fetherstonhaugh, Chairman and CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide, Social media is having an enormous impact on buyer behaviour.  OgilvyOne’s survey of a 1,000 sales professionals in US, UK, Brazil and China reported that 49% of sellers see social media as important to their success and amongst the most successful sales people, over two thirds believe social media is integral to their success.   However most companies are not adapting fast enough.  They are not providing training in how to effectively use social media to sell and nearly half the sales professionals surveyed believe their companies are afraid of letting employees use social media.

Only 9% of US sales people say their companies train or educate them in social media while in contrast 25% of sales people surveyed in Brazil said they received training and education in social media.
This rapid change is unprecedented.  With the rapid rise of social media, the focus on innovation, value beyond product and the increasingly complexity of business networks and communities, I have found myself looking back and looking forward working out what I need to leave behind and what I need to take with me into the future.

For those sales professionals who started their careers in the last 5-10 years this article may not mean much to you, however for those of us who have longer careers in selling we are faced with significant change.

What have found to remain true and I can carry forward from my early days in selling are the following:

  • Keep Prospecting – it is vital to make contact and keep in contact with customers, prospects, influencers, suppliers, partners, etc.
  • Review and Strategic Action– always review where your market, customers and competitors are and check for signs of change so you can adapt and take strategic action.  Most people would call this planning but with change happening so rapidly it’s more like review and strategic action is a constant daily occurrence
  • Prioritisation – even more so now than ever before is the important skill of prioritisation.  There is so much information: emails, special interest groups, new innovations and the like to keep on top it can be overwhelming without some form of prioritisation skills
  • Questioning and listening – always a main stay in any person’s, especially a sales person’s tool box.  The listening acuity we now need means we need to pay more attention to the details of our clients’ conversations, needs and priorities while keeping a keen ear and eye on the broader landscape.  Asking the right questions is critical.
  • Problem Solving and Prevention, Creativity and Innovation – again the idea that product was king is now dead; one of the key skills is to prevent and where necessary solve problem for people, but that is only part of the game now – we now need to generate ideas and create opportunities, imagination and innovation now stand tall.
  • Adapting to different Communication styles – with global reach comes the need to interact with a wide variety for people and adapt to difference, not difficulty
  • Manners and courtesy – despite what people may say about the current state of the world, manners and courtesy are the glue that hold our relationships together. No matter what we call it, courtesy and manners are NOT trivial. Here is how Edmund Burke (1729-1797) described it: “Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.”

So what do  I have had to integrate from the new, so far:

  • Digital communication, destinations and New Listening Skills.  The need to look out for the digital footprints of buyers as they trawl the digital world.  Mapping buyers journeys before they talk to sales people and setting up the right forums, websites, blogs, connections, opinions, etc. for them to connect to before we even speak as human beings is critical.
  • Interacting  with special interest groups on the internet – looking to exchange ideas rather selling or blatant  self promotion.
  • Selling is a Team Sport – marketing, sales, and customers are all in it together
  • Prospecting online – the shift from lists, Yellow Pages, etc to avenues such as Linkedin where a rich vein of data, contacts, prospects are available to be researched and connected to.

Much has change in the world of selling and more changes are afoot.  I’m holding on as best I can, trying to get my balance as I transition from the old paradigm of selling to the new world of social sales.  So watch this space.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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2011 the year of Sales leadership and Integrity

January 27, 2011 in Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Success

In December 2010 we published The 12 Sales Trends of 2011 and invited readers to vote on what they thought would be the most important trends in sales for this year.  Thank you to everyone who shared their views and voted.  Every month we will explore one of the trends in more detail, starting with the trends voted as most important to you.

Without doubt Sales Leadership and Integrity topped the rankings; the voting was overwhelming in favour of these two trends.    The voting revealed the sales trends for 2011 in order of importance:

  1. The Year of the Sales Leader
  2. Integrity – your sales edge
  3. Knowing your business
  4. Prospecting and Social Media
  5. Results not Solutions
  6. CRM as a Business Strategy
  7. The Sales Pioneer
  8. Rethinking Incentives (The Science of Motivation)
  9. Procurement and Value Managed
  10. Leading and Examined Life
  11. The New Sharing
  12. Getting Personal

It’s the year of the sales leader.   The increasing complexity of business structure, market changes, people dynamics, customer buying patterns and evolving technology, amongst other things have made the made the job of sales managers and leaders that much more challenging.

Keeping on top of their jobs will be a test of character as much as anything.  The message is clear if businesses don’t get their sales leadership and management capabilities functioning effectively, their sales efforts will be in peril in 2011 and beyond.  The research is clear, educate and develop your sales managers to be effective sale leaders and the impact on sales results will be dramatic.

International research into sales training reported that if Sales Managers were more frequently and better trained and coached then their sales teams achieved higher performance and results.  In no other type of sales training was a more positive correlation found between frequency of training and sales performance.  The study in Sales Force Effectiveness also reported that Sales Management training is the category of sales training that is addressed with the least frequency, in fact it is less than annually or not at all.   Most sales managers are given very little or no support when it comes to being a competent, effective Sales Manager.  In fact, many Sales Managers reported that they were given no formal training in Sales Management practices, either before or during their tenure as a Sales Manager.

Smart businesses will invest in the ongoing development of their sales leaders, producing highly effective professional business people who are knowledgeable and skillful in strategic action, technology, and global perspectives, and who excel at coaching, and proactive review.

Given the rapid pace of change, we need highly functioning Sales Managers and Leaders who can lead from the front with courage, insight, skilful action and a clear vision.

In 2011 and beyond what do sales leaders need?

  • Knowledge about: markets, customers, products, competitors, technology, new marketing, what  good sales talent looks like, how to develop strategy, fiscal management,  etc.
  • Skills in: coaching, leadership, management, recruitment, conflict resolution, negotiation, strategic thinking, planning, creating and leveraging networks, stakeholder management, selling, problem solving, etc.
  • Personal Insight: self awareness, ethics, integrity, professionalism, resilience, optimism and future mindedness, achievement focus, initiative, innovation and improvement,  collaborating to achieve results, team orientation, decisive, etc.
  • Sales Resources: sales templates, coaching guides, recruitment resources, sales planning tools, CRM systems, performance management systems, etc.

Achieving mastery in all these areas can take a life time, however those companies that support and train all their sales leaders and managers in these core areas will gain a significant competitive advantage in 2011.

If you need further information on sales management and leadership training please contact us on (03) 9532 7677 or email us.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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Different sales assessments and how to use them

January 21, 2011 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Coaching, Culture, Emotional Intelligence, Ethics & Values, Prospecting, Recruitment, Sales Assessments, Sales Research, Sales Training, Self Development

If you wanted to, you could sit down for at least four weeks and complete 100’s of sales assessments and there would still be more on offer.  This over abundance of sales assessments can be confusing because they are not all the same.  If you do not know what you want to measure it will make looking for an effective sales assessment tool that much harder.  Here are some questions that may help you select your sales assessments with more precision.

  • Why will this person sell? (Motives, Ambition, Goals)
  • Will this person sell? (Attitudes, Mindset, Not Hesitant, Accountable, Energy, Drive)
  • How does this person sell? (Style, Ethics, Behaviours)
  • Can this person sell? (Skill, Knowledge, Mindset)
  • How well can this person sell? (Job match, Values, Perceptive Reasoning, Self Belief, Mastery Mindset)

As stated before, there is no one sales tool that can answer all these questions.  So at risk of offending some test providers and users, as I am bound to leave out some assessments that could have been included in this piece, I thought I would share with you the tools that we and many other businesses have found to be the most useful in helping us predict sales performance especially when it comes to sales recruitment.

Measuring Sales Prospecting Fitness
Research shows that only about 20% of sales people are fully effective when prospecting.  In use for 30+ years, the SPQ*Gold (Sales Preferences Questionnaire) is a well regarded and widely used assessment designed to specifically detect and measure the emotional response to prospecting – Sales Call Reluctance®.  Call Reluctance® is the emotional hesitation to initiate contact with prospective buyers in sufficient numbers to support organisational goals.

40 years of empirical research in prospecting shows the hesitation to initiate first contact with prospective buyers on a consistent daily basis is responsible for the failure of more competent, motivated and capable sales people than any other single factor.  The fear of prospecting can cost an average of 15 new units of business per month per sales person.  Prospecting is not the most important skill in selling but it is the first thing that has to happen before anything else happens.

Assess the Fear of Prospecting
The fear of prospecting, Sales Call Reluctance® and sales hesitation, an individual’s hesitance to prospect and self-promote for new business, can be objectively measured using the SPQ*Gold® questionnaire. The SPQ*Gold® is an attitude and activity based online assessment that identifies how much initiative, energy and drive an individual devotes to proactive sales prospecting and the amount of energy spent on coping with inhibitors such as fear. The SPQ*Gold® is the only tool that measures the prospecting fitness of people in sales, sales management and customer contact careers.  It is best suited for anyone responsible for meeting sales and revenue targets whether you call yourself a sales person or not.

SPQ*Gold helps you answer these 3 business questions:

  1. How much will they produce?
  2. How soon will it happen?
  3. What will it cost you to get that performance out of them?

Applications

  • Administered online via user name and password sourced via an accredited provider.
  • The SPQ*GOLD® can be used for recruitment and development purposes to measure prospecting fitness.  It produces individual selection reports, team summary reports, and development and coaching reports.
  • SPQ*Gold will NOT measure personality, motivators and values, communication styles, emotional intelligence, leadership styles and derailers, or cognitive attributes and abilities (IQ).

Measuring Sales Performance Characteristics and Style
SPI-Q (Sales Performance Insight Questionnaire) is the latest and most comprehensive sales assessment tool in the marketplace.  The Sales Performance Insights Questionnaire (SPI-Q) has been developed in Australia by Performance Insights and focuses on the attributes that are uniquely relevant to sales.  It is the only product in the market that predicts the multi-dimensional characteristics required by today’s sales professionals, and measures the subtle but critical characteristics that differentiate successful sales people.  The questionnaire measures 25 Sales Attributes, clustered into three broad domains:

  1. Compelling Relationships – measures the preferences the individual has when working with clients and developing relationships i.e. Impact, Credibility, Insight, Attentiveness, Initiation, Influence, Social Leverage, Client Engagement and Negotiation.
  2. Perceptive Reasoning – measures how the individual processes information and makes judgments relating to client issues and solutions i.e. Research, Exploration, Agility, Pursues Learning, Creativity, Structure, Quality Orientation, Rational, Specialist and Judgement.
  3. Channelled Energy – measures the motivators and levers which drive the individual to succeed i.e. Authenticity, Resilience, Self Belief, Recovery, Motivation and Sales Drive.

The questionnaire has been designed to be highly pragmatic and user-friendly (requiring minimal training) with standard interpreted report outputs which are adapted based on the individual’s results.   The SPI-Q is a self-report questionnaire and the accuracy of this profile depends on how honest the individual has been when completing the questionnaire as well as their self-awareness.  It reflects their preferred style rather than their ability.  However, research shows that people’s responses to personality questionnaires can act as a good predictor of how they are likely to behave on the job.  There is no one ‘perfect profile’.

Applications

  • Administered online via user name and password sourced via an accredited provider.
  • The SPI-Q can be used for recruitment and development purposes.  It produces individual reports along with accompanying team summary reports, development and coaching reports.
  • SPI-Q will NOT measure values, leadership styles & derailers, cognitive attributes and abilities or prospecting fitness.

These two tools would be my first choice when recruiting sales people.  If you want to measure Culture Fit, Motives and Values, Leadership Style and Derailers, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) or Cognitive Abilities (IQ) then we recommend the following tools, which while they are not sales specific, have been widely used in sales and sales leadership.

Measuring Culture Fit and Values: The Hogan Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory (MVPI) measures ten core values found in most cultures throughout history i.e. Aesthetics, Affiliation, Altruistic, Commerce, Hedonism, Power, Recognition, Science, Security and Tradition.  It is not sales specific, however, it provides vital information to managers about how to coach and manage their sales people in terms of motivators, values and drivers.  The MVPI provides useful data about the kind of work environment the candidate prefers.  Measuring organisational fit is critical to staff retention and cultural engagement.

Measuring Leadership Style and Derailing Behaviours: Most business leaders have coping behaviours they draw on when under pressure.  The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) measures strategies and behaviours leaders have developed over time (even from childhood) to cope with increased levels of pressure whether due to change, high stress, multi-tasking, work saturation, an unhappy environment or being outside of their comfort zone. The HDS is not purpose built for sales leaders however it has a wide body or research on sales leadership with relevant norm groups to refer to.  Research shows that most leaders display at least one coping style.  In measuring extremes of personality then, it is very important to remember that these can have highly positive implications.  There is, however, always a potential downside to extremes because if they are not managed effectively or appropriately they can become problematic.  When business leaders, especially sales leaders, are not managing their interpersonal façade well (perhaps because of stress, pressure, deadlines, etc.) these extremes can emerge unchecked and upset the delicate balance of teamwork and interpersonal relationships.

Measuring Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Emotional Intelligence (EQ) involves a set of skills that define how effectively people perceive, understand, reason with and manage their own and others’ feelings.  These skills are cornerstones to successful selling, as emotions are an inherent part of why people buy and why they do not. The Genos Model of workplace Emotional Intelligence comprises seven specific EI skills critical to successful selling i.e. Emotional Self-Awareness, Emotional Expression, Emotional Awareness of Others, Emotional Reasoning, Emotional Self-Management, Emotional Management of Others and Emotional Self-Control.  Each skill can apply to successful selling.

Measuring Cognitive Attributes and Abilities (IQ): There are no sales specific attributes and abilities assessments that we know of, however, good quality Attributes and Abilities assessments have been around for over 50 years.  They are often referred to as IQ tests.  They are widely available through accredited providers and most organisational psychologists.  They are becoming more applicable because more sales and many leadership roles, especially sophisticated or more complex sales markets, require high level thinking abilities such as:

  • Verbal – verbal fluency, vocabulary and ability to understand and reason using words.
  • Numerical – ability to use and understand numerical concepts, reason using numbers and perceive logical relationships between them.
  • Abstract – the ability to think clearly and make sense of complexity, which is known as educative ability and the ability to store and reproduce information, known as reproductive ability.
  • Critical Thinking – the ability to clarify goals, examine assumptions, discern hidden values, evaluate evidence, accomplish actions and assess conclusions.

We do not use single assessments.  Instead, we combine tools to give us a more complete picture.
Different sales roles in different industries require different attributes for success.  Thus, profiles should be interpreted with reference to a specific role and its requirements.  It is important that the data from any assessment be combined with other sources of information about the individual when making decisions, particularly in selection settings.  Most assessments have a shelf life of 18–24 months and should be treated confidentially.  If there are major changes in an individual’s life or work, this could change some of the attributes in some assessments.  If you wish to use recruitment grade assessments for sales selection, I hope this helps you make a more informed decision.

To order an online assessment today, please call Barrett on 03 9532 7677 or for further information click on this link  www.barrett.com.au/assessments

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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What is the ideal sales assessment tool to use when recruiting sales people? Part 1

January 13, 2011 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Call Reluctance, Recruitment, Sales Assessments

For many years people have been searching for the perfect sales assessment tool.  Why?  Because identifying and retaining high performing sales talent continues to elude many organisations.  It has become even more important with products losing their competitive edge and sales success becoming hinged squarely around the capabilities and performance inputs and outputs of sales people.

I have been using psychometric assessments as part of my work for more than 20 years now.  In my business alone we have assessed more than 70,000 people in sales, sales management and leadership roles using a variety of high quality assessment tools for both selection and development purposes.  The tools we use are designed to measure Cognitive Abilities, Personality (i.e. sales, leadership and everyday styles), Motives & Values, Call Reluctance and Coping & Derailing Behaviours.

We favour well researched, well built, validated assessments constructed by professional psychometricians because, like diagnostic tools used in medicine and other scientific applications, good assessments are calibrated to measure specific aspects of self.  However, like most instruments they are not perfect.  We are always looking at what’s happening in the world of assessments and we can report that there are thousands of assessments promising all sorts of things.  However, we find that many of them are junk and nothing better than a Cleo quiz which adds nothing to your selection process.

All this research has also revealed that the perfect sales assessment tool does not exist.  Trying to measure all the things we want to know about sales people and leaders with one assessment is unrealistic and virtually impossible.  However, what we do know is that the latest research into modern sales assessments is showing subtle difference between:

  • Influence and Negotiation
  • Impact and Credibility
  • Initiation and Social Leverage
  • Resilience and Self Belief

We are now seeing more purpose built sales assessment tools that are designed to measures key qualities such as:

  • Creating Compelling Relationships – measuring the preferences the individual has when working with clients and developing relationships
  • Perceptive Reasoning  – measuring how the individual processes information and makes judgments relating to client issues and solutions
  • Channelled Energy – measuring the motivators and levers which drive the individual to succeed
  • Contact Initiation – measuring the emotional response to prospecting and the amount of initiative, energy and drive devoted to proactive prospecting as well as the amount of energy spent in coping with inhibiting influences such as fear

Effectively predicting sales success is critical to any business’ success and using well designed, rigorous psychometric assessments as part of a sales selection process can really boost our chances of finding and retaining the right sales people for our business.  However, many people look to psychometric assessments as the panacea, the quick fix, the one source of information that will give them the answer to the question ‘How can I tell if this person will sell and make me lots of money?’  This too is a mistake.

Therefore, to get the most value out of psychometric assessments when applied to your sales selection process you might like to consider these important points:

1.    Use as part of a selection process: Psychometric assessments should be used in concert with other validated selection tools such as structured behavioural interviews, competency based simulation exercises and structured reference checks where findings can be cross referenced against core criteria that have been established as relevant to the job and culture in question.

2.    Predictive Ability: Psychometric assessments should account for no more than 20% of your decision making criteria.  They can never be 100% predictive of performance and if anyone claims an assessment, by itself, can have predictive ability over 60% they are not being truthful.  Sadly, many people rely on overly simplistic grid type assessments that are not predictive of sales success nor purpose built for sales recruitment and are even less reliable than ‘gut’ feel.

3.    Purpose Built: Use recruitment grade psychometric assessments that have been purpose built to measure specific qualities, abilities or attributes.  Quality assessment tools will present information and inform you of the following:

a.    Relevant: Make sure the assessment(s) is designed for use in selection for a ‘normal’ (rather than clinical) population, is calibrated to the appropriate level (e.g. management, supervisory, entry level) and has occupational context i.e. sales.
b.    Practical: Make sure the test/questionnaire is easy to administer, undertake and score.  Check what facilities and equipment are required to complete the assessment and how quickly reports can be generated.
c.    Technical quality: Technical information is typically presented in a test manual and hence, the absence of a test manual should raise some doubts.  In terms of technical properties, you need to consider: Reliability, Validity and Norm groups (these are common technical terms used in psychometrics).  All genuine assessments will provide this data. Wading through statistical information can be dry and confusing for some people.  If that includes you, seek the assistance of a Psychologist or other person familiar with the correct use of psychometrics.  If you decide to ignore technical evidence, because it all seems too hard, it could be at your peril.

4.    What to measure: You are unlikely to get all the information you need from one assessment.  There are a variety of assessments you can use in isolation or in combination and you need to select the ones that will determine what you need to measure for your role.  For example:
a.    Cognitive Abilities – verbal and numerical reasoning, conceptual reasoning, critical thinking, mechanical reasoning, etc.
b.    Personality – everyday preferences, personal and learning styles, self management, team orientation, ambition, etc.
c.    Motives & Values – what makes people happy at work, what drives them, what makes them unhappy.
d.    Coping & Derailing Behaviours – learned behaviours and attitudes that can adversely affect sales and leadership performance when under pressure or operating from a fear or frustration.

5.    Cost: cost will inevitably be a consideration.  In an ideal world you would test everyone with every relevant assessment, however that is not realistic for most businesses.  If you have simple screening tools which you use in conjunction with resume and telephone screening this can be useful as long as they are measuring the right things for your role and business.  However, these simple tools, while cheap, are not usually robust enough to give you the real detail you need to make informed decisions.  Most businesses reserve the more stringent psychometric assessment process until after they have developed a short list of candidates who have been through the initial screening parameters and a thorough Behavioural Interview.  By doing it this way you can manage your costs well.  A number of our clients use assessments as a mandatory part of their selection processes and incorporate this information across all the findings.  This saves them time and money in the long run.  So, balance the cost of including psychometric tools in your recruitment process against the cost of one or more poor selection decisions.  Which bill would you rather pay?

Getting it right when it comes to hiring your sales team is critical. A successful sales person will not only enable your organisation to ride out the economic uncertainty but will ensure you are ready to seize the opportunities that present during the recovery.  As your sales teams are the primary interface between your organisation and your clients, it’s only when you get that interface right that you will achieve true competitive advantage.  Using a robust psychometric assessment process as part of your selection strategy can really assist you.  Next week we will discuss the different types of sales assessments available to you, and show you how and when you should use them.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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