Sales Force Capabilities and Performance Study

Section I. Assessing Your Sales Force Competencies

In responding to the questions, please refer to the sales force for your strategic business unit (SBU), or if your firm has only one SBU, please refer to your firm's sales force

Question Title

* 1. Please rate the capabilities of your sales force relative to your focal competitors in the following areas:

	Much Worse -3	Worse -2	Slightly Worse -1	Same as Competitors 0	Slightly Better 1	Better 2	Much Better 3
Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Much Worse -3	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Worse -2	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Slightly Worse -1	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Same as Competitors 0	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Slightly Better 1	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Better 2	Acquiring market knowledge to identify valuable potential customers Much Better 3
Developing skills for acquiring new customers	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Much Worse -3	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Worse -2	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Slightly Worse -1	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Same as Competitors 0	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Slightly Better 1	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Better 2	Developing skills for acquiring new customers Much Better 3
Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Much Worse -3	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Worse -2	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Slightly Worse -1	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Same as Competitors 0	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Slightly Better 1	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Better 2	Coordinating knowledge from marketing and sales to target segments with qualified opportunities Much Better 3
Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Much Worse -3	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Worse -2	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Slightly Worse -1	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Same as Competitors 0	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Slightly Better 1	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Better 2	Integrating results from different selling approaches to improve lead conversion rates Much Better 3
Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Much Worse -3	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Worse -2	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Slightly Worse -1	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Same as Competitors 0	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Slightly Better 1	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Better 2	Transferring knowledge from previous customers to develop new lead qualification criteria Much Better 3
Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Much Worse -3	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Worse -2	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Slightly Worse -1	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Same as Competitors 0	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Slightly Better 1	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Better 2	Redeploying salespeople from unproductive to productive prospects Much Better 3

Question Title

* 2. Please rate the capabilities of your sales force relative to your focal competitors in the following areas:

	Much Worse -3	Worse -2	Slightly Worse -1	Same as Competitors 0	Slightly Better 1	Better 2	Much Better 3
Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Much Worse -3	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Worse -2	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Slightly Worse -1	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Same as Competitors 0	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Slightly Better 1	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Better 2	Building a positive industry reputation to help gain customers' trust in our salespeople Much Better 3
Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Much Worse -3	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Worse -2	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Slightly Worse -1	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Same as Competitors 0	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Slightly Better 1	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Better 2	Developing a mutual understanding of our intentions to help our customers Much Better 3
Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Much Worse -3	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Worse -2	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Slightly Worse -1	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Same as Competitors 0	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Slightly Better 1	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Better 2	Combining market and personal knowledge to build credibility with customers Much Better 3
Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Much Worse -3	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Worse -2	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Slightly Worse -1	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Same as Competitors 0	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Slightly Better 1	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Better 2	Leveraging our brand to enhance our reputation as trustworthy salespeople Much Better 3
Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Much Worse -3	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Worse -2	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Slightly Worse -1	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Same as Competitors 0	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Slightly Better 1	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Better 2	Transforming our approach to gain new customers' trust in our salespeople Much Better 3
Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Much Worse -3	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Worse -2	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Slightly Worse -1	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Same as Competitors 0	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Slightly Better 1	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Better 2	Transferring the expertise gained from previous customers to develop trust with new customers Much Better 3

Question Title

* 3. Please rate the capabilities of your sales force relative to your focal competitors in the following areas:

	Much Worse -3	Worse -2	Slightly Worse -1	Same as Competitors 0	Slightly Better 1	Better 2	Much Better 3
Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Much Worse -3	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Worse -2	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Slightly Worse -1	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Same as Competitors 0	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Slightly Better 1	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Better 2	Building sales processes to identify customers' latent needs Much Better 3
Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Much Worse -3	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Worse -2	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Slightly Worse -1	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Same as Competitors 0	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Slightly Better 1	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Better 2	Gathering information to understand our customers' evolving needs Much Better 3
Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Much Worse -3	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Worse -2	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Slightly Worse -1	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Same as Competitors 0	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Slightly Better 1	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Better 2	Integrating organizational knowledge to resolve our customers' issues Much Better 3
Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Much Worse -3	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Worse -2	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Slightly Worse -1	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Same as Competitors 0	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Slightly Better 1	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Better 2	Coordinating organizational resources to develop unique solutions Much Better 3
Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Much Worse -3	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Worse -2	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Slightly Worse -1	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Same as Competitors 0	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Slightly Better 1	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Better 2	Transforming quickly changing customer requests into new effective solutions Much Better 3
Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Much Worse -3	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Worse -2	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Slightly Worse -1	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Same as Competitors 0	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Slightly Better 1	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Better 2	Redeploying resources to meet each customer's unique requirements Much Better 3

Question Title

* 4. Please rate the capabilities of your sales force relative to your focal competitors in the following areas:

	Much Worse -3	Worse -2	Slightly Worse -1	Same as Competitors 0	Slightly Better 1	Better 2	Much Better 3
Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Much Worse -3	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Worse -2	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Slightly Worse -1	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Same as Competitors 0	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Slightly Better 1	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Better 2	Building a network to establish personal relationships within customer organizations Much Better 3
Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Much Worse -3	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Worse -2	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Slightly Worse -1	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Same as Competitors 0	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Slightly Better 1	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Better 2	Acquiring knowledge to identify key decision makers in customer organizations Much Better 3
Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Much Worse -3	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Worse -2	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Slightly Worse -1	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Same as Competitors 0	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Slightly Better 1	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Better 2	Coordinating organizational resources to expand relationships within customer organizations Much Better 3
Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Much Worse -3	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Worse -2	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Slightly Worse -1	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Same as Competitors 0	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Slightly Better 1	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Better 2	Combining knowledge across multiple relationships to establish connections with influential stakeholders in customer organizations Much Better 3
Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Much Worse -3	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Worse -2	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Slightly Worse -1	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Same as Competitors 0	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Slightly Better 1	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Better 2	Transferring insights gained from one customer organization to develop relationships in another customer organization Much Better 3
Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Much Worse -3	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Worse -2	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Slightly Worse -1	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Same as Competitors 0	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Slightly Better 1	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Better 2	Reallocating resources to enhance the quality of customer relationships Much Better 3

Question Title

* 5. Please rate the capabilities of your sales force relative to your focal competitors in the following areas:

	Much Worse -3	Worse -2	Slightly Worse -1	Same as Competitors 0	Slightly Better 1	Better 2	Much Better 3
Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Much Worse -3	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Worse -2	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Slightly Worse -1	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Same as Competitors 0	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Slightly Better 1	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Better 2	Developing sales processes to maintain long-lasting customer relationships Much Better 3
Creating routines to help retain profitable customers	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Much Worse -3	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Worse -2	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Slightly Worse -1	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Same as Competitors 0	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Slightly Better 1	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Better 2	Creating routines to help retain profitable customers Much Better 3
Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Much Worse -3	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Worse -2	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Slightly Worse -1	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Same as Competitors 0	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Slightly Better 1	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Better 2	Coordinating resources efficiently to provide frequent customer contact Much Better 3
Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Much Worse -3	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Worse -2	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Slightly Worse -1	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Same as Competitors 0	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Slightly Better 1	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Better 2	Integrating customer relationship data with sales processes to repair damaged relationships Much Better 3
Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Much Worse -3	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Worse -2	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Slightly Worse -1	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Same as Competitors 0	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Slightly Better 1	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Better 2	Redeploying resources to prevent customer attrition Much Better 3
Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Much Worse -3	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Worse -2	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Slightly Worse -1	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Same as Competitors 0	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Slightly Better 1	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Better 2	Transferring insights gained from lost customers to improve customer retention Much Better 3