Introducing Industry-Specific Success Requirements
Select and develop a successful sales force using industry-specific skills
Since initiating the World Class Sales Competitor databases in 1994, The HR Chally Group has developed an extensive qualitative and quantitative database of market segmentation research. To date, we have interviewed over 60,000 business decision-makers and collected buying information as well as in-depth ratings of the salespeople serving them. We have data on over 7,200 sales forces in more than 350 industries. We have also completed over 500 industry-specific validity research projects to identify and measure the skills that predict success in sales, service, and management by market.
As an added-value feature for our customers and friends, we hope you'll find these Industry-Specific Success Requirements useful for increasing sales and for selecting and developing successful salespeople.
Each issue will feature one or two major selling markets, starting with this issue's look at Medical Products. In issues to follow, we will add segments such as:
- Media and communications
- High technology products & services
- Business product distribution
- Financial Services
- Strategic Accounts
The complete information kit for each market segment and position will be available by Emailing us at enews@chally.com or call toll free, 1-800-254-5995 (U.S. and Canada only) or (937)259-1200.
Industry-Specific Success Requirements feature:
- An Executive Summary of Research Results documenting the most critical sales tactics required for both winning and keeping customers
- An Explanation of Sales Behaviors and key skills that distinguish top performing "sales stars" from those who are less successful
- Market-Specific Assessment Profiles that contain:
- explanations for weak points or skill limitations
- coaching information
- scorable interview guides
Executive Summary of Research Results
The Medical Products Market focuses on physician's offices, hospitals, drugstores, medical equipment stores, HMO's and other buying groups. Success in this market has historically been heavily dependent on developing personal relationships with the key decision-maker in the customer's office. This person is often not the professional, i.e., the physician, the pharmacist, even in more "primary care" facilities.
Medical product salespeople must focus intensely on service responsiveness and problem solving in addition to the more expected concerns of gaining the attention of the very busy office staff. Salespeople are expected to provide quick ordering assistance but still show patience while offering technical expertise.
Live interaction between sales rep and customer - through either face-to-face visits or telephone conversations - still makes the critical difference. This is true despite the industry's preoccupation with Internet-based ordering systems. The more face-to-face interaction, the higher the customer satisfaction and loyalty, and the higher the percentage of business the customer gives to a given vendor. Ninety seven percent of those who see salespeople in person and are satisfied with their relationship with the vendor said they know their reps by name. However 32% of buyers were unwilling to take face-to-face visits from salespeople who didn't demonstrate key competencies. What this is saying essentially is, "If you're not going to give me a quality rep making quality calls, I don't want to waste my time."
Explanation of Sales Behaviors
Statistically, almost half of the average customer's perception of a supplier (as a whole) is based on the skills of the salesperson that calls on him or her. Customers' buying decisions increase when the four most important salesperson traits are rated as excellent. These critical skills are:
- The ability to provide single-contact satisfaction (that is, the ability to personally manage the customer's satisfaction)
- The ability to solve problems
- The ability to act as a customer advocate when resolving vendor disputes or problems
- A commitment to keep customers up-to-date
To understand these skills, consider the potential problems a buyer faces in normal interactions with vendors and the "relief" an excellent rep provides.
- Single contact satisfaction forces the salesperson to "personally" accept full responsibility for the customer's satisfaction (and not blame the company, shipping, the technical service group, somebody else's product, etc.). The salesperson must also take individual responsibility to follow up, even when other people are needed to reach a resolution. The rep must communicate regularly, and commit to a completion date and level of effectiveness. When served by an effective salesperson, the customer no longer faces voice mail that dumps a problem into a dark abyss, or a software person blaming the hardware, or any of a dozen similar complaints about "impersonal" vendors.
- The ability to solve problems guarantees that the salesperson will be able to personally resolve most issues and not need to wait for a manager's approval. This reduces the need to constantly call in separate technical or service people (assuming that they are readily available) to correct the most routine and "predictable" problems that arise.
- The ability to act as a customer advocate provides a customer with a "champion". Vendors, regardless of the marketing hype, typically do not run their business for the sake of the customer. Dealing uniquely with each customer is expensive. Rules, policies, and guidelines often seem designed to protect the vendor, NOT the customer. Skilled salespeople know the politics of getting things done within their own organization. They know when and how much the rules can and should be bent to the customer's advantage without creating an inappropriate problem for their own company.
- A commitment to keep customers up-to-date keeps a buyer sharp and more aware of what's going on with competitors, market trends, regulations, law cases, etc. It's not that customers can't go to one of a hundred meetings, web sites, trade journals and newsletters& it's that there is too much information and too little time. Good salespeople know their customers' needs and priorities so they are able to pass along select information. This keeps customers up-to-date and happy with the personal added value the sales rep brings to the table.
Market-Specific Assessment Profiles
Chally has completed statistical validation studies and developed highly accurate and predictive selection profiles for the four key types of sales positions found to be most effective in the medical products market. We have validated the most critical skills that predict success for each position, and documented the typical behaviors and habits that distinguish the stars from those who are less successful. The key positions are:
- The Medical/Surgical Dealer Representative
- The Medical Sales Manager
- The Manufacturer/Health Distribution Representative
- The Equipment (Consultant) Specialist
Based on Chally validity studies comparing top performing from weaker performing reps, these are the skill definitions and typical differences between high and low scoring candidates for the position of Medical/Surgical Dealer Representative:
| ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY |
High Scores |
Low Scores
(Weak points or skill limitations)
|
| Commits to taking personal responsibility for results, even when working indirectly through others; avoids using excuses as explanations or justifying negative but preventable outcomes |
- Takes full responsibility for managing own results
- Tough self-critic
- Doesn't get defeated by problems
|
- May avoid association with negative results or justify unacceptable outcomes
- Can wear emotions fairly close to the surface
- Can become defensive about mistakes
|
| INITIATIVE |
High Scores |
Low Scores |
| Positions self as a champion; initiates plans and suggestions for reaching goals; self-sufficient and sees tasks and responsibilities through to completion |
- Positions self as a champion and will push to set plans and reach goals
- Likes to take charge
- Will follow up and see tasks through to completion
|
- Hesitant to push own ideas or drive new goals or plans
- Tends to procrastinate or wait for orders rather than proactively follow up
|
| DEPENDABLE FOLLOW-UP |
High Scores |
Low Scores |
| Responds promptly and efficiently; provides timely follow-up; meets scheduled deadlines; hardworking and persistent despite demanding circumstances |
- Maintains a calm and tolerant reaction to problems and complaints in order to complete tasks as effectively as possible
- Hard-working and persistent
- Self-confident
|
- Can get irritated or frustrated if people become too demanding
- May not follow up on problems efficiently
- Tends to lack optimism and believe in Murphy's Law
- Lacks self-confidence
|
| CLOSING |
High Scores |
Low Scores |
| Encourages and reinforces the purchase decision to ensure against later buyer remorse; demonstrates effective timing and urgency |
- To reduce buyer remorse, builds permission to purchase into the close with good reasons why it is justified
- Consistently tests the waters through trial closes; soft-sell approach
|
- May rush the buying decision, causing the customer to feel pushed into a quick choice
- Only moderately attuned to the timing needed to avoid buyer remorse
- Could ask for the order too soon or expect the customer to see the value for himself
|
| ACCOUNT PENETRATION |
High Scores |
Low Scores |
| Develops a sales plan for each customer and works to increase use of products and services; seeks additional purchase decisions when the timing is right |
- Develops a sales plan for each customer and works to increase use of current products/services
- Seeks additional purchasing decisions in a timely manner
|
- Could depend on customer to make contact when additional purchases are needed
- May not track product/service consumption to be alert to problems
|
| GOAL ORIENTATION |
High Scores |
Low Scores |
| Disciplined and systematic in building customer relationships; driven to above average income and the freedom and flexibility this provides |
- Maintains personal control over those factors identified as a top priority
- Concentrates full energy and attention on accomplishing key tasks
- Prefers freedom and autonomy to an environment in which external dictates rule
|
- May depend too much on luck rather than make things happen
- May adopt a casual or relaxed approach that fails to project personal commitment or dedication
- Too dependent on outside assistance or guidance
|
The accuracy rate of the predictive profile recommendations for the Medical/Surgical Dealer Representative substantially improves hiring effectiveness as demonstrated in the figure below. Ninety four percent of those rated by managers as top performers received "recommended" assessment evaluations, and 74 percent of poor performers would not have been recommended.
Medical/Surgical Dealer Representative Selection profile accuracy
For additional information on the Medical/Surgical Dealer Representative - including information such as technical summaries of the validation research, structured interviewing guides, or more in-depth customer information - as well as information on:
- The Medical Sales Manager
- The Manufacturer/Health Distribution Representative
- The Equipment (Consultant) Specialist
please Email Chally at enews@chally.com or call toll free, 1-800-254-5995 (U.S. and Canada only) or (937)259-1200.
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