Blogs Business Consulting Sales Development Sales Training sales transformation Uncategorised

The Number One Behaviour Of Top Salespeople (And Why That Isn’t Enough On Its Own)

2nd November 2023

When we embarked on our journey to uncover the key capabilities that determine success in B2B sales we weren’t sure what we’d find.  Our own work with salespeople across different industries indicated that high performers shared many common qualities.  But we couldn’t be certain that this would hold true when scaled-up to include multiple studies encompassing more than 20,000 salespeople globally.  Remarkably, however, our analysis revealed a strikingly consistent picture of what great looks like in B2B sales.

The results are there for all to see in our Acuity whitepaper; 9 key Capabilities (drives and behaviours) that determine success in what we refer to as a strategic sales environment; strategic due to factors such as the complexity of the solution being sold, its high value which draws in multiple decision-makers, and the effect that has on increasing purchase indecision and the length of the sales cycle.

But does the Acuity research translate into real-world businesses?  When working with clients we always recommend that they allow us to undertake a validation study, to determine their organisational ROI.  Validation studies can take various forms but essentially involve comparing actual sales performance to sellers’ Acuity profiles.  In one example we used our psychometric self-assessment with a healthcare insurance provider to compare in-role performance to Acuity results.  Analysis of the data showed that the single biggest differentiator between the Top 1/3 salespeople and the rest was Connectedness.

Another validation study within a media business used self-ratings from our Acuity 360 tool to evaluate each salesperson.  Regression analysis was used to identify the most predictive Acuity Capability and, here again, it was Connectedness.  In terms of ROI, sellers in the top 50% of Acuity profiles delivered an average of 23% more in sales revenue per month than their peers.

Clearly Connectedness is an important driver of success.  But what does being connected mean?  In our definition it is about developing networks within one’s client or prospective client to build a better understanding of the key stakeholders, influencers and decision-makers.  It also includes being well-connected internally so that colleagues can share intelligence, make introductions and support the sale.  Crucially, it is about being proactive in seeking value from these networks by asking for referrals, recommendations and intelligence.

Top-performing salespeople who demonstrate Connectedness:

  • Build their external networks

  • Invest in their internal networks

  • Seek value from these networks

However, showing Connectedness on its own is unlikely to be enough to make someone a top performer.  The original Acuity research identified 9 Capabilities in total that distinguished high performers from the rest.  Dig further into the validation studies described above and the picture becomes less clear.  If we take the 3 strongest correlating Capabilities in each case, then Connectedness comes out on top.  However, for the media business that is followed by Goal Focus (alignment of one’s objectives to the goal they are trying to achieve) and Drives the Sale (taking control and creating momentum).  For the healthcare insurer it is Interpersonal Style (how one flexes their own behaviour to maximise their interactions with different stakeholders) and Goal Focus.

Taking a further step back, we looked at the correlations for every Acuity Capability.  In the case of the media business, all 9 capabilities showed a positive correlation with sales performance.  For the healthcare insurer, six capabilities correlated with sales performance while the remaining three correlated with line manager ratings.

It is clear that being connected is a critical factor in determining success in B2B sales.  Indeed, in these examples it is the most important factor.  However, it is also true that it is not enough on its own.  The precise order of importance may vary across sectors, and perhaps even among different organisations within the same sector, but for individual sellers to excel they must possess a wider will and skillset.

If you’d like to understand your organisation’s typical seller persona, clarify the development needs of your sales team or determine the ROI that Acuity could achieve for your business we’d love to hear from you.

Blogs Business Human Resources Learning & Development Uncategorised

A Short Guide To Psychometric Assessments.

1st June 2023
What is a psychometric assessment?

The word psychometric comes from two Greek words, psyche and metric, which when translated literally means ‘measurement of the mind’. Psychometric assessments are a fair and objective way of measuring attributes such as cognitive ability, values, motivation, behavioural preferences and personality traits that are deemed to be relevant to job performance.

When can I use a psychometric assessment?

A robust psychometric assessment can be used in a wide range of contexts, including recruitment, selection and development. However, not all assessments (including some of the most well-known) are suitable for all occasions so you should check with the test publisher before use.

What should I look for when choosing a psychometric assessment?

There are 5 key things to consider when selecting which psychometric assessment to use:

  1. Relevant:  Does the assessment measure criteria that are relevant to the role for which it is being used?
  2. Reliable:  Does the tool provide an accurate and consistent measure of those criteria?
  3. Valid:  Does the assessment truly measure what it claims to?
  4. Predictive:  Does the tool provide an accurate prediction of future performance?
  5. Objective:  is the tool fair and unbiased in its assessment of candidates regardless of their background? Does it adversely impact upon different groups of people?
What are the benefits of a psychometric assessment?

The analytical insights generated by a psychometric enable organisations to demonstrate a positive impact upon their business in a number of ways:

  • High Performance:  Validations studies can be used to demonstrate a clear link between assessment results and performance in role.
  • Reduce Risks:  Because validation studies can show organisations what qualities to look for in a top performer, organisations can be more confident in their ability to select the best candidate when hiring or promoting.
  • Increase Engagement:  Putting the right person in the right role where they can thrive has been shown to positively impact upon employee engagement and retention.
  • Identify Potential:  Understanding the qualities that drive great performance allows organisations to search for these characteristics in individuals, and provide developmental support to them, before they are put in post.
  • Deep Dive:  Selecting the right tool can enable organisations to measure specific aspects of motivation, attributes and behaviour which are difficult to measure via other methods.
  • Fair Selection:  They provide a standardised measure of job-relevant criteria behaviour that reduces the risk of unconscious bias and supports fair and objective decision-making.

Bloojam Consulting offers a range of robust recruitment and development tools and interventions, including the Acuity for Strategic Sales suite of psychometric assessment and development tools.

Blogs Business Consulting Sales Development Sales Leadership Sales Training Uncategorised War for Talent

Don’t Let Your Sales Talent Walk Out The Door

9th March 2023

In a recent Gartner survey, 89% of salespeople reported feeling burned out and 54% were actively seeking alternative employment. Furthermore, nearly 70% felt that management doesn’t understand how to motivate them. These are worrying numbers for any organisation that is serious about retaining top sales talent.

Fortunately, the 2 key themes that prevent sellers performing at their best, a lack of development opportunities and a lack of empowerment, can be addressed.

It’s easy to say that sales leaders need to invest more time in supporting their teams when the average leader spends less than 10% of their time on developing their reports. But to be truly effective they first need to be able to accurately diagnose the problem, something that is unlikely to be the same for every member of the sales team.

At Bloojam, we look at a salesperson’s Drive through three lenses:

  1. Motivation; are they a self-starter, focused on achieving excellent outcomes, persistent in the face of setbacks and driven to solve client problems?
  2. Goal focus; do they have clarity about what they are trying to achieve, are they focused on the end goal and the actions required to successfully reach it?
  3. Self-belief; are they confident in their ability to positively influence a sale, do they show resilience when faced with setbacks and self-awareness of their own strengths and limitation?

Truly understanding what is impacting upon the Drive of your sales team, at an individual and collective level, allows sales leaders to provide much more targeted support and challenge to their teams. By facilitating more detailed discussion of the key causes, personal to them, of their burnout or demotivation, salespeople are much more likely to open up and engage with the conversation. As a result, the sales leader can respond to the needs of the individual rather than taking a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to re-energising their sales team.

That benefits the individual as they will feel that their manager truly understands their needs. It benefits the sales leader as the limited time they have with team members can be focused on the factors most likely to enhance performance. And it benefits the organisation as any subsequent training or support can be tailored to individual needs, thereby ensuring that training budget ROI is maximised.

Jim Bloomfield is a Director of Bloojam Consulting with 20 years’ experience of using business psychology to develop salespeople and leaders. He is a member of the Association of Business Psychology (ABP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) and has successfully helped some of Britain’s best-known businesses exceed their sales goals.

Bloojam Consulting offers a range of robust recruitment and development tools and interventions, including the Acuity for Strategic Sales suite of psychometric assessment and development tools.

Blogs Business Consulting Human Resources Human Resources Learning & Development Professional Services Sales Development Sales Recruitment Sales Training Uncategorised War for Talent

Demystifying Sales For Professional Services

2nd February 2023 No Comments

More and more of the leaders we speak to in professional services firms recognise the importance of enhancing sales capability as they pursue growth during challenging economic circumstances. In the past the language used has typically dressed sales up as something else…. client origination, business development, practice growth etc. But this is no more.

Individuals too also recognise the need to develop their sales capability if they are to be successful. However, being open to the idea of “sales” isn’t necessarily the same as feeling equipped and capable to carry out this critical element of the role. Firms are typically very good at communicating the requirements to progress as a leader, articulated through bespoke frameworks and values statements that create clarity, and they put a lot of effort into supporting new and emerging leaders. However, provision is more patchy and ad-hoc when it comes to developing B2B sales capability. There are very few sales frameworks out there and training, when it takes place, tends to focus more on the sales process than the person and the behaviours and attributes required to be successful in strategic sales.

That is changing as clients recognise the importance of nurturing and retaining their people, in the context of the scarcity and expense of finding top talent in the market, if they are to achieve the growth they seek. Today we are seeing firms create training academies and defined career paths for sales professionals, in a manner similar to leadership development programmes, that provide their client-facing teams with clearly-signposted opportunities for progression.

At Bloojam, we work with clients to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the key drivers, behaviours and attributes that drive superior B2B sales performance. Successful organisations are able to apply this knowledge to promote and hire people who want to be on that journey and to develop them once in the role. Using such a blueprint helps to demystify B2B sales for both the individual role holder and supports organisations to supercharge the performance of their client-facing teams.

Sarah Clapperton is a Director at Bloojam Consulting and a Chartered Business Psychologist, with 20 years’ experience working in selection and development. She specialises in working with leaders and senior salespeople.

Bloojam Consulting offers a range of robust recruitment and development tools and interventions, including the Acuity for Strategic Sales suite of psychometric assessment and development tools.

Blogs Learning & Development Sales Development Sales Training

How Can We Deliver Impact Through Sales Training? An Evidence-Based Approach To Developing B2B Sales Capability

8th November 2021 No Comments

Estimates of the size of the sales training market vary but are typically measured in billions. One estimate for the US alone put the total annual spend on formal sales training in excess of $10billion (Hair et al, 2009). If you’re a business leader thinking about undergoing a sales transformation programme consider this. Less than a third of transformations succeed as expected, with a staggering 70 percent of failures due to an organisation’s inability to adopt the required new behaviours quickly and completely (Keller and Price, 2011).

So, why does sales training so often fail to deliver the returns it promises? We set ourselves two key exam questions:

  • What are the most effective methods to embed learning and development in the workplace?
  • Can the impact of this learning and development be measured in terms of improved sales performance?

To answer these questions we carried out a comprehensive review of credible sales studies and academic behavioural research to identify the best ways to embed learning and to drive a change in sales behaviour that will deliver an increase in top line sales.

 

Sales Training Best Practice

In this first blog of the series, we explore what features of sales training make it more likely to succeed.

A meta-analysis of 144 research studies (Huang et al, 2015) found that to ensure that individuals put in maximum effort to transfer learning into their job, learning should focus on knowledge and skills. Crucially, knowledge should be tailored to the job, bite-sized and then tested on the job. It is through giving the individual opportunities to practice and to receive feedback on their efforts that will help them to turn knowledge into skills. A further meta-analysis of 117 studies by Taylor et al (2005) looked at the impact of Behaviour Modelling Training (BMT) and identified four key components:

  • Training should describe specific actions
  • It should show individuals how to use them
  • Trainees should have opportunity to practice these
  • Trainees should receive feedback on their efforts

Factors that increased the chances of an individual successfully learning a new skill included the following:

  • Rule codes- these explain what to do and why e.g. “Listen carefully and respond with empathy to reduce defensiveness” rather than simply describe the behaviour e.g. “Listen carefully”
  • Mental practice- encourage participants to imagine scenarios and role-play these before they act out new skills in real life
  • Real life practice- provide opportunities for individuals to practice, receive feedback and adapt.

To increase the chance of that new skill changing behaviour, training should incorporate the following:

  • Provide examples of both good and bad behaviours,
  • Encourage individuals to create their own real-life scenarios,
  • Encourage individuals to set goals that relate to the behaviour they have learned

Overall, BMT was found to be effective in enabling individuals to learn new knowledge and skills and had a smaller but more sustained impact on behaviour and job performance.

 

The Impact on Sales Performance

In their study Kauffeld & Lehmann-Willenbrock (2010) found that an identical sales training programme delivered in a modular or ‘spaced’ format resulted in superior implementation of the training content, self-assessed sales competence and crucially increased new customers and gross revenue performance when compared to training delivered in a single block. Spaced training delivery is defined as a number of units of training with time intervals in between as opposed to massed training where the entire training content is delivered in one tranche. The authors concluded that the results supported the theory of situated learning whereby the training was perceived to be relevant to the working environment, enabled participants to apply the learning in different situations and gave them opportunity to interact with their colleagues thereby creating an environment of support and collaboration.

In their study of 115 organisations that engaged in sales training, Roman et al (2002) found that training content was a key factor and that salespeople gain “higher performance and customer orientation when training content deals with company policy and sales techniques” whereas training that focused on product knowledge alone actually reduced salespeople’s effectiveness. The authors suggest that this is because the product training was focused on features and benefits rather than on seeking to understand the needs of the customer. Interestingly, when the sales training covered sales techniques, customer knowledge and computer knowledge, the performance of the sales force and their customer orientation increased further. In the words of the researchers “salespeople need not only to know how to make the sale, but must also understand customer needs and provide greater value by applying new technologies in order to translate their behaviours into higher sales outcome.” This is consistent with a separate study (Pollitt, 2010) whereby sales training that focused on the customer and his or her buying experience led to “additional sales that far outstripped the cost of the training.”

 

Key findings

So, if you are choosing between training providers, consider the following summary of the evidence:

  • Sales training that encompasses knowledge of the customer, the buying experience and sales techniques increases the performance of the salesforce
  • Content should be delivered in bite-sized, modular format with intervals between each module to enable theory to be put into practice
  • Participants should be encouraged to set goals that are linked to desired behaviour change
  • Participants should have the opportunity to practice what they have learned through role-play and then on the job
  • Feedback should be given after the individual has practiced so that they can learn and adapt

 

Bloojam are business psychologists who take an evidence-based approach to selecting and developing salespeople, leaders and sales leaders.  To learn more about our Academy approach to developing sales capability in your workforce take a look at our website.

 

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Mehta, R., & Babin, B. (2009). Sales management. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Huang, J. L., Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., & Baldwin, T. T. (2015). A tale of two transfers: Disentangling maximum and typical transfer and their respective predictors. Journal of Business and Psychology, 30(4), 709.

Kauffeld, S. & Lehmann‐Willenbrock, N. (2010). Sales training: effects of spaced practice on training transfer. Journal of European Industrial Training, 34(1), 23-37.

Keller, S. and Price, C. (2011) Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage, first edition, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Pollitt, D. (2010). BT Business Sales dials up a customer-focused coaching culture: Program combines new technology with tailored training. Human Resource Management International Digest, 18(4), 7.

Roman, S., Ruiz, S. & Munuera, J.L. (2002) “The effects of sales training on sales force activity.” European Journal of Marketing.

Taylor, P. J., Russ-Eft, D. F., & Chan, D. W. (2005). A meta-analytic review of behavior modelling training. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 692-709.

Blogs Business Consulting Professional Services Sales Development Sales Leadership Uncategorised

4 Stats That Show How B2B Buyers Suffer From Information Overload (And Why The Salesperson Is As Critical As Ever)

25th June 2021 No Comments

Consider these stats:

  • In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the world wide web, published the first website (info.cern.ch). Ten years later there were over 29 million websites and today there are over 1.8 billion.
  • Google, when launched in 1998, processed around 10,000 searches a day. It now receives around 2.5 billionqueries a day.
  • Last year there were over 600 million active blogs. 70 million new blogposts are published each month on WordPress. Nearly 80% of the Fortune 500 uses a corporate blog to communicate to their customers.
  • There are 57 million companies on LinkedIn. 2 million posts, articles and videos are published on the platform every day.

It’s all a far cry from the pre-internet days when information was scarce and a client’s ability to compare one supplier against another was limited. Today the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction that there is now too much information out there. The result is information overload for buyers. Buyers report that two-thirds of their buying journey is spent on gathering, processing and deconflicting information.

In addition, the word “buyers” is no longer correct. Buying groups are increasingly common in B2B sales. Research from Forrester shows that 63% of purchases involve four or more people, each of whom is likely to represent a different department and to play a different role in client decision-making.  With numerous stakeholders involved on the buyer side, each independently uncovering information from different sources, it is easy to see how buyers find it difficult to find agreement between themselves about how to proceed.

It falls to the salesperson (consultant, account manager) to help clients to make sense of the information they have uncovered, to help them to deconflict contradictory evidence, to challenge their thinking and to coalesce them around a solution.  Doing so enables the salesperson to demonstrate their knowledge, to establish credibility and to create that trusted partner relationship that creates the right environment for a sale to proceed.

Jim Bloomfield is a Director of Bloojam Consulting with 20 years’ experience of using business psychology to develop salespeople and leaders. He is a member of the Association of Business Psychology (ABP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) and has successfully helped some of Britain’s best-known businesses exceed their sales goals.

Blogs Consulting Human Resources Leadership Development Learning & Development

Driving Culture Change Using 360 Programmes

7th July 2020 No Comments

360 Programmes Beyond The Individual: Driving And Measuring Culture Change

Most people remember their first 360 feedback; the first time they’ve heard how their colleagues really see them.  The really great leaders I speak to have embraced the feedback, responded and been on a development journey (pardon the X Factor cliché) ever since.

I passionately believe in the power of a well-delivered 360 programme (see our previous blogs about 360 best practice).  Some of the immediate benefits are:

  • Increased self-awareness for the individual; clearly seeing their strengths and development areas, and opening up their blind spots, this gives a clear basis for ongoing development
  • Good 360 analytics can provide insights into training needs for teams and departments, helping to effectively target training and development budgets and identify quick wins such as peer mentoring

Longer-term, 360 feedback alongside other L&D and employee engagement interventions, can help to underpin culture change programmes for the organisation:

  • Regularly repeated 360 programmes can encourage a feedback culture that helps colleagues to give each other constructive feedback on a day-to-day-basis
  • 360 surveys that are structured around a well-designed competency framework clearly articulate what ‘good’ looks like, providing a shared understanding of what behaviours should be aspired to. Competency frameworks can include motivation and values elements that also underpin the desired culture.
  • Regular 360 cycles can help to measure the success of culture change programmes, using analytics to understand the extent of the movement towards the desired behaviours and where further interventions are needed.

Somebody’s first 360 can be quite an emotional experience, but that’s because it gets to the heart of what’s important in their role, to their colleagues and for their organisation.  Harnessing that insight can pay dividends for individuals, teams and change programmes.

Sarah is a Chartered Business Psychologist and a Director of Bloojam Consulting.  With 20 years’ experience working in selection and development, she is passionate about using evidence-based approaches to add demonstrable value to both the individual and the organisation.

Blogs Business Consulting Human Resources Learning & Development Sales Development

How HR Can Influence Business Leaders To Develop Their People

23rd June 2020 No Comments
Helping HR To Speak The Language Of Business

When we see HR leaders and Sales leaders together around the table it can be interesting to hear the different language being used.

HR professionals often talk in people terms such as ‘talent’ ‘personal development’ and ‘engagement’.  They often see the value of robust selection and development practices in terms such as ‘talent pipeline’, ‘succession planning’ and ‘future leaders’.

Sales leaders often talk in terms of ‘targets’, ‘revenue’ and ‘sales performance’.

But, these are essentially two sides of the same coin.  Drawing a line between the two will help you to make the business case for using robust assessments for selection and development.   Here are some ways to support your argument for more ‘people’ focused activities that all business leaders can buy into.

  1. Reduce the risks and costs of wrong decisions

A good assessment process tells you more information about an individual than you can ever get in an interview alone. For example, an expert-led discussion with them about psychometric survey results will give you an invaluable insight into a person’s strengths, preferences, values, drivers and areas for development.

Armed with this rich information, you can make informed decisions about whether a candidate will perform well against the critical job criteria, whether your employee is ready for the next level of role or how to best spend your training budget to meet the specific needs of a team or department.

  1. Show me the money

A powerful business case will demonstrate the return on investment based on identifying the costs associated with poor selection or promotion decisions.

Questions to consider include:

  • How much does the recruitment / selection process cost?
  • How much does it cost to train someone in the new role?
  • How much does it cost the business while they are getting up to speed?
  • How much does it cost in re-training or performance management if a team member is underperforming?
  • What impact does it have on others if someone is underperforming? E.g. colleagues “carrying” their work, re-training them or becoming demotivated themselves; managers demotivating their team; a leader getting the direction wrong for the whole business.

Based on the answers to these questions, you’ll find that the cost of a robust selection process is a drop in the ocean in comparison. Click here for a useful ROI calculator to get you started.

  1. Provide the evidence

If you want to add even more weight to your business case, a validation study will link the results of the assessment method to key performance indicators in the role.  Take the example of a sales team; if you can identify which elements of personality and behaviour will drive sales performance then you can show the associated increase in income to the business if everyone was recruited against this profile. To see an example of how this has been done click here for more information.

  1. Hone your training budget

Using personality questionnaires, 360 surveys and other tools shows that as a business you are willing to invest in your people and their professional development. Using these as part of a development process can create a culture of self-awareness and self-development that didn’t previously exist. It can also provide team, department and organisational level themes that need to be addressed, thereby enabling you to make the best use of the training budget rather than taking a more costly “sheep dip” approach. Providing cost saving figures for your business leaders will again support your argument and help you to achieve your people aims.

In summary, an objective business case outlining the costs of getting it wrong and the value of getting it right can speak the language of senior peers and the C-Suite, helping HR leaders reach their own objectives while bringing other business leaders with them.

Sarah is a Chartered Business Psychologist and a Director of Bloojam Consulting.  With 20 years’ experience working in selection and development, she is passionate about using evidence-based approaches to add demonstrable value to both the individual and the organisation.