The challenge for sales…

Salespeople turnover averages around 34.7% per year in the United States. A modest amount of turnover can be healthy — every company has poor performers that need to be removed. However, turnover rates nearing 35% can be expensive, requiring the costs of acquiring a replacement, onboarding a new person, lost sales productivity, customer service dissatisfaction and errors, as well as lost engagement.

The average cost-per-hire is $4,129, while the average time it takes to fill a given position is 42 days, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Talent Optimization allows sales leaders to intentionally, consistently, and strategically design the sales force and teams they need that drive sales results for your company’s products and services. It is a four-part discipline that details what’s required for aligning your business strategy (or in this case, sales strategy) and your talent strategy. Using the Predictive Index program and talent optimization platform can give your leaders the insights they need into the drives and motivations of sales professionals.

Talent Optimization in designing your company’s sales force:

Based on people-data collected using the PI platform, we can begin to understand what drives sales professionals to behave the way they do and also design incentives and rewards around those behaviors and motivating needs. Below are a few examples of what your sales leaders might observe after defining your sales roles and hiring salespeople that align with your requirements.

High-Dominance (Factor A) Sales Force Design: Cold calling, value added selling, proactive sales ‘hunter,’ strong prospector.

Low-Dominance (Factor A) Sales Force Design: Service selling, relationship building, AVERAGE repeat visits to same customer, reactive sales, major account.

High-Extraversion (Factor B) Sales Force Design: Sells intangibles, concepts, creates a need, appeals to emotions.

Low-Extraversion (Factor B) Sales Force Design: Consultative, problem solving, sell technical products, sells to an existing need.

High-Patience (Factor C) Sales Force Design: Low pressure, steady, service existing base.

Low-Patience (Factor C) Sales Force Design: Results orientation, urgency to finalize, self-pressure to get it done.

High-Formality (Factor D) Sales Force Design: Longer sales cycle, multiple call close, follow-up and service selling base-rep

Low-Formality (Factor D) Sales Force Design: Strong closer, immediate gratification, prefers short sales-cycle.

Crush the competition by having a competitive advantage by designing your sales force intentionally and strategically so that you have the right people in the right places to drive sales results and optimize your company’s sales process.