WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL SALES PROFILE?

The Professional Sales Profile is a report that consists of 1-4 sections depending on what you want to know about your sales applicants and existing sales people.

1. Workplace Attitude & Values
If you are concerned about hiring only honest, loyal, hard-working employees, who show up for work on time, won’t steal from you, use drugs or be rude to your customers, then our workplace attitude pre-screen survey is an accurate and inexpensive solution. This part of the report describes a person’s workplace attitudes and values that drive their workplace behavior including; dependability, work ethic, employee theft, drugs, safety, customer service, supervision, long-term employment and reliability.
Brochure   –  Sample report  –  Debrief   –  Testimonial  –  Slide Presentation

2. Sales Behaviors/Selling “Style”
This part of the report identifies a sales rep’s natural selling style (“how” they sell), and what type of sales is the best match for their natural selling style. i.e. short sales cycle like commercial territory sales, or longer sales cycle, relationship building sales like major account sales, managed services, highly technical, complicated sales processes, etc.
Brochure –  Sample versions ( Interviewing Insights – Coaching & Development  – Behaviors/Motivators Combination)

3. Motivators
Much of the research conducted in the past on top salespeople has been focused on behavior. Behavioral research has been popular because, like looking good and sounding good, behavior can be observed. Little, if any significant study has been focused on what goes on inside a top salesperson. Our groundbreaking research in the United States and Europe now confirms that attitudes far outweigh looking good, sounding good or behavior in distinguishing top salespeople. This part of the report identifies the sales person’s motivators and compares them with top performing salespeople around the world are similar and if they have the same motivators that 70% of these top performing salespeople have in common.
Sample versions  (Motivators – Motivators/Behaviors Combination)

Behaviors and Motivators that 72% of Successful Salespeople in Common
Behaviors and Motivators that 74% of Successful Office Technology Salespeople Have in Common
Office Systems Sales Rep Benchmark

4. Sales Knowledge & Skills:  Tells you WHAT they know about selling and the sales process compared to other successful sales people. Sales Skills Index Measures 7 Steps in the Sales Process including; Prospecting, First Impressions, Qualifyingƫ Demonstration, Influence and Close.NOTE: Each situation was developed and validated by sales professionals to reflect real sales strategies used by today’s sales force. What sales training they need? How much management  and supervision will they need? Do they have the sales knowledge and skills to be successful in the sales position you plan to hire them for?  Brochure  – Report contents  – Sample Report  – Questionnaire   –  Understanding the Report

Professional Sales Profile Version – Content Comparison Chart


WAYS TO USE THE PROFESSIONAL SALES PROFILE

Selection
The #1 cause of sales rep turnover is poor selection
Hiring the wrong person can be a miserable and costly experience for the new employee, as well as for you and your other employees and customers. Most people are hired for their knowledge, skills, the interviewer’s “gut-feelings” and how badly they need to hire someone. However, most people are fired for their unacceptable attitude and behavior, neither of which can be determined completely and accurately from resumes’, background checks, references or interviews.

Training and Development
Companies waste a lot of time and money training the WRONG people!
According to an employee turnover study by two major universities, companies spend 5 times more on training than they do on selection; while 76% of turnover is due to poor selection and only 24% is due to poor training.

Behavioral Selling Skills: Behavioral science has proven that people buy for different reasons. Traditional sales training typically includes product knowledge (what we sell), and some selling skills (how we sell). Both are important, but rarely, if ever, are sales people trained in sales psychology (how & why buyers buy).

A sales rep that understands their natural selling style and the different buying styles, and incorporates that knowledge and skill  into their sales strategy will have a significant competitive advantage. Our Professional Sales Profile includes a sales psychology section to educate reps on the four different buyer’s styles and how to adapt their selling styles to sell more effectively to all buyers.

Most sales professionals who experience a sales slump,have merely lost sight of the behavior it takes to be successful. With the proper unbiased, objective diagnosis in the Professional Sales Profile, a “sales slump” can be turned into sales success.

Retention
The lifetime value of a major account can be huge, but it pales in comparison to the lifetime value of a top producer. Making a poor hiring decision with a new rep who leaves after a few months is expensive and disappointing, but losing a top sales performer who has been with you for a long time can be astronomical. The same Professional Sales Profile file used to hire new sales people can be even more valuable in managing, motivating and retaining your top sales producers.

Sales Management
A good sales manager can be worth their weight in gold; but a poor one can do more harm than good. Top sales producers are often promoted to a sales management position, but success in sales doesn’t always guarantee success in sales management, resulting in a double loss when we give up a top producer for a mediocre sales manager.

Many new sales managers are given very little training and coaching on the differences and transition from direct sales (playing) to sales management (coaching) and working effectively work with and through a sales team vs. direct sales. One mistake often made by sales managers is to “assume” that all the salespeople on their sales team sell the same way and are motivated by the same things.

As important as the Professional Sales Profile is for hiring and developing sales people, it is far more important for sales managers. to help them assess their own leadership style and motivation to help them better understand themselves and their sales team, minimize conflicts, maximize everyone’s productivity and reduce turnover.

Team Building
Talent Assessment – The best thing a sales manager can do for their sales team is to find out what makes them tick and keep them wound up. The best way to find out is with a Professional Sales Profile and a Team Behaviors and Team Motivators Report
Sample Team Sales Behaviors Graph – Sample Sales Team Behaviors Wheel
Sample Office Technology Dealer Organization Team Behaviors Wheel (sales, service and management)

Job Bench-Marking
Wouldn’t it be great if you could clone your best sales people? That’s not possible, at least not yet, but our Sales Job Benchmark can quickly determine the behaviors, values, personal skills and attitude required for superior sales performance, and create a best practice standard for hiring and developing future sales super stars.

Using job bench-marking in the selection and development of your employees will reduce “gut-feeling” hiring decisions made under pressure, improve your new hires’ chances of success and reduce costly turnover. The right talent in the right job equals top performance and employee satisfaction, which is exactly what every company wants. n

Our job bench-marking process is a unique and effective solution because it benchmarks a specific job, not the people in the job. Job Bench-marking Article

Call 800.875.7599 today for a FREE, no risk, no obligation Professional Sales Profile to evaluate!