EFFECTIVE
NETWORKING
Takes a proactive approach to business/social interactions; will
expand contacts consistently; is comfortable meeting new people
and stimulating the conversation
HIGHS
- Prefers to take the lead in social interactions and is quite
comfortable ‘working a room’ as he meets people and
puts them at ease
- Moves easily between people or groups both familiar and unfamiliar
to him as he notes opportunities for potential business dealings
in the future
- Enjoys socialization, sharing information about himself and
asking questions about others to ‘break the ice’ and
initiate a conversation
LOWS
- Tends to hold back in social situations until others demonstrate
interest
- Is more at ease interacting with established and familiar acquaintances
while he scopes out opportunities to develop new contacts from
a comfortable distance
- Prefers the role of observer in social interactions
- May not be comfortable making social small talk without first
rehearsing or scripting what he is going to say
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Objectively analyzes a problem situation
and takes steps to provide a solution; identifies the root of the
problem before pressing for a resolution; remains engaged until
a solution is reached; tries to see all sides of the problem and
thus understand others’ assessment of the issue or response;
takes personal responsibility for identifying a resolution
HIGHS
- Objectively isolates and defines problem areas clearly
- Determines the true nature of the problem rather than deal with
its symptoms
- Is willing to ‘think outside the box’ to find a
solution
- Displays sensitivity and genuine interest in understanding others’
perspectives and will not ignore their concerns
- Regards any problem as a challenge to be met with eagerness
and enthusiasm
- Remains engaged until a problem has been resolved
- Takes personal accountability for the result
LOWS
- Can be biased and make judgmental or inappropriate assumptions
without analyzing the situation objectively
- May press toward resolution without identifying the root of
the problem
- Becomes wrapped up in his own views and loses sight of how others
may see the problem or response
- Becomes frustrated with solving the same or similar problems
over and over again
- Tends to take complaints and problems personally and feel oppressed
by them
- Sees problem resolution as an inconvenience and a distraction
- May oversimplify a problem and its solution and disengage his
efforts before identifying a satisfactory solution
- Resists taking ownership of the solution
QUALIFIES PROSPECTS WITH STANDARD PROBES
Uses a formula or series of questions to determine the prospect’s
fit with the product; expects to sell to the majority of prospects
since they are known to need the seller’s products; reacts
quickly and objectively to the answers to standard probes by disqualifying
the prospect or proceeding through the selling process
HIGHS
- Probes with tough questions around profitability, capacity and
readiness to buy when evaluating a prospect for potential business
opportunities
- Uses a formula approach to qualifying prospects that addresses
typical interest points, such as price and ability to deliver
- Does not allow his time to be consumed by prospects who should
be disengaged or deferred based on the quality of business they
will provide
- Remains emotionally detached from the prospect’s situation,
allowing him to stay objective in assessing the potential for
profitable business
LOWS
- Uses his interest in a prospect’s needs or problems or
his compatibility with contacts as the criteria for spending time
with them in the selling process
- Finds it difficult to narrow his focus to the quality as opposed
to the quantity of the business available
- Exhibits too much optimism and not enough pragmatism to cut
loose potential business that would not be profitably serviced
- Finds it difficult to be objective in assessing the potential
of demanding or challenging contacts
COMMITS TIME AND EFFORT TO ENSURE SUCCESS
Thrives on working; tends to achieve higher results in direct proportion
to the time he is willing to commit to his work; remains focused
on the goal and is not easily discouraged or distracted; uses work
as an opportunity for interaction and incorporates interpersonal
contacts into task accomplishment; sees work as a major source of
personal satisfaction
HIGHS
- Commits time and resources to results accomplishment that surpasses
what is just acceptable or expected
- Is dedicated to achieving business results, even at some personal
sacrifice
- Defines himself to a great extent by his work and derives personal
satisfaction from his success and accomplishments in his career
- Builds into his schedule the time required to lay the groundwork
and develop the plans for achieving his work objectives
- Retains control of his objectives by preparing action steps
and evaluating his progress
- Remains focused when the commitment to his work is threatened
by internal or external distractions
- Enjoys finding opportunities to mix personal interaction with
goal accomplishment
LOWS
- Seeks a balance in his professional and personal commitments
that inevitably limits the time and resources devoted to his work
- Is more inclined to work a set schedule of hours than to commit
resources as required by the objective
- Distinguishes personal time from work and career commitments
and is not likely to make consistent sacrifices in his personal
life to accommodate extraordinary advancements in his work objectives
- Becomes distracted by unexpected obstacles or may not effectively
plan to deal with his job demands
- May not recognize that opportunities to advance his goals can
be present in the personal interactions that occur in the workplace
CLOSES THROUGH LOGICAL, INCREMENTAL STEPS
Reinforces the purchase decision with a series of logical reasons
that support the sale; moves closer to a purchase decision in a
multiphase sale by setting an objective for each encounter and gaining
agreement at each of the milestones in the process; provides ammunition
for the buyer to justify the cost and defend the purchase within
the customer organization; encourages a buying decision by demonstrating
future savings and ease of transition to the proposed system; keeps
the sales process from stalling by taking control and focusing the
customer on the incremental steps leading to a buying decision;
remains patient but focused on reaching the end result
HIGHS
- Bases a logical appeal on the demonstration of future savings
and ease of transition to the proposed system or benefit
- Provides the buyer with purchase justifications that may be
needed to reach a buying decision or sway additional influencers
- Breaks the sales process into manageable steps, seeking continued
agreement from the customer at each step before moving on
- Continually checks the customer’s understanding of how
their needs would be satisfied
- Reaches agreement on the concept or pilot test, with a contract
coming later
- Recognizes that the close is soft, but remains focused on accomplishing
that result
- Asks for the opportunity to begin the project or deliver the
benefit
LOWS
- Makes an emotional appeal for the buying decision, using the
strength of the personal relationship that has developed as the
basis for a commitment
- Emphasizes the potential loss due to inaction versus promoting
the potential benefits gained by acting on the purchase decision
- Unknowingly loses customers early in the sales process because
he does not continually assess their commitment throughout an
extended sales cycle
- May lose patience in a long sales cycle and rush the customer
toward a purchase decision when it is more appropriate to test
the water and give the customer more control through trial closes
OPPORTUNISTIC
Is spontaneous and flexible; tries the untested when standard procedures
or methods for satisfying a need will not suffice; takes action
so that opportunities will not slip away due to procrastination;
offers ideas or suggestions in a timely manner; builds trust through
a candid and unguarded approach; is comfortable exploring new areas
and experimenting with new ideas
HIGHS
- Spontaneously seizes opportunities presented and takes full
advantage of them
- Capitalizes on unexpected events or circumstances and turns
them into an advantage
- Has the propensity to immediately exploit unexpected, timely
opportunities and circumstances as they occur
- Values what has proven successful in the past but is willing
to stretch past comfortable or known methods to meet customer
requirements in spite of extra pressure or risk
- Comfortable speaking his mind and suggesting innovative or creative
ideas
- Builds immediate trust and rapport by presenting a visible and
candid agenda
LOWS
- Focuses on preventing mistakes and protecting against the downside
- Is unwilling to risk public failure and will usually look for
the safest or surest way to avoid failure
- Exhibits a strong need for control and a reticence to implement
new methods until they have been proven
- Can appear unwilling to offer ideas without due consideration
MAXIMIZES RESULTS BY SYSTEMATICALLY MANAGING AN ACCOUNT PLAN
Consistently meets or exceeds sales targets through personally
controlling the critical aspects of the sales and delivery processes;
systematically works each account plan and anticipates problems
in order to work around them; is driven to win customers’
attention and treats their business as an honor, never letting them
feel taken for granted
HIGHS
- Meets or surpasses his sales goals as a means to gain more freedom
and independence
- Maintains personal control over those aspects of the sales and
delivery process identified as top priorities
- Sets high expectations for himself and holds associates to the
same stringent standards of dedication
- Expects to encounter barriers a fair percentage of the time
and prepares to deal with setbacks or delays in order to ensure
the success of his plans
- Concentrates full energy and attention on systematically accomplishing
key tasks
- Places his customers on a pedestal and shows them how valued
they are
LOWS
- May adopt a casual or relaxed approach that fails to project
personal commitment or dedication
- Is comfortable with achieving average results, rising above
the bottom of the performance chart but not striving to be the
best
- Adopts a more interdependent and team-oriented approach to accomplishing
goals
- May depend too much on fate or ‘being in the right place
at the right time’ rather than plan and work to make things
happen
- Expects his account management plan to proceed without the need
for careful monitoring and contingencies
- Can take customer relationships for granted and may not work
at continually demonstrating his appreciation for the business
DRIVEN TO PRODUCE BY INCREASING SALES TO EXISTING ACCOUNT
Motivated to advance in a sales career by increasing the product
diversity offered to existing accounts; concentrates on finding
avenues to generate increased sales from established accounts; works
to increase revenue by identifying additional products to complement
what is currently sold to the existing customer base
HIGHS
- Driven to generate growth through account penetration and referral
and directs effort toward building sales
- Unwilling to settle for maintaining the status quo in generating
revenue or increasing sales just incrementally
- Prefers the efficiency of increasing sales with existing customers
to spending the time cultivating new accounts
- Takes advantage of opportunities to penetrate existing accounts
via new product applications
- Builds business with existing accounts by utilizing creative
means to answer their needs with his products
LOWS
- May be satisfied with moderate growth in sales
- Diverts resources from his sales effort to respond to administrative
tasks
- May offer what is familiar to existing customers rather than
build a repertoire of products or services that can match additional
needs
WORKS THE SYSTEM FOR THE CUSTOMER
Shows skill and ease at working in groups; works with others to
achieve better results and forges close working relationships and
alliances in order to get things done; is quick to cooperate versus
expect others to bend to his wishes; supports joint ownership and
shared recognition for results; recognizes the advantages of group
participation in planning and problem solving
HIGHS
- Works collaboratively in a group effort to effectively accomplish
a goal or task
- Puts team and management objectives ahead of his own
- Performs own role effectively on the team and helps team members
as needed
- Forges working relationships and alliances with others in order
to get things done
- Willing to compromise and give others the benefit of the doubt
when he disagrees
- Proactively shares information, ideas, suggestions and support
- Encourages joint ownership and shared recognition for results
LOWS
- Functions as more of an individualist than as a team player
- Finds it simpler or more convenient to focus independently on
his own tasks or direction
- Prefers to exercise personal control over results and outcomes
- Is more likely to emerge as a leader than an equal player
- Believes compromise for the sake of cooperation can potentially
threaten the quality of the end result
- Wants to be personally recognized for individual contributions
EDUCATES CUSTOMERS THROUGH STRUCTURED TRAINING
Helps the customer to gain maximum benefit from the product or
service by committing to continuous education that provides information
updates or product training; prepares more structured sessions to
cover the most critical areas of learning; stays on top of information
needed by customers in an effort to serve as a resource; takes responsibility
for motivating customers to update their information; reinforces
shared information through periodic repetition; routinely adjusts
education process to address individual and group progress or understanding
HIGHS
- Prepares scheduled and consistent programs to train or educate
others
- Establishes measurable criteria for assessing progress in the
learning process
- Demonstrates patience and a willingness to repeat or reinforce
ideas and information until the audience understands
- Focuses training sessions on those competencies that will make
a difference in the group’s ultimate effectiveness
- Concentrates more on the results produced or change accomplished
through his training than with how attractive or entertaining
the training can be
LOWS
- Prefers one-on-one training or a more loosely organized curriculum
to the structured requirements of a scheduled class session
- Expects the people he is training to be self-motivated to learn
and becomes impatient when required to repeat or reinforce information
he has already covered
- Does not implement a tracking process for assessing the effectiveness
of his teaching efforts or the progress of his trainees
- Enjoys working on content delivery and may be more concerned
with the audience’s assessment of his public speaking skills
than with the subject matter
- Tries to make the training entertaining at the expense of providing
only relevant information
PROMOTES CUSTOMER RELATIONS BY SOLICITING FEEDBACK
Seeks customer feedback regularly to verify satisfaction and uncover
minor issues which could escalate if left unattended; solicits suggestions
for continuous improvement and demonstrates personal attention to
the customer even when there is no problem; listens to feedback
without judgment or defensiveness, remaining focused on results
rather than personal feelings; stays logical and objective and refrains
from expressing personal frustrations to the customer; ensures future
business by anticipating and removing potential sources of dissatisfaction
HIGHS
- Demonstrates continued personal attention to the customer, calling
regularly and soliciting suggestions for improvement
- Is disciplined and consistent in initiating contact with the
intent of monitoring satisfaction and detecting potential problems
- Welcomes opportunities to demonstrate his willingness to make
the customer’s experience even better
- Aims emotional intensity at addressing a customer’s needs
or concerns, not at the customer personally
- Does not allow the mood or feeling about a customer to alter
the degree or quality of the follow-up
- Maintains a business relationship versus a social relationship
in 90% of the contact
LOWS
- Assumes that a customer will make him aware of problems but
is otherwise satisfied
- Tends to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ and is reticent
to probe for problems that may be in the early stage of development
- Finds it difficult to keep emotions in check and remain logical
when presented with suggestions for improvement
- Takes customer feedback or criticism as a personal jab and may
inappropriately display a negative response
RESPONDS AT ANY HOUR
Organizes time to cover ongoing priorities and will make arrangements
to cover whenever absence is unavoidable; understands that rewards
are commensurate with effort and invests the time to get the job
done; uses time efficiently during regularly scheduled hours so
that extra hours are not inevitable, but is responsive to additional
requirements or demands when necessary
HIGHS
- Makes himself available after hours to respond to the needs
of both internal and external customers
- Organized and efficient in how he spends his time during the
day so that the need to work unscheduled hours is the exception
rather than the rule
- Resists the distraction of nonwork-related issues that can interfere
with his coverage of ongoing priorities
- Accepts that his strong sense of duty to those who are counting
on him cannot always be met during regular working hours
- Prepares a back-up system to cover unpredictable or unpreventable
overloads in his absence
LOWS
- Believes his personal time is off-limits and may resist interrupting
his leisure activities to deal with work demands
- Loses control of his action list and can become overwhelmed
by ongoing priorities, making the inevitable extended hours a
continuing source of frustration
- Allows outside distractions, commitments or time demands to
consistently take priority and prevent an efficient use of his
time and resources
- Fails to put into place systems or resources to cover customer
needs when he is unprepared or unavailable
- Prefers to personally handle all customer requirements, creating
delays in the response time when he is not available to take immediate
action
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