All sales managers would be happy to know the secret to how to improve sales team performance. The good news is, there is no secret; just a method.
One of the hardest things to identify for most sales organisations is how the skills and competences of top performers differ from the rest of the team, and in turn, which of these have the greatest impact on sales performance. In this article, we discuss how to profile and assess the capabilities of your team to develop a picture of behaviours and skills that equal high performance.
How can you identify the difference?
In our experience, this question can only be answered confidently through the use of a formal capability assessment and subsequent statistical analysis of the relationship between each of the skills assessed and the performance within your team.
However, it is possible to ask a slightly different and much easier question and use the answer to help you to effectively review, refine and optimise the training and development that you offer your sales team:
“What are the most common strengths of the top 20% and the most common development needs of the bottom 20% of B2B sales teams?”
With the answer to this question, you can review your current training focus and offering and identify opportunities to shift the focus to where it will have the greatest impact on performance.
What are the competences to assess?
At Enable SE, we have assessed more than 700 B2B sales professionals against the 52 distinct competences of a world-class sales professional and analysed the results using regression analysis to understand which of the competences have the greatest impact on performance. The 52 competences that we test in our comprehensive capability assessment cover all aspects of the sales role and are grouped in to six clusters:
- Prospecting & Lead Generation Skills
- Engagement & Acquisition Skills
- On-Going Relationship Management & Development Skills
- Interpersonal Sales Skills
- Technical Sales Skills
- Personal Traits & Qualities
In our assessments and analysis, we have found distinct patterns and differences in the skills profile of the top 20% and the bottom 20% in any B2B sales team.
The Most Common Differences Between The Top & Bottom 20%
In complex B2B sales the top performing 20% typically sell 3-6 times more than the bottom 20% of the team. Whilst there are a number of factors that drive this, skillset is one of the top four drivers. So how does the skills profile of a top performer differ from a bottom or core performer, and which of the skills differences are having the greatest impact on actual sales performance?
In the table below we have listed the 10 sales skills where we consistently find a difference between the best and the rest. All of these competences also have a statistically significant impact on performance.
In other words, the higher the individual’s skill level, the higher the individual’s performance.
In our experience, whilst results may vary between different teams and industries, these same competences consistently show up in the top 10.
If you are seeking to increase the performance of your sales team, we would suggest your training, development and coaching needs to include any of these competences where your team members are not yet fully competent and confident.
How can I assess my team?
Our unique capability assessment tool assesses the competences of a sales professional and leader through individual responses, manager assessments and internal and external benchmarking to give you a holistic view of your sales team and where their strengths and development opportunities lie. Using these results, we can develop focused learning pathways to allow your team to increase their skills in the areas with the most impact, giving you material returns and the best possible ROI.
How we can help
Get in touch with us to conduct a capability assessment of your team, or begin by taking our express version which addresses 15 of the most common capabilities of a sales individual.
