We hear from many business owners we work with about problems with sales hires that fail to fulfill the promise of great results made during the sales interview process. Why do great resumes and conversations with potential hires fail to produce the sales we expect?
The answer is complex and varied. It involves deficiencies in one or more measurable 21 sales specific core competencies which include; Will to Sell, Sales DNA, Tactical Selling Skills, and Sales Process. This month we will discuss Will to Sell.
The most important core competency is the Will to Sell. Unpacking this critical competency begins to explain the difference between a high performer and those that are struggling. There are 5 elements that support the Will to Sell:
- Desire: It is difficult to motivate sale people that lack or have lost the passion for sales. If someone lacks this passion, then the bar for success for the sales person will be lower than the business owner’s definition. Goal setting is an effective way of increasing desire
- Commitment: Full and unconditional commitment means morally and ethically doing whatever it takes to succeed. This is the most important element of the 21 core sales competencies. Many sales people have commitment, but it is conditional, e.g. I’ll do what is in my comfort zone, but not the hard stuff such as cold calling, asking tough questions, etc.
- Responsibility: This is about making excuses versus accepting responsibility for sales efforts that fail to close. Failure to take responsibility sounds like: “They did not have the budget, they priced their product lower than mine, or my company doesn’t have faster delivery schedules or the right people to implement my solution”. Taking Responsibility sounds like: “I did not ask enough questions about the customer needs, I did not dig deeper into the budget issue, I did not cover all of the bases”. It is important to note that real growth and change cannot occur until the individual stops making excuses.
- Outlook: When sales people have an outlook problem (low self-esteem, don’t believe in the product or service, having an attitude problem or a chip on their shoulder), it can have a negative impact on bravery and sales effectiveness, just in the moment when they need to be strong in the sales cycle.
- Motivation: This is the what and why of desire. Is a sales person motivated Extrinsically (motivated by money and things), Intrinsically (motivated by pride, passion for the company they work for, etc.), or Altruistically (motivated by the desire to help other people/organizations)?
So how do you go about figuring this out? We use a third party independent assessment tool developed by OMG to determine how and if a sales individual will actually deliver on promises made during an interview with a 92% degree of accuracy. Regardless, of whether you opt to leverage this tool or not, it would be wise for a business owner to consider the Will to Sell competency when considering prospective sales hires. If you would like to discuss this critical competency in further detail do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]
