Welcome to the March 9, 2005 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

What's Inside:

1. For More Sales, Match The Salesperson To The Customer

Several years ago a client retained our services to guide the expansion of their local sales team of three into to a national sales force with 35 salespeople and half-dozen managers.

After just a few months Paul, one of the first hires, was missing all his monthly targets. Each salesperson had a $2.4 million annual sales goal or $200,000 monthly. Paul hadn't made a single sale. He however was "working on several big proposals."

The Vice-President of Sales began to question if Paul should be replaced. He wanted people who would "hit the ground running" and never look back. He also didn't care if they stayed with the company or not. He wanted results fast and believed a two-year tenure was the most you could expect from an A-Player.

Upon our recommendation, Paul completed several sales personality assessments. Compared to his fellow salespeople, Paul's selling style was very different. He was more laid back than any other salespeople on the force. He also was more team-oriented than 90 percent of his colleagues. These behaviors were interpreted by his managers as a "lack of competitive drive". That wasn't all. While the rest of the A-Players were more than happy to just "shoot from the hip" when meeting clients, Paul insisted on preparation - dotting all the "i"s and crossing all the "t"s. He never wanted to be caught off-guard.

What management failed to recognize was that Paul's customers were government agencies and healthcare organizations. These industries traditionally have long selling cycles with comprehensive, even cumbersome, proposal processes. Key decision makers aren't owners and entrepreneurs but employees in non-profit organizations. The price tags were big but the sales process required patience and exactness. Paul was perfect for the job.

Persuading the V.P. to be patient with Paul, especially if healthcare and government agencies were to be part of their client portfolio, required me to put my head on the block. Paul just didn't look like the typical salesperson and the V.P. was having a very tough time accepting him. But that was okay - Paul's clients weren't typical clients for this business either.

Month after month Paul closed no sales. His V.P. was becoming increasingly impatient. The year-end passed. He didn't bring in a single sale but insisted two of his ten proposals would be signed "any day now".

Paul was right. In the first quarter of his second year, Paul closed two deals worth $3.1 million. Within the next six months, he closed another $1.9 million in new business. Paul was the right guy for these clients, but only because management was willing to match the right salespeople to the right customer. That year Paul was the most successful salesperson in the company. Sure he had lots of zeros in his monthly columns but he did manage to reel in the big ones where it counted - the bottom line.

His success was good news….and bad. Paul was identified as an A-Player and another manager needed his help. Paul relocated to another division. The division was performing so poorly that they needed immediate results. Unfortunately, Paul failed miserably. Management wasn't willing to wait around for Paul to make a sale in twelve to eighteen months. The bottom line was bleeding red and Paul just wasn't a turnaround guy. Not only did Paul not make it in his new position, he left the company to work for a business whose niches are …you guessed it: Healthcare and Government. The company had the right player in the right seat on the bus, but decided to transfer him to another bus and change the seating chart. Not only did the company lose Paul but it lost all its business. Its doors closed in 2003. Paul on the other hand is still selling….and his clients are buying….sloooooowly.

Understanding the type of salespeople who can sell to your customers is a critical first step in hiring top performing salespeople. But like most good things, the "magic bullet" is a little more complicated than just understanding your customer.

How effectively salespeople will sell is affected by the following factors:

1. Personality
2. Interests
3. Cognitive abilities
4. Business Motivators
5. Behavioral Style

To determine which of these factors were most important for your business, complete a FREE job description worksheet  and we'll send you a FREE Sales Profile.

New e-book: Seven Surefire Steps To Hiring High Potential Employees.  FREE for a limited time - a $19 Value.

More about online personality tests

2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #366 to #370
http://www.perfectlaborstorm.com/facts.html

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm. Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

Fact #366: The East South Central region in the U.S. has the most content workers. Close to 59% of residents in these states claim they are satisfied with their jobs. (Source: The Conference Board, 2005)

Fact #367: 40% of workers feel disconnected from their employers. (Source: TNS, 2005)

Fact #368: Two out of every three workers do not identify with or feel motivated to drive their employer's business goals and objectives. (Source: TNS, 2005)

Fact #369:  25% of employees are just 'showing up to collect a paycheck.' (Source: TNS, 2005)

Fact #370: Less than one-third of all supervisors and managers are perceived to be strong leaders. (Source: TNS, 2005)

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - Only $7.95.

3.  Make the Right Career Move!   MAPP Career Assessments is the 1st Step

For adults in transition, make positive life changes now. Assessment testing is the first step to establish your strengths and career goals. The MAPP Assessment is critical in helping you develop career plans and to tailor your education and re-training to fit yourl learning style and career goals.

The MAPP Assessment is a personalized career tool that will help you identify your strengths. You can match your results to 900 job descriptions online and research jobs that may be of interest to you. MAPP will help you concentrate on building skills and finding work within an area you enjoy.

More about career tests and assessments.

4. New! FREE Interview Question Guide Membership

SELECTPro(R) - The Automated Online Interview. Screen candidates over the web. Candidates provide written responses to customized interview questions online --ideal for a pre-interview screening or first interview.

SELECTPro(R) is web-based program that helps interviewers design and organize behavior-based selection interview in minutes. It also allows the interviewer to easily create a custom Interview Guide: a document (or script) that the interviewer uses to conduct a behavioral job interview.

Take a Tour and Sign Up for a FREE Interview Question Guide Membership.

5.  DISC Sales Style Indicator

The DISC Sales Style Indicator reports on eight (8) key results areas relating to the business of selling. It describes how an individual attempts to achieve sales success.

These 8 key results areas are:

1. Control of the Sales Process

2. Competition

3. New Ideas and Change

4. Selling Style

5. Presentation

6. Close

7. Service

8. Response to Management

The report generated by this analysis is designed to help individuals and management achieve a better understanding of this person's behavioral style. It will provide helpful insight into the individual's behavioral strengths in sales and areas in need of possible improvement. The DISC report can also be used to develop strategies and methods to help individual's increase their personal flexibility in working with clients, managers, peers, and staff.

Order your DISC Sales Style Indicator Today and Save $30. (Regular Fee - $69; With This Coupon only $39) - Discount Taken at Checkout.

7. We've Moved!
Success Performance Solutions has a new home as of March 1. Our new address is 2137 Embassy Drive, Suite 218, Lancaster, PA. Our phone number is 717.291.4640 and new fax is 717.427.2020. Of course, our online home remains the same at www.super-solutions.com.

Syndication available - call us.