High Performer Research
We have provided assessment and development services to companies since 1987.
In the autumn of 2000, after discussions with leading thinkers in the sales community including Huthwaite, the Chartered Institute of Marketing and The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management, we set up a research project to see if the science of assessment could be applied to selecting high performing sales people.
We used a form of assessment to measure the pattern of an individual’s thinking, communication and way of relating to people. We analysed 150 people in 75 companies, including HVAC companies such as PowerGen, GasForce, Hepworth Heating (Now Glow-Worm), Worcester Bosch and Trox.
The results were from 75 different companies including the HVAC industry. We found:
- High performing sales engineers were born rather than made
- High performers think, relate and communicate differently to other people
- It was possible to measure an individual’s suitability to sales.
- People who were suited to sales were more likely to enjoy the job, perform better and stay in the job longer.
- High performer traits could be identified in students and young people.
- Some of the traits that were measurable were critical to success in other roles such as marketing, management and technical jobs.
Whatever level of natural ability in their sales men or women, we found sales managers and trainers could improve individual performance by focusing their training and coaching on high performer behaviours.
