Territory Relationship System Sales Rep Profile:
Compare High Performers to Low Producers

Predictive Skills: Six characteristics will predict sales rep success in this sales position. Review below how top sales performers will differ from lower performers.

IMAGE BUILDING

Tailors image to fit customer expectations; adapts to different situations with sincerity and realism, taking care to avoid obvious role-playing or acting; recognizes the value of first impressions; studies the image or style with which the customer is most comfortable and adopts the dress, conversational style, and language most trusted by that customer

HIGHS

• Exhibits interest and commitment through involvement in customer industry activities
• Quietly promotes self and company in a manner that is respected by and gains credibility with the customer
• Before the first impression is made, becomes familiar with customers, their markets, and how success has been achieved with similar companies in the past
• Recognizes the business etiquette (such as dress and speech) appropriate to a situation
• Has the ability to read people and react to individual needs
• Positions himself at the appropriate professional level to match the customer
• Adjusts own communication style to ensure that the message is heard and to encourage dialogue
• May blatantly promote company or self without anticipating how the customer will respond
• Fails to do the homework on a prospect or customer that would identify or verify the image that would be consistent with customer expectations
• By focusing so intently on his own style and objectives, he fails to make it a priority to establish and reinforce credibility with the customer
• May ignore or fail to be concerned with the image projected to others
• May be inflexible about changing personal style to accommodate a customer who would be more comfortable with or impressed by something different

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
• 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

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Takes a proactive approach to finding additional business opportunities; is comfortable with the networking and cold calling needed to find new prospects and customers; takes the lead in meeting people and building a contact base for new business development

HIGHS

• Investigates all possibilities in a quest for additional business
• Remains focused on the objective of expanding the customer base
• Gives priority to building a contact base for new business development
• Comfortable cold calling on prospects and building a network of contacts to find new leads
• Keeps a high profile in organizations or activities that attract the interest of prospective customers
• Becomes discouraged by rejection and waits for prospects to raise their hands in interest
• Treats prospecting as an activity to occupy slow periods
• Lacks persistence in seeking new business opportunities
• Timid about meeting people with the intent to interest them in his product offering
• Uncomfortable with the personal interactions required to build the network of contacts needed to continually supply additional business leads

MAXIMIZES RESULTS BY PUSHING FOR QUOTA ATTAINMENT IN DIRECT SALES

Takes pride in consistently meeting or exceeding quota and assumes personal responsibility for monthly sales attainment; continually pushes self and uses that stress as a positive driver to focus on the tactics which will produce the necessary sales results

HIGHS

• Is driven to achieve or exceed targeted results and uses sales as a means to get there; hungry to be a top producer
• Holds results achievement to a high personal standard
• Believes in taking personal responsibility for the level of success achieved
• Thrives in a traditionally competitive sales environment and uses sales as a vehicle for measuring his personal success
• Balances drive and intensity that characterize his sales approach with giving customers attention and time needed to ensure continued satisfaction
• May adopt a casual or relaxed approach that fails to project personal dedication to achieving or surpassing sales targets
• May be satisfied with moderate growth in sales
• May not sustain the intensity needed to consistently meet or exceed sales objectives
• Is comfortable with achieving average results, rising above the bottom of the performance chart but not striving to be the best
• Lowers goals to reach a level of success that is easier to accomplish
• Prefers a more predictable and stable work environment in which personal compensation is not so closely tied to production results

SEEKS RECOGNITION AS A PROFESSIONAL

Uses position and prestige to positively influence others; enjoys public recognition and acclaim of his achievements; wants to be seen as important and establishes credibility through title and credentials

HIGHS

• Seeks the rewards and public recognition that define his success and elevate his status in the eyes of those individuals he wants to influence or impress
• Uses his credentials as a means to establish credibility
• Uses public acknowledgement of his professional status and accomplishment as a tool to make a positive impact on others
• Gets people to take notice and give him their attention by promoting his accomplishments and publicizing his success
• Self-conscious about a public display of success and achievement and may diminish his ability to influence others by downplaying his achievements and capabilities
• Expecting his accomplishments to speak for themselves, he may find it difficult to establish credibility with or make an impression on individuals unfamiliar with his professional credentials
• May associate a widely acclaimed role with bragging and could miss opportunities to have an impact on others because he is uncomfortable being singled out and publicly acknowledged for his success

ADAPTS APPROACH TO DIFFERENT BUYER MOTIVATIONS

Gathers essential information to determine the benefits customers need in order to be sold; is willing to adjust sales approach to fit different buyer motivations; influences or persuades others by determining how the other individual can benefit, and then communicates those advantages

HIGHS

• Will work to acquire the information needed to determine what benefits will motivate prospects to buy
• Able to use knowledge gleaned about prospect needs to vary sales approach according to different buyer motivations
• May not be committed to researching what benefits the prospect needs in order to be sold
• Might not recognize that prospects have different buying motivations and may sell the same way to all people

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