At AchieveGlobal, we think of ourselves as transformers. Not the science fiction, Autobot kind, but the kind that helps companies transform their sales processes and build a more successful sales organization.
Recently, we worked with Cardinal Health Nuclear Pharmacy Services as they positioned themselves to deliver greater customer satisfaction and retention, simultaneously building their sales performance.
The results? An increase in first year performance of well over 15 percent.
But success like this isn’t arbitrary. It requires a deep appreciation that the process the organization must undergo is nothing less than a transformation. For Cardinal Health, four specific steps defined the process:
- Developing future role profiles. In this step, assessment specialists HR Chally completed job analysis and validation studies, from which sales role profiles were developed. This part of the process helped Cardinal Health to understand the changing skills and behaviors needed to meet the changing market demands.
- Assessing the strengths and opportunities of the current sales force. Through this part of the process, Cardinal Health assessed the competency of sales personnel.
- Leveraging existing strengths and developing needed capabilities. Once the company had assessed sales personnel competencies, an emphasis was put on rolling out development plans, giving constructive feedback, and coaching— including Sales Director “ride-alongs”— to improve performance.
- Putting tools in place to hire for the future. By developing selection tools for hiring, HR Chally assisted Cardinal Health in implementing first and second behavior-based interviews and using an online assessment. These selection tools helped identify the most competent candidates for sales positions, and gave the company a realistic picture of the coaching that would be needed upon hire.
While the launch of the new initiatives marked an important milestone, the transformation process is both dynamic and ongoing. Since the launch, Cardinal Health reports several positive outcomes, including:
- Sales directors give preference to candidates who exhibit required competencies, instead of experience in nuclear pharmacy industry.
- Better aligned sales incentive plans.
- Overall increase in sales performance.
Change can be difficult. Recognizing that transformation is needed means admitting that your existing system is broken or outdated. Going through this process of self-reflection and self-critique may feel like starting from a position of loss, but it’s “No sacrifice, no victory!”
Interested to hear more about Cardinal Health’s sales success story? Join AchieveGlobal and Cardinal Health on May 16,th 2012 for a complimentary webinar. Click here to learn more.
Sharon Daniels is CEO of AchieveGlobal in Tampa, Florida
