Take the guesswork out of hiring salespeople, with our inexpensive, easy to use, incredibly accurate pre-hire sales assessments!
Employee hiring assessment “The Sales Indicator” is a pre-hiring sales assessment that is easy to understand and use that takes the guesswork out of hiring sales employees.
Pre-Hire Sales Indicator Assessments can be customized to your company or you can use one of the following patterns/benchmarks:
Inside Sales
Manufacturers Selling Direct
Service Sales (Business-to-Business)
Distributor Sales of Capital Equipment
Distributor Sales of Consumable Products
Manufacturers Selling through Distributors
The Sales Indicator is a pre-hire sales assessment that is:
Easy to administer. Just have the candidate sit at a computer for 15 - 20 minutes responding to the questions, and you'll receive a six page report.
Extremely job specific. No general platitudes, our assessments zero in on the qualities necessary to do specific jobs.
Easy to understand. You receive an overall percentage rating, a graph, and interpretation for five different personality qualities, and a prediction for performance on seven different sales behaviors.
Inexpensive. Prices range depending on the quantity you buy. You can find this information by requesting a sample report or calling us at 800-331-1287 for a quote.
Proven valid over thousands of applications. Just see some of the amazing case studies on the Sales Indicator.
The "80/20 Rule" says that 80% of all products and services are sold by just 20 percent of salespeople. This presents a challenge to sales executives who direct teams of salespeople.
An analysis of several sales organizations reached the conclusion that about half of the people in the study lacked the behavioral characteristics required to effectively perform the duties of the sales job. They should never have been hired for sales positions in the first place.
The study found that of the remaining 50%, half had the potential for success in sales, but were not hired to sell the right kind of product or service. The study concluded that only about 25% of those working in sales position have a good match with the work they are doing. Thus, the "80/20 Rule" is only "valid" because people lacking sales essentials get hired and others are not matched with the right products or services.
The Profiles Sales Indicator™ provides a means of selecting people who have the five qualities that make salespeople successful: Competitiveness, Self-reliance, Persistence, Energy, and Sales Drive. It also predicts on-the-job performance in seven critical sales behaviors: Prospecting, Closing Sales, Call Reluctance, Self-starting, Teamwork, Building and Maintaining Relationships, and Compensation Preference.
The Profiles Sales Indicator™ can be customized by company, sales position, department, manager, geography, or any combination of these factors. Empirical data can be used to develop a pattern that will tell you how well a job candidate matches your successful salespeople.
If you would like to sample an assessment, and do not have the time nor staff to build a pattern/benchmark on the Sales Indicator, you can an use one of our preformatted sales patterns below:
Inside Sales
Service Sales (Business-to-Business)
Distributor Sales of Capital Equipment
Distributor Sales of Consumable Products
Manufacturers Selling through Distributors
Manufacturers Selling Direct
The Profiles Sales Indicator™ is easy to use. It can be taken in just 15-20 minutes and produces clear, readable reports that are direct and to the point. These reports can be used for selecting, managing, and training salespeople more effectively. This tool provides objective data for developing a more effective sales team, one person at a time.
The Profiles Sales IndicatorTM Sample Report
To receive a Profiles Sales IndicatorTM sample report
and pricing information,
fill out the information below
where noted below and press the "Send Now" button.
Within a few minutes you will receive the report via email as an Adobe PDF attachment.
The Profiles Sales IndicatorTM Case Studies
To receive a sample Sales IndicatorTM case study enter your name and email address
where noted below and press the "Send Now" button. In this report, you will learn
how a company decreased their turnover from 65% to 23%
realizing a turnover savings of $525,000.
A Profile XT and Sales Indicator Case Study by Steve Woods of Workforce Metrics
"JOB PATTERNS MUST CHANGE, IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS CHANGED!"
Assessing your top performers, and using their data to create job patterns, are processes well-known among users of the Profile XT™ and Profiles Sales Indicator. If you can go beyond the standard procedures, and if you know your business well enough to reach for change, you may be able to analyze your job patterns in relation to shifting demands of your market and position your company for even greater profitability!
Here's how one company leveraged their data into the largest increase in sales they have seen since the end of the boom economy of the late 90's.
This company manufactures and distributes industrial trade show displays, from simple table top props to those spectacular two-story monsters we see at major conventions. They survived the recession of 2001 the way many businesses had: they laid off employees, reduced overhead and held onto only their top performing sales staff. With the economy warming up, the CEO and General Manager saw the need for additional sales reps, but recognized that they could not afford the rate of turnover they had been comfortable with in their halcyon days.
Our task: help them reduce the probability of turnover of new sales reps by creating a job pattern using the Sales Indicator and Profile XT™. With precise criteria in place for selection of "top performers", five of their nine sales reps took both assessments. We then created the Job Analysis Reports (pattern studies) and met to present them to our client.
"Well, this pretty much explains everything" said the CEO to the GM at the end of our presentation. "Yeah," quipped the GM, "no wonder sales are flat!" All of the benchmarks of the Sales Indicator were at the lower end of the five scales, and the personality picture that emerged from the Profile XT™ had a relatively laid-back theme as well. In the discussion that followed, an important issue emerged: While every sales rep in the pattern study was indeed a clear-cut top performer from the standpoint of sales volume, a careful analysis of their activities revealed a critical fact: the vast majority of their sales were simply re-orders from (long lists of) old clients. These 'veterans' as we came to refer to them (all had been employed from seven to thirteen years) were making money for the company, but the business wasn't adding new clients, even with the economy presenting new opportunities!
We asked more questions, and the CEO and GM agreed that their market had shifted in the last two years: More competition, less budget for trade shows, and higher expectations. In short, the successful sales rep of today needed more hustle, more drive and more smarts to close a sale. They needed a 'new breed' of people if they were to see the company grow once again.
Through a careful and time consuming process, we helped them modify their success patterns, to reflect their new needs. Seven new sales people were hired, using the revised job patterns. The results of this effort were dramatic: First, after three months, all seven new sales people were still on board. In the past, sales turnover was nearly 50% per year, 75% of that within the first forty days of employment. Second, the new sales reps were closing their first sale in less than half the time of previous years. In the past, it had taken an average of four months to "first close." All seven of the "new breed" closed a sale before their seventieth day on the job. Finally, the GM reported quarterly sales were higher than any quarter since 1999!
Job Patterns are powerful tools for selecting people who fit your jobs. If you have a clear idea of how jobs have changed, they can help you select people to meet those changed needs.
Developing a set of job patterns to profitably lead you through changes in business conditions is not an easy task, and not for the faint of heart-but the alternatives (clinging to the status quo or blindly making changes on "gut feel") are no less daunting, and a lot less likely to bring you to new levels of success! Consult with your Profiles Representative to discover what has changed in your business, and how can you identify people who will help you succeed in the changed competitive arena?
If Your Sales Are Less Than You'd Like (and whose aren't)
The client company in this case study is in what most would call a "mature" segment of the economy-Corporate Accounts in the Retail Office Supply industry. While the company had done well for years, like most companies, it was highly interested in increasing its share of this inelastic market. At the same time, the company was experiencing relatively high turnover in its sales positions. We suggested that an analysis of the sales force, followed by recommendations for selection process changes, could be their solution. The assessment chosen was the Profiles Sales Indicator (PSI). In the first year, two groups of 12 salespeople were assessed, using the PSI: A group of the Top Performers (based on annual sales volume), and a group at the very bottom of annual production, the Bottom Performers. Using the Top Performers to produce a Success Pattern, it was found that the two groups were markedly different in their Match Scores to the pattern; they were even more remarkably different in their sales production. These results are summarized below.
This company had previously developed documentation of the cost of turnover in the sales department. When advertising, recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, and termination were figured in, the average cost per turnover was estimated at $15,000!
In the second year, following the recommendations developed from the PSI data, the company applied the PSI as a selection tool, and also used the Management Reports to coach the existing employees and new hires throughout the year. In the first 10 months of the year, these were the results: Sales turnover dropped from an annual rate of 65.48% to 23.26%, a reduction by two-thirds!
The company calculated potential annual sales increase available, if all 12 Bottom Performers were replaced by Top Performers: $2,150,940! Over three years, with a turnover rate reduced to an acceptable rate of 25% or less, total costs of the PSI in use were estimated at $36,000. Even if all of the sales gain were deferred until the end of a three year term, sales volume increase would exceed costs by a factor of 58:1. As the Bottom Performers continue to be replaced, with potential Top Performers, additional gains will be realized. Ultimately, market share will increase!
Credit Unions - Making Sales an Organizational Priority
As credit unions and other financial institutions struggle to remain profitable, integrating a sales system into daily business practice becomes more important. Despite the industry push for institutions to create a "sales culture," few credit unions have become effective at sales. Most financial institutions manage sales as a series of "events," not as an integrated sales environment. As a result, sales and quality service never become organizational priorities; it becomes increasingly difficult for many credit unions to generate enough assets to support high levels of member service.
Today's changing marketplace, typified by reduced member loyalty and similarity of services among competition, creates opportunities for organizations who can build a sustainable and distinctive value for clients. To capitalize on this opportunity credit unions need to become organizationally competent at sales.
Effective credit unions must recruit the right people for sales, train them, and build a sales culture that provides focus and accountability for the selling effort. A successful sales culture must have the ability to sustain momentum for the process. Once a financial institution has made a commitment to becoming a sales-oriented organization, the next step is to put into place the people, the systems, and the resources necessary to support the sales effort over time.
Recruiting & Selection of Sales Performers
Not everyone can be a high performing seller. A person's personality and experience may not fit the type of selling that he/she is being asked to do. Credit union staff members must possess superior customer service skills and the aptitude for recognizing and maximizing sales opportunities.
Good hiring decisions minimize the company's investment in training and coaching and produce higher productivity. It takes more than well-written recruitment ads and good networking to find and hire individuals who will become top sales performers. Having the ability to assess applicants' sales aptitude is the key to putting the right person in the right job.
The Profiles Sales Indicator™ is an excellent tool for identifying individuals with the capacity for successfully recognizing and capitalizing on sales opportunities. It measures five key qualities of successful salespeople and predicts performance in seven critical sales behaviors.
For managers, this tool will also help you pinpoint those individuals for whom sales training will make a difference in performance and success.
Psychological research of thousands of salespeople has demonstrated that the one factor that consistently correlates with high sales productivity is a person's personality "fit" with what he/she is actually expected to do in selling. Age, gender, sales or banking experience, and other factors commonly emphasized in financial industry recruiting have little to do with success in selling.
Managers should define and communicate the sales behavior they expect from staff members in sales positions. Next, they should identify peak performers in those sales roles and develop selection criteria based upon the profile of peak performers.
While many credit unions have taken steps to build a more productive sales culture, few have established a preferred way of selling that is consistent in reinforcing their business strategy. Too often, sales is viewed as a short-term initiative. Sales culture development is really about defining, teaching and sustaining desired employee behaviors. Your sales development efforts should result in employees doing and saying the right things that support your business strategy.
The goal is to foster an attitude that members come first and that selling is an important part of the service your institution offers.
Improving Your Sales Force - Can You Beat the 80/20 Rule? by John W. Howard, Ph.D.
Most everyone has heard of, or experienced the 80/20 rule - 80% of the sales come from 20% of the salespeople. For businesses with 5 or more salespeople, it is very common to discover that the top producer generates 3 or 4 times the production of the bottom producer, and it's pretty obvious that it would be desirable to have more top producers! For businesses with only 1 or 2 salespeople, it's even more critical that these positions be filled with top producers. While few experienced sales managers doubt the "rule", equally few know what causes it, or how to fix it.... [Read more]
Which Test Should we Use? by Jeff Schroer
Psychometric assessment products exist in great variety and quantity. Many businesses have employed assessments to support their recruitment, retention, development, and succession planning strategies. However, few are aware of the U.S. Department of Labor's position regarding the use of tests and assessments in areas of employment. They provide 13 basic principles that employers should follow when considering and/or designing an assessment initiative.... [Read more]
Job Fit or MisFit? Performance Based Dismissals by Jay Werth
I'm sorry, but this just isn't working, I think it's best if we part company. Have you been on the giving or receiving side of that statement? Do you recall the unpleasant sense of regret, the foreshadowing and worry that led to those words? A performance-based dismissal is typically preceded by a period of discomfort when everyone realizes there's a bad fit to the job. Remedial steps may be taken in the interest of fairness, but there's a sense that the situation will not improve..... [Read More]
Does Your (Hiring) Elevator Go To The Top? by Jay Werth
Think of the hiring process as an elevator ride, and your manager as the elevator operator. Job candidates are people trying to squeeze into your elevator. The load of all these passengers puts a strain on the elevator and your manager who must also attend to other pressing issues. It's tempting for your manager to quickly eyeball the passengers, letting only a few of them onto the elevator at the first floor and turning away the majority.... [Read More]
Job Growth Low - Productivity Up - Jobfit is Pivotal Factor As the first quarter wound to a close, the government not only reported meager job growth for March, but also revised the already-anemic numbers for the preceding two months-downward. While economists debated whether the numbers were accurate, many maintained that the methodology missed the thousands of new micro businesses being created by former employees turned entrepreneurs.... [Read More]
"We have been using Profiles Assessments since 1993 and I want to compliment you and your company on the constant development of new products and the improvements you have made through the years. The Profile gives me information about our people that is not just "on target," it hits the bulls-eye every time. Using The Profile, we are improving productivity and the efficiency of every employee. It is an incredibly effective tool that I wholeheartedly endorse and recommend." James M.D. Maloney, President - United Freight Service, Inc.
"In a small company it is absolutely essential that the incoming people have the character and temperament to fit in. Public Relations is pressurized enough without having to sort out internal staff and personality clashes caused by hiring people with the wrong fit. As a small company, I would now never consider hiring anyone without first running them through the Profile." Ronnie Simpson, Managing Director
"The Profile Assessment has enabled our company to benchmark the performance standards in our sales executives so that we can strive to hire the best most productive candidates in the shortest amount of time. It saves us about $45,000 each time we can avoid hiring the wrong person. In addition, the Internet application with onscreen administration, instant analysis and report generation makes administration very easy and efficient." Howard Falkow, Director of Human Resources
"We used The Profile when hiring 141 people in the 18 months following its implementation and all but one of these hiring decisions have proven to be excellent - resulting in an incredible 99.3% hit rate in terms of identifying and hiring productive and retainable team members. The information provided by The Profile has been key to achieving such a high number of new hires who immediately settled into their roles as productive team members. As soon as we began to use The Profile in the hiring process we immediately got feedback from our trainers that those recruited with the aid of The Profile were much "more trainable" and took to their responsibilities much more quickly. We are currently implementing programs to ensure that we make even more use of the Coaching, Training, and Succession Planning outputs of the Profile in the ongoing management and development of our people." Michael Owens, HR Director
Q. After I purchase assessments, how soon can I start putting people through the them?
A. You or your applicants will be sent assessment notifications. The applicant will click on the link in the email and they can begin taking their assessment immediately. Please allow up to one business day for the assessment to get to your applicants.
Q. Will I need the sales applicant to come to our office and sit at a computer?
A. No, as long as you have the applicants' email address, you can have them take the assessment on their time, not yours! Upon completion of the assessment, you will receive the results immediately. The applicant will not see the results.
Q.
What if I don't want the participants to receive the assessment, I just want them to take it in the office?
A. You can have the assessment notifications sent to you, your human resource director, or your testing center. When you purchase the assessments, so we know who to send assessment notification emails to, you will need to tell us the email address of each assessment participant.
Q. Who will get the assessment(s) upon completion?
A. Upon ordering your assessments, you will be asked to put in the email address of the person to whom you would like the results sent. In most cases, this is the person doing the hiring (Yourself, Human Resource Director, or Sales Manager).
Q. What information do I need to order assessments?
A. The person's email address who should receive the results and the applicants gender(s), full name(s) and email address(es).
Q. How many people can I put through the assessment?
A. As many as you would like. Just make sure you have the name and email address of each applicant. We want you to be able to differentiate the assessments you will receive.
Q. How soon can I get started?
A. You can purchase your company's assessment today by ordering over the phone (800-331-1287) or emailing Denny at denny@davekahle.com. You may also obtain Sample Reports.
Q. How much time does it take he assessment?
A. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the candidate to complete the entire assessment, once they are finished it is scored immediately so you get the results very quickly.
Q. The case studies often refer to a "Job Match Pattern", what is it?
A. A Job Match Pattern or a Benchmark is a blueprint we create based on those people in your company who do their job the best - your top performers. Many companies claim the assessments they offer already contain what it takes to measure successful people in your industry, geographic area, or the open position in your company. This is entirely speculative! The fact is that all employees are different, each have specific characteristics that allow them to excel in certain jobs and fail in others. To have an accurate Job Match Pattern, you must test your top performers to understand what makes them successful in their jobs. The results are compiled and a Job Match Pattern is formed. Through these results, we now have the best benchmark that can be used as a tool for hiring salespeople. Why? Because the pattern/benchmark is built by the results of your best employees. For additional information call us at 800-331-1287 or download the sample report above.
Q. Is the the Profiles Sales Indicator™ customizable for my company?
A. Yes, the Sales Indicator™ can be customized by company, position, manager and geographic region by developing a unique Job Match Pattern/Benchmark from the results of your top performers.
Q. What is the Profiles Sales Indicator™ assessment typically used for?
A. This assessment can be used for selection, coaching, and training. It can also be used as a self improvement tool for salespeople as well. It is most often used for the pre-hire process. It can be very helpful in the interview process as you will know through the results of the report areas to concentrate on during the interview, or to validate or not validate your perception of a potential employee.
Q. When was the last validation study done for the Sales Indicator?™?
A. 2000, 2001
Q. How much does it cost?
A. The fee structure depends on who administers the assessments, and the quantity of assessments that you purchase. To get a full outline of the cost, call (800-331-1287) or email Denny at denny@davekahle.com.
Q. How much does it cost?
A. The fee structure depends on the quantity of assessments that you purchase. To get a full outline of the cost request a sample report.
Q. What if I don't want the participants to take the assessment online?
A. For a modest handling fee, the assessment can be taken with paper and pencil and faxed to the office of The DaCo Corporation. Please call if interested in this option (800-331-1287).
Q. What specifically does the Profiles Sales Indicator™ measure?
A. The assessment measures the five key qualities that make a successful salesperson. This includes:
Competitiveness
Persistence
Self Reliance
Energy
Sales Drive
Based on how the person measures in these qualities, you also receive a report on how they perform in the following sales behaviors:
"When an employee leaves you, ...you're going to lose 2½ times
the person's annual salary, whether they're entry-level or senior
management." Dr. Pierre Mornell, as quoted in Nations Business
What does it cost you to make a hiring mistake? You can use
this simple Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet to calculate the cost.
To get a copy of the spreadsheet simply put your name and
email address where noted below and press the "Send Now"
button. Within a few minutes you will receive the spreadsheet
via email auto-responder as an attachment.
