 The one who can sell "ice to Eskimos" or "hot tea in hell." We are all looking for that hit-the-ground-running, low-maintenance, high-production sales superstar to add to our team. To assist us in our quest, the Gallup Organization, with authors Smith & Rutigliano, published the groundbreaking book Discover Your Sales Strengths (Warner Books, 2003), which is based on the data from 250,000 sales calls and over 80,000 sales manager interviews. Based on 40 years of data, this book crushes the popular belief of what makes a top producer and outlines the real elements employers should be looking for in salespeople. They call these ideal qualities The Five Dimensions of Fit.
The Five Dimensions of Fit:
Gallup research shows that sales success stems from patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that explain the following:
- Motivation (drive)- Statistics show that reps who get their motivational needs met in their current role account for 40% of what makes that rep successful-roughly twice as much as any other factor. Motivated salespeople sell more across the board. Note: being motivated by MONEY is not necessarily a factor. Motivated is motivated! Think about achievement, praise, connection, control.... what are the dominant themes of the people on your team? Think of your top producers-what truly motivates them?
- The way they build relationships- A rep's approach to building relationships and how this fits with your company, product and brand are critical to success.
- The way they gain commitments- Relationships alone are meaningless unless the rep has a natural ability to wrap things up, to ask for the sale, to close.
- The structure they need to get their work done- Does the rep require complete silence? A frenzied environment? Total independence? A team? How does this fit with the atmosphere/realities at your company?
- Their ability to understand and solve customer needs- While top reps each have their own way of approaching and meeting customer needs, the existence of this element is critical to sales success.
The bottom line: Gallup research reveals that a full 35% of all reps, across industries, simply do not have the talent to be in sales. How does your team measure up? Management Momentum
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