Sales Assessment Case Study
Examining the validation and application of personality assessments to transform the sales force of a multinational software company.
Overview
From 2012 to present, Peripheri has engaged with the Client[1] by leveraging personality assessments to:
Improve sales performance in multiple regions.
Decrease turnover of key sales leaders.
Develop and place high-potential performers.
Clarify competency differences between various countries/regions.
Identify unique sales roles for placement optimization.
In addition to conducting assessments of our Client’s sales force, we have also devised and administered a company-wide (~3000 employees) cultural survey and provided assessment and development services for:
Financial Development Leadership Program (FDLP).
Global Tax Leaders.
Financial Analysts candidates.
Marketing Leadership placement and development.
Background
Initiation: Peripheri was originally engaged by the Client to explore personality assessment options for the North America sales division. With the objective of increasing the hiring hit rate and retention rate, Peripheri proposed a 5-step validation plan to:
Randomly select incumbent sales representative.
Measure incumbent sales performances.
Identify three sales styles: Farmer, Hunter and Challenger.
Administer personality assessments to the incumbents.
Correlate assessment data with sales performance and style.
Success: The results of the validation study produced a detailed methodology for guiding selection and placement decisions for new sales representative candidates.[2] Application of the process resulted in:
100% of recommended candidates reaching or exceeding their sales targets in the first year (on average, they achieved 130% of their individual sales goals).
0% of non-recommended candidates reaching their sales targets (on average, they hit only 40% of their individual sales goals).
Expansion: The success of the initiative led the Client to expand the process to their Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) sales divisions. These new divisions presented unique challenges due to the various cultures represented within their territories. Peripheri replicated the methodology of the prior study with three main alterations:
Assessments were translated for non-English speaking candidates.
Items were tailored to be culturally neutral.
Results were segmented by country where applicable.
The success of the expansion was the same as the original application, with all recommended candidates meeting or exceeding their sales targets in the first year.
[1] Client name redacted to preserve confidentiality
[2] Refers to Sample Report, not attached. Click here to contact us to receive full report.