sales management case studies
Sales people come in all shapes sizes and personalities. Though which ones are the best. A tour around any office, will demonstrate to you the rich variety of personalities that exist in the world.
Assertive, aggressive, loud, shy, quiet, and considered to name just a few
Though which ones make the best sales people.
Over the last ten years there has been extensive research into the main dimensions that explain to some extent the five key factors on human personality
These are:
Agreeableness:
Are you low (disagreeable, antagonistic) or high (trusting, co-operative)?
Emotional Stability:
Are you unstable (insecure, anxious) or stable (Self-confident)?
Extraversion:
Are you an introvert (timid, shy) or an extravert (Sociable)?
Openness to experience:
Are you closed (Seek familiarity, old fashioned) or open to new experiences (creative, curious)
Conscientiousness:
Low (dis-organised, unreliable) or highly conscientious (responsible, organised)
Extensive research and studies have been carried out to confirm if any of these traits have any relation to job performance. Probably like you I was sceptical and thought that sales people would be different. Not so. I know I always thought sales people where different to.
Interestingly only conscientiousness was related to how well someone performs in a job. Let’s think about this a little more when it comes to sales people. I guess it’s obvious really.
Key attributes of people that score high on conscientiousness tend to have the flowing traits (in no particular order)
Reliable
Do they do what they say they are going to do. Do they turn up on time.
Organised
Is everything organised.Had a look inside their brief case recently. What about their weekly plan.
Persistent
Do they give up easily. Do they keep going with colleagues and team mates to get the job done no matter how late it is.
Thorough
Is the plan thorough. What kind of detail. Do they really think through what they need to do.
Achievement orientated
How important is it to do well. Do they like a pat on the back. Are they keen to see the latest sales data.
Able to plan
Can they plan their time. Do they think long and short term.
Now remember the great sales people you know who consistently perform well. I would suspect they have a number of these facets to their personality?
If you look even closer to home (that’s you) you probably recognise lots of these in your self as well.
What about Extraversion in sales? Well yes it does have some impact and degree of benefit as well. Though not as much as you think.
So the next time you are interviewing someone or checking out their CV or resume. Start to think about the questions to ask and the things to look out for.
From the start what was their application like. Was the resume or CV well thought out. Are their papers organised. Do they have a file with all their achievements listed. Do they have any evidence. Are things neat and tidy.
Think about some great questions to ask that will demonstrate how organised they are.
I know these might seem low level things.
Yet when I think back to the hundreds of people I have interviewed over the years, the star sales performers always stand out as being organised.
If you think about some of the ideas above and have a go. It could be one of the best things you ever do. That will potentially make you thousands later, in increased sales.
Recruiting good sales people is one of the top 2 roles of successful sales managers. To learn more about what great sales managers need to do to be successful check out the free e course at http://www.NewManagerSecrets.com
Denise Oyston is an industry thought leader for sales managers. Check out her blog at http://www.ManagingSalesPeople.com With over 25 years experience in recruiting and developing high performing sales teams she has three national awards to her credit.
Denise is passionate about helping sales managers succeed in the new business economy.
Avery Dennison RFID Case Study – American Apparel
