It’s well-known that top performers disproportionately contribute to company revenue – up to four times more compared to the average. But, when it comes to sales recruiting, it’s a puzzle all our clients are trying to solve. What do top performers look like? What drives them? And, how do you duplicate them?
A recent study collected resume, personality, salary, and cultural fit data on thousands of sales professionals. The aim was to help employers find the best matches for their open roles. Using a data set of 130,326 data points, the study analyzed 1,000 salespeople identified by employers as top performers. The participants included business development representatives to VPs. It was all in an effort to understand what it takes to be a top-performing sales professional.
The four insights learned from analyzing 1000 top sales performers are:
- Motivation: Survey after survey show compensation is the No. 1 driver for sales professionals. Similarily, the study data supports this finding. Compared to the rest of the team, top performers are just as motivated by compensation. Basically, top sales performers differ because their motivation to perform is internal. That is, selling is more personally fulfilling compared to the average salesperson. All things being equal, salespeople with a genuine passion for their job tend to outperform their peers.
- Selling Skills: This analysis found the major difference with top performers is their ability to influence others. However, it really doesn’t matter how good a sales rep is at communicating the product’s value prop or how good they are at creating rapport with a prospect. The ability to persuade someone to take the next step in the selling process is truly what sets a top performer apart.
- Personality: Many experts have argued that selling is more complex than ever, which requires a different skillset such as strong analytical abilities. The study data supports this. Top performers are more analytical compared to other sales reps and, also, are more assertive compared to the average. Thus, these top performers seem to be able to successfully balance when to confidently move things forward while not appearing too pushy, which is the most common complaint about this profession.
- Cultural Fit: Contrary to the ultra-competitive sales team stereotype, the analysis of cultural fit found that top performers prefer a more collaborative team culture. The “lone wolf” sales archetype may be on the wane because modern teams are more specialized in sales development, account management, and even customer success roles. In addition, a more complicated buying process means reps often need to get buy-in from multiple buyers. That’s a difficult process to navigate on their own.
The Takeaways
The data on 1,000 top sales performers found that they differ in terms of motivation, personality, selling skills, and cultural fit. These four factors are crucial to assess when recruiting salespeople who are statistically more likely to become top performers at your company. Keep in mind, however, that these are general findings across several different sales roles. The best way to recruit salespeople who are more likely to become a top performer is to assess your current team, create a top performer benchmark, and recruit salespeople that fit your benchmark.
Sales Force Evaluation and Development
Your selling team is an integral part of your business. This group creates opportunities for business growth and directly impacts relationships, revenues, and repeat business. Their individual success will drive the success of your organization. Through SmartHire
®’s Sales Force Evaluation and Development programs, you’re able to break barriers preventing sales success and unlock the potential of your selling force. Contact us today for more information on our
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Excerpts By Ji-A Min, Ideal, ERE, eremedia.com 05/19/2016 
