Imparta White Paper distributed by Activatum – Sales Effectiveness Audit
7. How much: Measuring and managing performance impact The old saying ‘you get what you measure’ was never more true than in sales effectiveness. The Kirkpatrick approach to measuring sales effectiveness provides a good structure and allows you to close the loop, taking action in areas of ongoing weakness. Be ambitious, though. Effectiveness comes from what people do, rather than just what they know, so it is important to measure what you care about. Contrary to popular belief, it is also possible to measure business impact in a variety of ways. Which of the following does your business use? Skill/Capability
Not Done (0 points)
Informal (2 points)
Formal (4 points)
Level 1: Was the training good? • ‘Happy sheets’ (that someone actually reads and does something about) • ‘Likes/changes’ feedback during sessions • Regular course updates on the basis of feedback Level 2: Have people learned the skills? • Quizzes. These should focus on application (what would you do in situation x?) rather than definition (what is value?) Level 3: Are people applying the skills? • Manager assessment against competencies • Field assessment by third party • Assessments using simulations or telephone-based role-plays Level 4: Is there business impact (and ROI)? • Analysis of target metrics before training and the trend afterwards • Correlation of quota performance against competence measurements • Attribution of success to new skills in case studies (a surprisingly useful approach) Sales Managers: should have similarly balanced scorecards, though theirs would have to include coaching ability and team performance Totals (max 20) Your Organisation’s Overall Performance: Weak (0-5) Moderate (6-10) Strong (11-15) World Class (16-20)
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