Welcome to the March 16, 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. What differences make a difference in sizing up sales talent?

It starts with recognizing that different is neither good nor bad. This neutral descriptive term reminds us that people have different strengths, abilities and motivations.

The sales personality is like a puzzle. It has five significant components. Each component represents a different piece. The way these pieces fit together affects how well a person can and will sell your product or solution. Here are the personality pieces: core personality, behavioral style, business motivators, interests, and cognitive ability.

Top-performing salespeople have one thing in common: they are achievers. With the right fit, they meet sales goals in spite of, or maybe because of, their different behavioral styles, personality types, motivations and abilities. The trick is to find sales staff that fits your business, your clients and your company culture. It's like putting together another puzzle.

So what does this puzzle look like? That's what every sales manager I know is asking. Managers desperate to locate and hire "million dollar" sales staff want a quick, definitive test. Sadly, they often believe the hype that one easily administered questionnaire can work wonders, predicting with close to absolute accuracy the success or failure of an applicant for a sales position. It should be only that easy.

Does that last paragraph sound crazy coming from a guy who sells personality testing for a living? If it does, let me explain. Yes, a validated and predictive personality test represents the best tool any manager can use to assess an applicant's fit for a specific job.

But I need to go back to the puzzle to explain more. Every business is different, including the regions and sales territories in which a business operates. Who can argue that selling to customers in New York City is different than selling the very same product in Manhattan, Kansas. The "right" sales person for one type of client might fail miserably with another client.

That's why "one-size-fits-all" personality tests have inherent limitations. The right hiring decisions must be based on a clear picture of your company and customers and understanding how to fit together the various puzzle pieces. A good job fit requires a person with the traits and motivation to sell but - and this is important - there must be a clean fit with the key stages in your sales process.

How do you assess an individual's ability to fit into your company? Let's walk you through just one sampling of the questions that I ask my clients before designing a testing solution or setting up interview questions for them.

Getting the lead

First, and most important, I ask how the salesperson is expected to acquire new business. In other words, are you hiring new salespeople to catch the overflow of new business from an already busy sales force or a successful marketing campaign? Or, are you hiring them to increase market share at the expense of the competition? Maybe it's a combination. The "right" sales personality will depend on the situation and your expectations.

The sales rep who is successful with cold-calling and lead generation may have very different skills from the sales rep who excels and sustaining client relationships. The former views prospects as people they simply haven't met yet and welcomes the opportunity to make a connection. The relationship builder, on the other hand, may not be comfortable "talking to strangers."

Here's how it plays out. The cold caller thrills to the chase but may lose interest after he gets the sale. Relationship builders take the nurturing, and more time consuming, approach to gaining new business. It's not that one style more effective. They both can be as long it meshes with your client's buying style. Remember the puzzle? An ill-fitting piece simply won't work.

Here's another question. Do you expect sales staff to network? Not everyone is comfortable networking, nor are all sales reps skillful with this particular art.

People connect with other people differently. Just watch people walk into the room. Outgoing and assertive personalities make entrances, engaging everyone within earshot, almost announcing their arrival. Their collective mission is to meet as many people as possible. Contrast that behavior with reserved, introverted people. They scan the room looking for familiar faces and are relieved when someone makes eye contact.

Personality plays a huge role in determining when people will network and the degree of success. If your business culture assumes salespeople will attend large events and expos to generate leads, hire people who are outgoing and group-oriented. They love that stuff. Hire a more reserved individual and you may be disappointed by that person's performance in the large group settings but thrilled with how they make everyone comfortable in small groups and one-on-one presentations.

Questions you might ask before determining who will meet your expectations the best are:

• Does your company provide sales leads or are sales reps responsible for prospecting?

• How competitive is your market?

• Will this salesperson be building new relationships or attempting to grab market share from your competitors?

• Does your sales process require face-to-face meetings?

• Can your product or service be sold by phone or electronically through email or a website? (Extroverts prefer direct personal contact, introverts prefer voice mail and email.)

What other stages of your selling process determine the "right" personalities for your sales force? The length of your selling style, networking, product knowledge, presentation development, and proposal writing to name a few. To determine the right sales personality profile for your business, complete our Job Description Profile Worksheet.

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 #371 to #375
http://www.perfectlaborstorm.com/facts.html

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Fact #371:    Declines in death rates from major causes such as heart disease and cancer have pushed Americans' life expectancy to a record 77.6 years. Women now have a life expectancy of 80.1 years and men have a life expectancy of 74.8 years. ( Source: National Center of Health Statistics)

Fact #372:   One in 7 Americans suffer from some sort of arthritic pain. It is estimated that over 40% of North Americans suffer from severe disabling of the joints or muscle pain that severely affects their quality of life. Currently in North America, over $3.9 billion is spent on over the counter and prescription medication for arthritis, joint and muscle related pain. (Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Fact #373:  Within the next 10 years, the number of physicians retiring will outstrip the 25,000 new doctors graduating each year. (Source: Health Policy Institute at Medical College of Wisconsin)

Fact #374:  The U.S. needs to train 3,000 to 10,000 more physicians a year - up from the current 25,000 - to meet the growing medical needs of an aging, wealthy nation. It is estimated the U.S. will have a shortage of 85,000 to 2000,000 doctors in 2020. (Source: Council on Graduate Medical Education)

Fact #375:   Another major change is that nearly half of new physicians are women. Studies show they work an average of 25% fewer hours than male counterparts. The aging physicians also work 15 percent less than younger doctors. (Source: Health Policy Institute at Medical College of Wisconsin)

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.  Aging and Success - What Goes Around Comes Around

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . having friends.
At age 16 success is . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . having money.
At age 50 success is . having money.
At age 70 success is . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . having friends.
At age 80 success is . not peeing in your pants.

4. Manager's Guide to Interviewing and Hiring Top Performers

Today's tight labor market is forcing organizations to maximize the time they spend attracting and keeping top performers. Organizations that can attract, inspire, and retain top performers are in the position to beat out their competition. This is true both in market share and being able to draw outstanding employees.

This book is for individuals with training responsibilities who are looking for tools to help their managers, supervisors, and/or team leaders interview, hire, and retain top performers. If you or someone in your hiring system has limited experience in interviewing and hiring, this book will help you and your organization to be more proficient in hiring practices.

Includes over a dozen job aid templates for recruiting, hiring, and retaining top performers.

Go to Manager's Guide to Interviewing and Hiring Top Performers

Free Shipping on Orders of 10 or more. Contact us.

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.