If you left your current job today for another leadership role, how many of your sales reps and/or sales managers would you take with you? Be honest.  50%? Or more like 5%? Anything under 25% means you are settling.  You do not have the team you need to make things happen for your business as the economy continues to improve.  What are your competitors doing right now?  Are they settling as well?  Don’t take that risk.  Assess your team today.  Start with the following competencies, and be completely honest.  You’re only limiting your own performance.

1. Ultra Competitive. In the current environment, you can’t wait for things to happen, you have to make things happen. Was the individual still closing business in the current challenging business climate, or just checking the box? These individuals are highly goal oriented.
2. Customer Focused.  Is the individual taking the time to understand the customer’s needs and motivations?  Is the sales rep positioning themselves as a business partner, or to be the first call the customer makes?
3. Benefit Focused.  Can the rep state the benefits of doing business with your company, versus just the features and advantages?  Does he/she understand the difference? Does the rep add value instead of just being a time-suck for the customer?
4. Self Motivated.  You can encourage and inspire, and you can teach selling skills, but you can’t teach motivation. Enough said.
5. Inquisitive. Does the rep ask questions to truly understand the customer or just to “complete the basic requirements” of the customer account profile?  If the rep is interested enough to ask the questions, chances are he/she will figure out how to use that information to close a sale.
6. Desire to Learn and Improve.  This means the individual is coachable and eager to become one of the best.  (This competency can be linked to competitiveness.)  How does the rep respond to coaching?  Does he/she ask for feedback?  Does the rep seek additional training?  What non-required things has the rep done in order to improve?
7. Communication Skills.  Definition of communication: the art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas.  Is the rep doing this with customers?  With you?  With peers?  With others in your business? Does the rep demonstrate effective questioning and listening?
8. Organized.  Say what you will, but the best in almost any field or position are organized.  They are neat, they are clean, and they know where everything is.  They have a system, or multiple systems.  And they use them.  For the Seinfeld fans out there – remember the Costanza wallet?  (for those of you who were not Seinfeld fans, George Costanza was known for having a wallet stuffed and overflowing – too big to put in his pocket, and he could never find anything.) Don’t be a Costanza.
9. Positive Attitude. Someone who has the ability to handle rejection and not take it personally.  Someone who sees the opportunities, not the barriers.  Most often these people are the ones encouraging others.  They engage corporate changes, and make the most of a situation.
10. Integrity.  Takes ultimate responsibility for sales territory. Adheres to company’s core Values, Mission, and Vision.

OK – so now that you have something to measure your team with, what are you going to do?  Is a sales rep who is not hitting his/her sales goal worth keeping if they don’t demonstrate several of the above competencies? Are they truly coachable, or have you just been placating them and yourself? Is the cost to keep them greater than the cost of replacing them?  Even if the sales territory is open for a few months? Only you can answer these questions, but hopefully this gets you started thinking about your team, and the future success of your team, which ultimately defines your own success.