Looking for talent in all the right places: " ... how can management identify those who have potential to improve and work with them toward the accomplishment of that goal?".

• Author: Mache, Chuck
• Position: Business & Finance

IT USED TO BE that managing sale-speople looked like the juggler spinning plates in a circus. The plates that were spinning fast (the top producers) were left alone, and those that were wobbling (mediocre to poor producers) received constant attention. Those days are long gone. Competition is hitting on every company's best performers. That is why even top sales reps need continual inspiration, motivation, and support to reach new levels of performance. A steadily rising personal income is a key element in maintaining the loyalty of these dynamic individuals. They also require recognition and appreciation so they know they are in the right organization.

All that is fine for top performers, but what do other members of the sales team need, especially those who have talent but are not getting the job done consistently? They require assistance in breaking through to the next level and becoming more like top producers. Finally, what about the people who just flat out should not be in sales? How do companies deal with them? It never is easy, but they must be identified and quickly helped to find a different career path.

Every sales organization is made up of people who perform at various levels. The question then is: how can management identify those who have potential to improve and work with them toward the accomplishment of that goal? The answer lies in the ability to identify the four types of salespeople in an organization--yes, there only are four--and analyze their talent quotient. That step becomes the key to orchestrating higher performance and achievement for each individual and the entire organization.

People may debate the nature and extent of climate change on planet Earth, but no one can deny the global economic climate dramatically has changed in the past decade. Long-standing corporate formulas for success are falling by the wayside daily as today's companies experiment with innovative new strategies to get to the top and stay there. How have these economic changes affected sales organizations? For starters, a company's best sales reps are being wooed relentlessly by the competition, often successfully. The turmoil created by increased staff turnover is tremendously expensive (hiring and training costs), as well as stressful to managers and sales reps alike. This atmosphere of chronic unease, suspicion, and anxiety is counterproductive to the teamwork required in a nigh-performing sales department.

The situation is made worse by...