Case Study - Building Sales Force Effectiveness

Client Need

A large FMCG business was under pressure to leverage top-line revenue performance. As part of an overall sales effectiveness strategy, they sought assistance in building the capability of people in business development roles across the organisation.

CompAssess Solution

CompAssess was engaged to help the client understand the success criteria for different business development roles and to help the client apply the resultant Success Profiles for resource deployment, feedback and development planning and to target and drive the most high pay-off organisation development activities.

Fundamentally different roles were identified through consultation with client stakeholders. These included sales managers, key account managers and sales representatives.

Through a highly consultative process Success Profiles were developed for each key role incorporating the required demonstrable competencies, traits and qualities (including enablers and derailers), knowledge requirements and prerequisite experiences for individuals to be effective in business development roles. The resultant profiles were validated by senior management within the business to demonstrate accuracy and buy-in.

From the Success Profiles, custom designed development centres were developed to provide the stimuli for current incumbents to demonstrate their capabilities. Data from interaction simulations and analysis exercises were assessed by CompAssess expert assessors with individual development reports provided for incumbents with business development responsibilities. By project completion, this will include approximately 400 staff.

One-on-one feedback sessions facilitated by CompAssess consultants involved both the development centre participant and their manager, resulting in an individualised development plan with buy-in from participant and manager.

Organisationally, aggregated data from the development centres has demonstrated clear patterns of collective strengths and development gaps that is being applied as a key input into organisation development plans and strategies as well as group development programs.

Outcome

This project is still underway and the revenue impact is yet to be determined. The client organisation, however, is carefully tracking a range of revenue metrics to determine the top-line impact of this critical initiative.