CEO of various companies are assiduously trying to figure out where the gap lies in performance of their company. To analyse the gap, 500 sales people were analysed during a real sales meeting. They discovered 8 types of sales performed by these salespeople, and out of these 8 types only 3 of them are effective which accounts for 37% of total salesperson and only 37% are consistently effective, rest 63% downgraded the performance. But research also finds that these 8 types of sales are formed on the basis of salespeople behavior which can be changed through training. Companies can design quality teams by recruiting better sales people if they understand these 8 sales types effectiety.
To analyze how these 8 types of salespeople work ,the company designed a performance chart on which all these 8 behavioral types allocated in the octagon form. Then performance wise employees were given different scores. Point 1 given when closest to centre which means performance is worst and point 10 means when farthest, from the centre which shows excellent performance.The larger, the size of octagon, more skilled the salesperson is and vice versa.
Joy Mustafi, a chief researcher, has classified salespeople in 8 different categories. He explained them separately and how much percent every salesperson occupies in the company thoroughly explained by him. Experts are those who make selling easy, keep their clients happy. They comprise 10% of the organization but they lack teamwork skills and hardly help his staff. Closers one sometimes pull off big deals. But they speak way too softly which puts customers off. They comprise 12% of the organisation. Consultants are good from a customer’s point of view as they listen well and find solutions for their customer’s needs. But they are not multidimensional & forgets to boost sales. They are 15% of their organization and they have potential to become experts.
Story tellers are customer oriented but they waste their time in long meetings. They are 8% of the organisation and need training to do more focused sales. Aggressors are the next type who see selling as making money which makes them less likable among their customers. They need broad perspective and training. They are 9% of the company’s salesforce. Focussers are deeply involved in their products but lack confidence because of which they just keep detailing customers about their products without listening to the needs of the customer. They are 16% of the organisation. Socializers are good at conversing and hence impress customers but hardly able to close deals. They need training in how to make the transition from impressing to selling mode. They are 15% of the total workforce. And the last type is narrators who like the narrator depending on some script of selling. They have no idea about market demands.challenging questions of customers and hence they fall severally. They need basic instructions like questioning techniques and more market based training. They are 15% of the company’s salesforce.
Conclusion
We can see that all the above traits mentioned are behavioral, which can be changed through proper training & guidance. Salespeople contribute tremendous value to the organisation through their market insights and acting as a bridge between company and the customers. Working hard won’t necessarily cause you to rise to the top of your industry as a salesperson but working smarter definitely will.
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