Anderson, who offered five dangerous weaknesses of sales people in yesterday’s Advisor, is president of the Selling Skills Institute and developer of the proprietary Shift Thinking Selling Methodology. He asks, How many of those weaknesses are represented on your sales team?
Look Only for ‘A’ Players
“A” players are not a commodity, says Anderson; you’re going to have to pay. Top performers earn between $165,000 and $290,000 plus. Sure, that’s a lot of money, says Anderson, but I’m talking about superstars.
Remember, Anderson says:
- “A” players always have options.
- “A” players command a premium salary in their market.
- “A” players are worth every penny.
- “A” players can be hired … but most often they are recruited.
I encourage you, if looking to build or improve your sales team—always head toward an A player, says Anderson.
Nine Superstar Qualities to Look for in Sales Candidates
Look for people with the following superstar qualities, says Anderson:
1. Self motivated. You want people who don‘t need to be micromanaged.
2. Results driven. Look for people who are driven by goals and a passion to help others.
3. Resilient and persistent. You need people who don’t quit easily, and who, when knocked down, get right back up and start again.
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4. Not egotistical. Find people who don’t allow their egos to get in the way—that understand that life isn’t all about them.
5. Vision. Look for candidates who know where they are headed, who have goals in writing and a roadmap for how to reach them.
6. Responsible. Find employees who accept responsibility—for successes as well as failures—and avoid excuse makers.
7. Lifelong learners. You want people who understand that selling is a craft and that to excel they always must be learning. The skills that got them where they are won’t be sufficient to get to next level of success.
8. Communicator. Look for hires who are skillful communicators who listen, who listen to understand, who ask meaningful questions, and who possess excellent writing skills.
9. Selling Skills. Finally, of course, find people who are able to build rapport, establish credibility and trust, are likable, yet at the same time assertive.
From sales commissions to market pricing to executive perks, compensation offers a new challenge every day. Comp managers need a trusted, go-to resource. For more than 20 years, experienced comp pros have relied on an extraordinary program from BLR.
In fact, thousands of managers have put their faith in Employee Compensation in [Your State]. The [Your State] refers to the fact that a separate edition is published for each of 43 U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia. So if you live in Illinois, Employee Compensation in Illinois is the reference you receive.
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Each edition of the Employee Compensation in [Your State] service contains these key elements:
–Recommended Rate Ranges localized for your state and region for hundreds of jobs, based on surveys and official data. You shouldn’t pay the same in Manhattan, Kansas, as you do on Manhattan Island in New York. This program makes sure you don’t.
–A to Z State and Federal Law Comparisons. Comp and benefits are regulated by a tangle of laws. Employee Compensation offers an alphabetically arranged set of practical analyses on how to comply. Look up "ERISA" or "Overtime" or "Workers’ Compensation" and you instantly have a plain-English explanation of how the controlling laws—state and federal—apply to you.
–A Full Job Descriptions Program. Employee Compensation offers a complete tutorial for setting up a job descriptions program. Many ADA-compliant sample descriptions are provided, ready to copy and use.
–Employee compensation and benefits surveys. BLR’s exclusive survey data come from thousands of organizations just like yours. You get three surveys: exempt compensation, nonexempt compensation, and employee benefits.
–Free newsletter and updates. The Employee Compensation newsletter helps keep you on top of new state and federal compensation and benefits laws. Six updates throughout the year keep your book current with all new compensation laws.
–Complete wage and salary administration guidance. Walks you through the entire compensation process with step-by-step instructions for analyzing and pricing jobs, writing job descriptions, employee compensation policies, and more.
Use the links below to see samples of the program and newsletter, as well as a full table of contents of what’s included.
The program is priced affordably for small companies as well as large, at only a few dollars a day. That’s coffee money for just about every form of information most managers need to run a competitive and efficient comp/benefits program.
You can check out the entire program in your own office for up to 30 days, with no need to buy. (We even pay return postage.) Just click the link below, and we’ll be happy to set things up.
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