Deegs,

Odd isn't it? We can know who the top performers are. We can know who is most successful at moving up the customer's price point. We can know who is not as successful. And yet we struggle to figure out why?

“You think because you understand one you must understand two, because one and one makes two. But you must also understand and.”
Sufi Teaching

I know you have been talking about ROI but it sure sounds like there are other fish to fry...as outlined by so many of the previous posts.

What about a creative way to use your top performers as mentors? Although it may not be simple, I am confidant they do know what works and they know why. It's about asking the right questions.

Hello Deegs:

>The states are contiguous (CA,NV,OR,WA)and you are absolutely right that salespeople perform differently in different regions.<

Thanks and that bit of wisdom comes as quite a surprise to our larger clients who used to hire to one corporate profile.

>... I was most succesful in stores that were located in areas with similar demographics to the area I grew up in.<

A good insight.

>This is very obvious if you spend a day working in one of our San Diego stores compared to a day spent in one of our San Francisco or Seattle stores. The same language is spoken but there is definitely a different culture in each area.<

It is also true for different offices in large organizations as well.

>I am currently reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and this quote really backs up a case study in the book...<

We have numerous case studies that show the same thing over and over again--hiring for talent allows employers to hire successful employees.

Bob Gately
bobgately@verizon.net

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bob Gately,

Hello verite:

>...yet we struggle to figure out why?<

The authors of the book "First break all the rules, what the world's greatest managers do differently" have the answer--talent is what separates the best performers from the rest.

>It's about asking the right questions.<

Do you think listening may be more important than asking the right questions?

Bob

Bob....

When I offered the "struggle to figure out why" comment it was a fairly lame attempt to introduce the notion that sometimes....what we can't seem to figure out is often hidden in plain sight. And that maybe, just maybe, it's worth taking another look at those top performers to see what can be learned.

For me the learning comes from both the questions and the responses. Having had the honor of moderating a local Socrates Cafe for years I continue to be amazed at the depth of understanding that can be achieved through the use of a relatively few, carefully crafted questions. And yes...in order to ask great questions you also need to be a great listener.

Why rank them? How can one communicate effectively without both skills?