Could Smartly Investing in the Individual Development of Your Sales People Be Good for Your Company?

Posted by Edyta Pacuk & filed under Organizational Psychology.


Below is a case study, not hypothetical, but an example.

An organization we worked with recently is continuously experiencing growth. They are quite stunned, and not really able to pinpoint exactly what the “magic” that their sales reps bring to the table is.  They see the numbers but are not able to repeat the success on a consistent level. They are worried the success cannot be sustained.

 Sound familiar?

Upon further investigation we discovered several critical factors/needs:

1. The organization was building their success upon a foundation made of quick sand. Their selection process was intuitive and subjective. They identified a need for a more systematic approach to hiring new Sales Reps, capitalizing on the specific sales competencies and best practices correlated with successful selling in their business environment.

2. Wanting to be an engaging employer, they desired to enable the current Sales Force to be as effective as possible, thus exploring ways on how to provide laser sharp focus on their development.

3. To define that focus, they wanted to understand what distinguishes the more successful Sales Reps from the ones that struggle, or whose performance is less consistent. They were curious and wanted to know what elements/factors were holding people back from fully reaching their potential.

4. They wanted to create a set of predictors of success in their organization – and connect them to the selection and performance management processes.

The desired outcome of the initiative was to:

  • – Identify the key behaviors correlated with sales success
  • -Capitalize on the current best practices of Sales Reps
  • – Incorporate the existing sales competencies identified by the parent organization into a rigorous selection system
  • – Provide tools and processes to implement the new system and improve the selection process division wide
  • – Be taught, leveraged and assimilated easily into the organization and its culture

The initiative which involved gathering organizational intelligence and comparing this data with high versus low performance was quick.  The full participation of all internal stakeholders helped tremendously in detecting nuances and creating a refined recommendation regarding the principles and competencies – sustainable success factors for the future.

The ultimate outcome was a selection system that resulted in more successful hiring of the right people.

Now that the system is in place, the organization is more successful in:

1. Retention of top sales people

2. Development of the entire sales force

3. Recognizing the performance that is outstanding not only from the numbers Perspective, from the organizational culture and strategic direction view point

4. Selecting Sales Reps who are aligned and clearly guided towards success

And….the parent company wants to learn from them… to become role models, a best practice for the entire company. Success!

It is fun to watch an initiative, well thought out, flawlessly executed both externally (MarchFifteen) and internally (all stakeholders internally were fabulously committed and engaged). A testimony to a great partnership.

Talk to us if this story is relevant and you want to learn more!

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