Finding Great Sales Talent or Creating It…
Diamonds are the hardest naturally forming material on Earth; they are known for their beauty, strength and durability. Their name comes from ancient Greek (ad?µa? – adámas) meaning unbreakable or invincible.
Contrary to popular belief, diamonds do not come from coal. They form beneath the Earth’s crust, from pure carbon. Over time pressure, combined with intense heat, creates diamonds. The rough material then must be polished and cut to the perfect shape before it’s attractive enough to be a girl’s best friend.
Great salespeople, like diamonds, take time to reach their full potential… and are not easy to find. The most significant problem facing businesses today is finding, creating and retaining top talent. Good people and great sellers solve most problems in any organization. Sales is a profession that can’t use robots, automation or systems to replace talent. Sure, systems can maximize performance, but people — talented people, make any system work.
Hiring mistakes are very costly to any business. Here are some shocking statistics: Over 80% of resumes contain false or misleading information. Half (yes, 50%) of your candidates will lie or exaggerate their accomplishments. There are even websites devoted to perpetuating fraud: www.nextdaydiplomas.com.
Are great sellers born or created through time, training and pressure like diamonds? The short answer is “yes.” We do believe there are some people who have a more natural predisposition to becoming successful sellers, and I believe there are those who no matter how much you work with them, will never become great sellers. In my experience, there are five fundamental traits that help predict a person’s potential to become a great seller. Diamonds have their four C’s; I believe sellers need five C’s:
Compassion - Compassion is the feeling of empathy for others
Curiosity - An insatiable desire to know more
Competence - Expertise
Creativity - The ability to solve problems
Communication Skills
Finding great sales talent can be like digging for diamonds. You must get your hands dirty. Not all candidates will be diamonds when you meet them. Identify the must-have traits and competencies to be successful on your team. Then with a little polish, time (experience and training) and competition (pressure) you will create diamonds and solve your number one problem.
Source: Jeff Schmidt, RAB
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