Sales Assessment

Why is it that some salespeople work hard, struggle for every victory, while others seem to consistently, and almost effortlessly uncover new opportunities, quickly develop them, and close sales? Why is it that two salespeople selling the same product in the same marketplace can have such different results? One just barely hangs on while the other consistently hits quota, earns the bonuses, and goes home night after night with peace of mind.

What separates the truly successful salespeople from those who work hard, never seem to hit their stride, and never enjoy the true successes of the selling profession? Are they more highly educated? Do they have more experience? Were they born with a special gift—the right personality, perhaps—that enables them to succeed in the sales arena? Do they have influential contacts in the right places?

For a small number of salespeople, one or more of these reasons may have played some part in their success. Most, however, were not born, raised, and educated to become salespeople. Nor, did they find themselves in the right place at the right time surrounded by the right people.

So, what allowed them to rise to the top echelon of their profession?

Success leaves clues. In over twenty years of managing and training salespeople, and of observing the successful and the not so successful, several characteristics have been identified which explain why some salespeople reach the pinnacle of success, others get close, and some quit along the way. These elements—attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and skills—are not, for the most part, innate traits. They were developed over time.

The SalesEvaluation.Com Diagnostic Self-Assessment, an online evaluation system designed to evaluate the Sales Attitude and Outlook, Behavioral Characteristics and Selling Skills of a company's sales staff, helps the sales manager to identify those characteristics. Developed in conjunction with the renowned Sandler Sales Institute, a business partner of PTG, the evaluation draws upon the online assessment expertise of PTG and the unique Sandler approach to training sales professionals. It is used by Sandler franchisees in assessing the need for and designing the content of a tailored Sandler Sales Institute training program.

If a person is new to sales, measuring the number of the specific characteristics they possess can be helpful in predicting their initial success. For experienced salespeople, identifying the characteristics they possess and exhibit, and those they don't, will pinpoint strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. In both cases, this information can serve to set the focus for additional training and/or a performance improvement program.