6. Salesmanship - 360 degree feedback

Are you truly customer centred? Do your customers trust you? And are you the first person they call in when they have a problem? This 360 looks at how you combine commercial realities with the essential ability to work in the customer`s best interests. Whilst having the tenacity and drive to get to that vital win-win time after time.

Competency Framework

You must complete all mandatory competencies and can select up to 3 optional ones.

Mandatory CompetenciesOptional Competencies
Customer focus Adaptability/Change Management
Resilience Motivation
Selling Skills Planning and Organising
Delivering results Developing self
Integrity and Ethical management
Influencing
Time Management
Commercial and financial awareness
Communication

Mandatory Competencies

  • Customer focus

    The pursuit of the highest level of customer service

    • Anticipates future customer needs and trends
    • Focuses on identifying opportunities to benefit customers
    • Offers advice and guidance in responding to customer enquiries
    • Shows respect and friendliness to customers
    • Strives to resolve customer concerns
    • Talks and listens to customers to clarify their real needs and expectations

  • Resilience

    This competency reflects the ability to be resilient and to achieve through repeated effort

    • Maintains motivation and focus when under pressure
    • Perseveres over a period of time to achieve an end result
    • Progresses with the task even in the face of personal frustration or disappointment
    • Refuses to allow earlier setbacks to affect future situations
    • Remains calm, professional & focused, acting as a role model in difficult situations
    • Stays positive in the face of interpersonal conflict or disruption to plans
    • Steps back from a difficult situation to understand what is going on & why
    • Sticks to the task in hand, even if practical difficulties arise

  • Selling Skills

    This competency reflects the ability to sell products and services effectively and in an ethical manner

    • Able to handle the pressure to sell more when targets are raised
    • Accurately diagnoses the critical issues facing the buyer
    • Actively prospects to find new opportunities to sell
    • Builds trust by not trying to sell things that buyers do not need
    • Deals with scepticism, objections and rejections positively and objectively
    • Focuses discussions on benefits and features most appropriate to the needs of the buyer
    • Makes the most of new opportunities to sell e.g. good at turning leads into appointments
    • Works inside the appropriate ethical guidelines or codes of practice

  • Delivering results

    The ability to focus oneself and others on achieving specific outcomes

    • Challenges those who fail to achieve the required standards
    • Effectively implements company initiatives
    • Encourages others to aim high and exceed normal expectations
    • Focuses effort on priority tasks and activities to achieve maximum results
    • Is able to progress several issues simultaneously
    • Manages projects successfully from inception to delivery
    • Sets realistic deadlines, tasks and standards for others

  • Integrity and Ethical management

    The ability to work ethically according to professional & company values

    • Accepts responsibility for own work & decisions
    • Admits mistakes
    • Gives credit to deserving parties and does not take credit for the work of others
    • Is loyal to the company and its principles
    • Maintains principles even if short term commercial advantage is compromised
    • Sticks to decisions which have been made and stays true to their word
    • Uses positional and personal power with care and restraint

  • Influencing

    The ability to influence and persuade others

    • Anticipates how people are likely to react and prepares appropriately
    • Continually assesses a situation and adapts behaviour accordingly
    • Has the appropriate skills to turn objections into positive outcomes
    • Is good at influencing senior people and winning support for a case
    • Is persuasive without being aggressive
    • Makes a strong & positive impact in a group
    • States own views & opinions & backs them up with clear evidence

  • Time Management

    The ability to make most effective use of one's own time and that of others

    • Challenges the need to go to irrelevant or time wasting meetings
    • Gets the job done without procrastinating or delaying.
    • Is constantly aware of what is the best use of their own time
    • Is punctual and a good timekeeper
    • Only uses email when it is the most efficient and most appropriate form of communication
    • Resists temptation to take on other people's problems at the expense of own productivity
    • Says 'no' assertively when time is not available

  • Commercial and financial awareness

    The ability to apply understanding of the company & industry to improve effectiveness & profitability

    • Bases decisions primarily upon the benefits to the business
    • Concentrates on delivering results which bring the clearest commercial benefit
    • Demonstrates an understanding of how the different parts of the organisation work together
    • Ensures own work is in line with the direction of the organisation
    • Identifies opportunities to gain commercial advantage by exploiting competitors' weaknesses
    • Is able to use sound financial logic to propose a convincing case to influence the business direction
    • Keeps up to date with commercial developments within the industry

  • Communication

    The ability to give and gather information and to actively manage the communication process

    • Asks questions to find out others real views and check understanding
    • Conveys complex information in plain language
    • Has a manner, style and presence that makes a positive impression
    • Listens to and considers others views
    • States own views clearly and concisely
    • Tackles disagreement constructively
    • Uses electronic communication channels appropriately and in a way that generates a positive reaction in the recipients

Optional Competencies - you can choose up to 3 of these

  • Adaptability/Change Management

    The ability to respond & adapt to changing circumstances and to manage, solve problems and provide solutions in a climate of ambiguity

    • Adopts ideas used successfully elsewhere
    • Challenges conventional views to benefit the business
    • Enthusiastically accepts beneficial change
    • Generates innovative ideas and solutions
    • Identifies when changes are needed
    • Suggests ideas for possible improvements
    • Translates ideas into practical solutions

  • Motivation

    The ability to support and encourage individuals and teams, so that they give of their best

    • Demonstrates belief in the abilities of others
    • Displays genuine interest in people and their progress
    • Gives praise and open recognition
    • Has strength and maturity to support individuals and teams through difficult circumstances
    • Involves others and encourages full participation
    • Motivates others through personal example
    • Takes time to discover what motivates individuals

  • Planning and Organising

    The ability to plan, organise and prioritise work. Balancing resources, skills, priorities and timescales to achieve objectives

    • Allows for contingency in plans
    • Concentrates effort on priorities
    • Ensures own work is accurate and timely
    • Holds structured, productive meetings
    • Identifies clear targets and priorities
    • Plans for the long term
    • Reviews and reassesses plans and priorities on a regular basis

  • Developing self

    The ability to focus on own development and to take action to learn.

    • Actively seeks feedback to assist with continuous self-improvement
    • Evaluates own performance
    • Is able to accurately identify own development needs
    • Open to learning
    • Reviews & consciously learns from experience
    • Sees own development as important
    • Takes responsibility for setting up their own learning opportunities