Wednesday 16 September 2009

Top Sales Producers - Inside out!

by Ken Buist

Recruiting sales professionals with the appropriate raw material to rapidly and consistently become top producers for your company is even more essential within the current economic climate. Our research study suggests it is now possible to predict more accurately who these top producers are likely to be.

Up until now the main research carried out on potential top producers has tended to focus on behaviour. It was important that sales professionals performed to a high standard at interview. They had to look and sound good as well as be able to communicate with influence, all observable behaviour.

For predicting behaviour, there is the individual’s CV (past behaviour being a predictor of future behaviour) as well as a temperament analysis (temperament being the biggest single influencer of behaviour).

How Would You Define Top Producers?

Over the years clients have asked us to define potential top producers based on temperament analysis. We have always resisted coming up with an ‘ideal’ because our experience is that top producers come in a variety of ‘shapes’ with regard to temperament.

What happens on the inside?

The purpose of this new study was to find out:
a) Is there a particular temperament ‘shape’ associated with top producers?
b) What influence do values (hidden motivators) have on the performance of top producers?

The results indicate that what drives top producers on the inside is consistent, whilst the behaviours displayed on the outside are variable and useful but are probably less crucial when it comes to identifying top producers.

Study Details

Top producers from the sales forces of 39 companies were given a dual assessment to measure Temperament (behaviour – the HOW) & Values (motivators – the WHY). The temperament dimension was based on the highly internationally validated DISC model. The results below show that the top producers were spread across at least 5 major and 3 minor ‘shapes’ of behaviour.
Values were measured and based on the Workplace Motivators model which looks at 6 values. The results shown below were conclusive; 72% of top producers had ‘Utilitarian’ as their number one value and in every case were considerably above the average.
Conclusions

Top sales producers are spread across a variety of behavioural dimensions. However when it comes to what drives these behaviours, a Utilitarian value can be found in almost ¾ of top sales producers, confirming that the drivers which are on the inside is at least as important as looking good and sounding good.

Would you like to try out one of the assessments? We are allowing (for a limited period only), Complete Trainer contacts to access this superb tool for free: www.thetrustedadviser.com/new-assessment-ct

We love the tools that Ken at The Trusted Advisor has shown us - we think you will too.

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