Identifying Essential Sales Skills for Sales Recruiting

I have written many times about Sisu as a trait of top sales talent. It is a good example of an attribute that you will not find on any psychometric or personality sales assessment. Yet through 25 years of sales recruiting it is a competency I have identified in all my top sales talent. It is also a good example why successful sales recruiters require customized metrics to identify these harder to quantify traits. Sales Recruiting; Sales Assessment

In the recently released sales recruiting ebook Measuring Sales DNA, I identify Sisu as one of the key traits of winning Sales DNA. Sisu is a Finnish word that describes one’s ability to remain dedicated and committed to goals even in the face of adversity. It’s what makes us embrace a challenge rather than cower away from it. It is perseverance and optimism.

As I write this blog, Danish Team Saxo Bank has cycled into first place in the Tour de France in the latest round . A while back, we were talking about Lance Armstrong’s motivation. This week it is Team Saxo Bank’s Sisu. Why is the Danish team’s win Sisu and not just another team that has trained hard to take a stage of the famous cycling race? Team Saxo Bank is not in the top standings but, notably, it has taken some of the toughest stages, including the treacherous stage 17, a clear sign of singular perseverance.

Why do salespeople need Sisu? Salespeople live in a world where the word “no” is one of the most common words they hear every day. Theirs is a world of gatekeepers, objections, waffling, and worse. A salesperson with the wrong set of attitudes will quickly retreat from a difficult sale — a no-win tactic. A much higher percentage of sales close after three or more sales approaches. The sales person who perseveres wins. How do you measure and model perseverance?

The Sales Lesson: Successful sales recruiters need to identify sales skills when recruiting sales people, even if these are non-standard.

The Sales Question: A a sales recruiter, do you know what to look for when identifying sales skills?

July 28, 2010 | Filed Under Sales Assessment, Sales Recruiting, Sales Training | Leave a Comment

Does your sales training develop the sales motivation to thrive on adversity?

Sales training should develop the sales motivation to take on challenges

Build adversity management into your sales management process

I’m hooked on Wii Fitness Plus and the balance games. As an entrepreneur, I’m particularly competitive as I attempt to navigate the pool balls, despite numerous obstacles, to their sink hole targets. The result? In addition to improving my balance, I’m also exercising my creativity.

So, how does Wii Fitness Plus relate to our challenging leadership and sales management environments?

As business leaders and sales managers, we are navigating new obstacles every day. As we reach an obstacle our fight-or-flight response kicks in. It is tempting to avoid the challenge and place our energy in another market or product area, one in which results are easier to achieve. According to Brain Creativity, if we stay and fight and think up innovative ways to overcome the obstacles we will become more creative. This, in turn, will sharpen our business skills and make us more effective sales people.

Sales Leadership Motivation Sales leadership today is full of opportunities to choose fight over flight. A sales culture in which the sales team does not take responsibility will lead to a lower sales ROI. A culture of accountability, in contrast, will lead to a high ROI. With the right sales discipline, sales vision and sales direction, your sales team will choose to stay and fight and overcome obstacles. It is this commitment to overcome adversity that leads to high sales performance.

The Sales Lesson: Capitalize on the energy of adversity. When used as sales motivation, big problems are the stepping stones to bigger successes.

The Sales Question: What is your organizational attitude toward adversity in your sales performance? Do you hide from it as long as you can?

July 24, 2010 | Filed Under Change Management, Sales Training | Leave a Comment

Sales Management Coaching: Part 1

Coaching Keys for Sales Managers: 1 – 7

I’m in the process of actively coaching a sales manager as part of our Turnaround Sales Management Program. These are some “mantras” that I’ve learned from some of trusted colleagues (Jill Konrath, Dave Kurlan, John Condry, Terry Slattery, Steve Montague and Hunter Byington) throughout the past couple of years that I’m sharing with him…..and thought I’d share with you.

Don’t educate a prospect, educate a client.
When you are talking, you aren’t selling. Selling happens when you’re asking- a critical sales skill to master.
When your prospect goes negative, so do you.
Every time a prospect asks you to do anything that involves an expenditure of your time or resources, make certain you know before you do it EXACTLY what happens afterwards and that you like it.
Take no vague words – practice your sales techniques.
If you’re not last, you lose.
You can’t lose what you don’t have.