DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR SALES PEOPLE ?
Who is on first? We have all heard the comedy routine made famous by Abbott and Costello about the bungling baseball manager who doesn’t know anything about the players on his team. We laugh, but do we ever stop to ask ourselves how well we, as managers, know the employees we manage?
Sure, we know that Dave is the loud one, Jenny is the quiet one, Steve is the funny one and Kelly is the nice one, but are we really managing them and motivating them in the way that they want to be motivated? Without asking intrusive questions, how can we know our employees on a deeper level in order to maximize their productivity and increase their job satisfaction?
The quickest, simplest and most economical way to do this is through psychometric testing for personal development. That’s right, psychometric testing is not just for hiring anymore! Each member of your team completes a quick assessment that not only measures their abilities, but also their motivations, interests and personality traits. You then receive a report that outlines the strengths of your team as a whole, and then goes further to identify any untapped potential in each member. And the results can be both surprising and astounding!
Imagine learning that Tina, the new employee in Finance who just graduated from university, has a real competitive streak and the ability to learn faster than 80% of the general population? Don’t just sit there, delegate things to her! She needs to be challenged and wants to show off her ability – give her that opportunity to shine and at the same time, free up some of your time to concentrate on other core issues.
Or imagine finding out that Brad, the quiet and introverted guy on your team, is actually full of good ideas – he just lacks the confidence to stand up at share them at team meetings. Make it a point to call on Brad at various times during the meeting and encourage him to share his opinions – it would be a shame to take the second-best idea because the person with the best idea was too shy to interrupt.
Best yet, imagine finding out that Jim, the sales rep who could never seem to meet his quotas, has a strong interest in working with shapes and is exceptionally innovative. Before you fire him because his sales results are not there, why not consider transferring him to Marketing and have him work with the product development team? Don’t lose a potential superstar employee just because he may be in the wrong job right now.
What are the advantages to you, as a manager? Well, for starters, you’ll now be able to identify the best way to motivate and reward each member of your team because you’ll know what drives them. You’ll also be able to get optimal results from tasks that you delegate because you’ll now be delegating those tasks to the employee who loves to do that sort of thing. And, if the task requires that you delegate to more than one person, you’ll know which employees will work best together since you’ll know more about their personality.
If your employees are happy, productive and motivated, you can expect turnover to be low. Just think of the time and money you’ll save by not having to recruit a tonne of new employees every year. It will also make succession planning easier too.
Finally, it can help you identify training requirements or team building activities that will benefit everyone.
But what is the real value to you? The real value is simple and true for all of us, whether we want to admit it or not: as managers, we want our employees to like and respect us. Proper motivation, effective delegation and the creation of a work environment where employees can be their best is the benchmark of management in the new millennium. Use assessment testing to get the most out of your team and turn them into a great team – then pass this article over to your own boss and highlight the part about succession planning!
Sure, we know that Dave is the loud one, Jenny is the quiet one, Steve is the funny one and Kelly is the nice one, but are we really managing them and motivating them in the way that they want to be motivated? Without asking intrusive questions, how can we know our employees on a deeper level in order to maximize their productivity and increase their job satisfaction?
The quickest, simplest and most economical way to do this is through psychometric testing for personal development. That’s right, psychometric testing is not just for hiring anymore! Each member of your team completes a quick assessment that not only measures their abilities, but also their motivations, interests and personality traits. You then receive a report that outlines the strengths of your team as a whole, and then goes further to identify any untapped potential in each member. And the results can be both surprising and astounding!
Imagine learning that Tina, the new employee in Finance who just graduated from university, has a real competitive streak and the ability to learn faster than 80% of the general population? Don’t just sit there, delegate things to her! She needs to be challenged and wants to show off her ability – give her that opportunity to shine and at the same time, free up some of your time to concentrate on other core issues.
Or imagine finding out that Brad, the quiet and introverted guy on your team, is actually full of good ideas – he just lacks the confidence to stand up at share them at team meetings. Make it a point to call on Brad at various times during the meeting and encourage him to share his opinions – it would be a shame to take the second-best idea because the person with the best idea was too shy to interrupt.
Best yet, imagine finding out that Jim, the sales rep who could never seem to meet his quotas, has a strong interest in working with shapes and is exceptionally innovative. Before you fire him because his sales results are not there, why not consider transferring him to Marketing and have him work with the product development team? Don’t lose a potential superstar employee just because he may be in the wrong job right now.
What are the advantages to you, as a manager? Well, for starters, you’ll now be able to identify the best way to motivate and reward each member of your team because you’ll know what drives them. You’ll also be able to get optimal results from tasks that you delegate because you’ll now be delegating those tasks to the employee who loves to do that sort of thing. And, if the task requires that you delegate to more than one person, you’ll know which employees will work best together since you’ll know more about their personality.
If your employees are happy, productive and motivated, you can expect turnover to be low. Just think of the time and money you’ll save by not having to recruit a tonne of new employees every year. It will also make succession planning easier too.
Finally, it can help you identify training requirements or team building activities that will benefit everyone.
But what is the real value to you? The real value is simple and true for all of us, whether we want to admit it or not: as managers, we want our employees to like and respect us. Proper motivation, effective delegation and the creation of a work environment where employees can be their best is the benchmark of management in the new millennium. Use assessment testing to get the most out of your team and turn them into a great team – then pass this article over to your own boss and highlight the part about succession planning!
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