| Here are seven additional factors to consider as you | | | | 13. Training |
| define the parameters that produce success in your | | | | What kinds of training does your company provide to |
| company's sales job. If you are a salesperson, you can | | | | salespeople? How much training does your company |
| also benefit from considering these questions, as they | | | | provide? |
| can help you identify target prospects and further | | | | Companies that provide a lot of training may have the |
| refine your sales approach. | | | | luxury of being able to hire inexperienced sales |
| 9. Administration | | | | candidates and "train them up from scratch". This is |
| Which sales job functions require attention to detail? | | | | extremely valuable in markets where highly qualified |
| (Examples include making accurate forecasts, | | | | sales candidates are scarce and/or prohibitively |
| providing timely updates to the corporate CRM | | | | expensive. However, if your company is going to |
| system, analyzing customer records to determine | | | | employ this approach, you should seek candidates with |
| sales strategies, and ensuring regulatory compliance.) | | | | strong Learning Rates. |
| Some companies have support personnel that | | | | 14. Sales Manager's Style |
| perform administrative tasks on their salespeople's | | | | What are your sales managers' styles? Do they lean |
| behalf. Other companies expect their salespeople to | | | | in the direction of being Field Generals (who prefer |
| deal with a certain amount of administration. If a | | | | selling to coaching) or Administrators (who excel at |
| tolerance for process, detail and administration is | | | | mentoring and administrative duties)? |
| necessary for success in your company's sales job, | | | | The desired levels of the attributes Sales Drive, |
| some amount of Tolerance for Administration is | | | | Service Drive, Assertiveness, Competitiveness, |
| desirable in your salespeople. | | | | Independence and Tolerance for Administration will |
| 10. Communication | | | | differ based upon each sales manager's style. |
| How important are verbal and written communication | | | | 15. Career Path |
| skills to sales success in your company? Are your | | | | What is the career path for your sales position? |
| salespeople required to make presentations? Are they | | | | - From small ticket item sales to big ticket item sales? |
| required to compose letters or proposals? | | | | - From sales to management? |
| Sales roles that rely heavily on high quality verbal and | | | | If your sales team is a source of candidates for other |
| written communications require salespeople that have | | | | positions in your company, you may want to consider |
| healthy doses of the attributes Communication Skills | | | | whether your salespeople and sales candidates have |
| and Reasoning Ability. | | | | the attributes required to be successful in those other |
| 11. Pre-Sales Support | | | | positions. Why? Because the attributes required to |
| What support resources are available to help your | | | | succeed in those other positions may not be the same |
| salespeople manage specific steps of the sales cycle? | | | | as the attributes required for sales success! |
| How effective must your salespeople be when | | | | Consider this example: Most small ticket item sales |
| managing these resources? | | | | cycles are shorter than big ticket item sales cycles. |
| The availability of support resources has a significant | | | | Per Question #7, the desired amount of Sales Drive |
| impact on the attributes required for sales success. If | | | | differs based upon the frequency of opportunities for |
| your salespeople have access to quality internal | | | | presentation and persuasion. A successful salesperson |
| (employed by your company) or external (employed | | | | in small ticket item sales is likely to have a strong Sales |
| by suppliers or partners) technical resources, they don't | | | | Drive. Will they become frustrated by the reduction in |
| need to invest a lot of time learning technical details. | | | | opportunities to present and persuade that could result |
| This frees them to focus more time and energy on | | | | from a "promotion" to big ticket item sales? |
| prospecting and opportunity qualification. By the same | | | | Similarly, the attributes required to be an effective |
| token, if your company employs technical writers who | | | | manager are often quite different from the attributes |
| can assist salespeople with large proposals and bid | | | | required to be an effective salesperson. Success in |
| responses, there may be less need for your | | | | management can require more attention to detail and |
| salespeople to have strong Communication Skills. | | | | the willingness to delegate and mentor. These |
| 12. Post-Sales Support | | | | requirements impact the target ranges for the |
| Are your salespeople expected to provide technical or | | | | attributes of Sales Drive, Service Drive, Assertiveness, |
| operational support to customers, or do other | | | | Competitiveness, Independence and Tolerance for |
| personnel provide this support? | | | | Administration. |
| If your salespeople are required to deliver post-sales | | | | If you keep the fifteen questions discussed in this |
| support, it would be desirable for them to have a lower | | | | two-part article in mind, you will be able to more |
| Sales Drive, be less Competitive, and have a higher | | | | accurately define the parameters that will lead to |
| Service Drive. | | | | success in YOUR company's sales job(s). |