Great Sales Results Start with Great People.

By Chris Tandridge

Predictor of Potential POP7.0™

Achieving great sales results starts with the selection process. If that part of the process is flawed in any way, it will impact upon results despite all the investments in training, development, processes and systems. Relying solely on interviews alone can be highly flawed.

Increasingly more and more organisations require sales applicants to be put through any number of processes. Some have opted for merely increasing the number of interviews, and some also increase the number of people who interview the candidate. This can often result in candidate fatigue, especially from high performers, who drop out of your process as they accept alternative offers from other employers who are faster to recognise their worth. We have heard examples where, after 7 interviews, the candidate has either determined that “this organisation struggles to make decisions”, or the candidate may continue in the process out of a “sense of morbid curiosity”.

Similarly, the sole reliance on the interview process presupposes that the interview alone can identify key behavioural and personality issues. It incorrectly assumes that interviewers alone, no matter their skill levels, will identify all the behavioural aspects that will deliver a successful unbiased outcome – a high risk for any sales role decision.

Today our customers look to ensure that all employment decision makers, at all levels in the organisation, have a solution that they can engage with quickly, affordably and easily. One that they can all easily use and apply themselves. In the fast-moving environment that we all face today, having a solution that requires specialist interpretation, or certification to understand the complex data often being presented, is out of step with a fast-moving digital world.

As consumers we engage with a digital world every day. We expect fast digital solutions as we communicate, access information and entertainment, as we make selections and purchases from a mobile device or a keyboard. Increasingly, businesses must transform to stay in step with this new commercial digital environment. It demands that reactions and decision-making processes must be far more responsive to stay in step. That is particularly true of the employment selection processes. Too slow and you miss out on the top performers. Delays and bottlenecks in your processing can send an unintended negative message. It’s now time to ensure that your selection process is aligned with today’s requirements and that you stay ahead.

We deliver on our customers’ requirements by providing a great experience for every user, at every level, who requires an assessment on which to base well-informed selection decisions. Whether that decision is for a new sales employee or an internal promotion, the Predictor of Potential (POP7.0™) is the digital solution that can be used easily and affordably, in every size of organisation, for every sales role.

Predictive Validity of the POP7.0™

The gold standard for any pre-employment selection assessment is predictive validity. In simple terms, how effective or accurate is the assessment in predicting actual on-the-job performance? For a tool to add organisational value, plus adhere to Compliance with Human rights, Fair Work & EEOC guidelines and similar requirements in countries around the world, its predictive validity must be well established and statistically defensible.

Each year hundreds of predictive validation studies with the POP7.0™ are conducted. Consequently, the POP7.0™ currently exists as one of the most validated assessment tools on the market and has demonstrated strong predictive validity for the past 30 years.

The POP7.0™ measures a variety of constructs that have been shown to correlate with competitive sales performance. As such, higher scores on these competencies are expected among top performers.

Nevertheless, we pride ourselves in customising and benchmarking the POP7.0™ for each of our clients, leading to unique predictive selection models that incorporate intra-organisational intricacies and industry specific benchmarks. These customised models have been shown to statistically increase the predictive utility of the assessment above and beyond its already strong generic predictive capacity.

Customised POP7.0™ Predictive Validity

The following analyses represent the predictive validity of the POP7™ when a customised selection model has been developed for a specific client. Each of the following analyses examine the annual performances of sales representatives 12 months after being hired using the customised selection model. The results of these tables also provide insight into the Return on Investment (ROI) associated with selecting higher quality candidates.

Investment advisors with a large bank

Investment advisors who rated high on the POP7 ™ assessment (green column) average 87.8% higher commissions when compared with advisors who were rated as a poor fit for the position.

Investment advisors with a large firm

Field sales representatives for a large distributor

New *FSRs selected with the organisation’s customised model who were identified as “high potential”(green column) – on average delivered double the production at the end of Year 1 when compared with FSRs who were rated as “low potential” for success. (*FSR’s – Field Sales Representatives)

Statistical data such as this is made very real when we consider the actual dollars involved in real world customer metrics against the business results. That after all is what the Board will be most interested in.

Customised to the Metrics of Success for Your Organisation

You can customise any of our POP™ employment assessments with these validated Add-Ons, allowing you to assess a broader range of individual attributes that predict a wide range of behaviours and competencies:

  • Integrity
  • Trust
  • PPI (Positive Person Inventory)
  • EQ (Emotional Quotient)
  • FIT (Fluid Intelligence Test)
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Cognitive Skills
  • Biographics

Application of POP7.0™ ensures that our clients avoid delays and road blocks in their selection processes. They are able to make informed decisions quickly, affordably and easily based upon sound science, and avoid any bottle necks in the decision-making processes. In today’s business environment, the risk of responding too slowly is the difference between getting the best candidate or choosing from the ones left over.

Learn more by contacting us today!

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