CEB Sales Leadership Council for Midsized Companies

Contact Us
Phone: +1-866-913-8101
E-Mail: SalesMidsized.Support@executiveboard.com
Web: cebglobal.com/sales-midsized
© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved. SLR1587615SYN cebglobal.com
Membership Program at a Glance
CEB Sales Leadership Council
For Midsized Companies
Actionable solutions, peer data, and best practices to support shared sales challenges
The Collective Wisdom of the World’s
Best Companies
How We Deliver Value
How We Are Different
Cross-Functional Research
We work with CXOs across the executive table to provide perspective and
context beyond Sales.
Practitioner-Based Insight
We source insight from a network of your peers, representing the collective
wisdom of hundreds of companies instead of an individual analyst’s
perspective.
Actionable Solutions
We provide strategic planning and management solutions that you and your
team can easily customize.
Vendor-Neutral Guidance
We eliminate vendor bias from our research, highlighting the best ideas that
drive return on investments.
Research and Insight
We create unique research and tools throughout the year to help sales leaders
overcome new issues and challenges.
Proven Best Practices
We share tested approaches to solving business challenges from the collective
wisdom our network of leading companies.
Peer Benchmarks
We analyze relevant quantitative data to enable you to compare your sales
performance to that of other midsized companies.
Decision and Diagnostic Tools
We provide customized views of your current state and offer guidance on targeted
ways to improve.
Advisory Support
We support sales executives with personalized guidance on major initiatives.
6,000+ Participating Organizations
89% of the Fortune 500
3,000+ Midsized Organizations
300,000+ Business Professionals
16,000+ Senior Executives
4,100 Employees Worldwide
110+ Represented Countries

Contact Us
Phone: +1-866-913-8101
Support for Sales Initiatives
Across the Year
Partnering to address Sales’ most critical priorities
CSO Forum: Exclusively for heads of sales, designed to expose
sales leaders to the latest research and cutting edge strategies
for overcoming pressing business challenges.
Executive Meetings: Intended for VPs, crafted to help executives
improve their organizations with proven tactics and a clear road map.
Regional Briefings: Open to all leadership levels, designed
to expose members to the latest sales research and insights.
Workshops: Includes multiple attendees from organizations,
created to arm practitioners with the knowledge and confidence
to execute.
CEB Sales and Marketing Summit: Multi-day conference
with multiple tracks, covering a wide variety of topics.
Challenger SellingTM
■■ ChallengerTM
Reps
■■ Commercial Teaching
■■ Customer Stakeholders
Compensation
■■ Design a Compensation Plan
■■ Communicate Plan Changes
■■ Manage a Presidents Club Program
Insight-Led Messaging
■■ Understanding Components
of World-Class Insight
■■ Identifying Underappreciated,
Unique Strengths
Indirect Sales Channels
■■ Selecting and Building Channel
Partnerships
■■ Increasing Partner Sales
■■ Measuring Partner Performance
Sales Ops Management
■■ Sales Metrics
■■ Sales Process
■■ Sales Tools and CRM
Talent
■■ Attracting and Hiring Talent
■■ Onboarding and Training
■■ Developing Managers
Sample Support Through Meetings Examples of CEB Support Across Sales
Engagement Model:
How We Serve You
Introduce your team to CEB resources
and develop a service plan.
Evaluate partnership progress
and update the service plan.
Access our support initiatives through unlimited use
of research, diagnostics, tools, and advisory services.
Mutually define partnership success and
identify areas of immediate support.
Welcome Call Ongoing Support
Quarterly Progress CallTeam Engagement Call

Contact Us
Phone: +1-866-913-8101
Diagnostic Tools
How do your plans stack up to those of your peers?
Use Our Diagnostic Tools To: Identify Priority Gaps
Resources
When to Participate
■■ Focus your scarce learning and development dollars on diagnosing and
closing the largest skill gaps.
■■ Customize individual development plans for your staff based on the data.
■■ Challenger SellingTM
Diagnostic1
: Measure the skills, behaviors, attitudes,
and knowledge of your sales force and identify important skill gaps.
■■ Sales Manager Effectiveness Pulse Survey: Measure the amount and
quality of coaching. Managers receive individualized reports outlining team
perceptions of strengths and weaknesses.
■■ Channel Partner Health Diagnostic: Gather feedback from your channel
partners to understand how they view your performance as a partner.
■■ Sales Complexity Assessment: Evaluate your sales reps’ ability to navigate
a complex selling environment to improve win rates and deal size.
■■ Sales Playbook Diagnostic: Gain an in-depth view into how your staff
evaluates opportunities and conducts the sales process compared with
high-performing reps from other companies.
Available year-round on demand
Source: CEB analysis.1
Premium service.
Identify what Sales can do to improve business value.
Our diagnostics enable sales leaders to prioritize initiatives with the greatest potential to influence business growth and to build investment plans accordingly.
Profile Distribution Across Profiles
0% 20% 40%
39%
16%
39%
0%
14%
25%
17%
36%
17%
22%
7%
12%
22%
28%
7%
“Challenger”
“Lone Wolf”
“Hard Worker”
“Problem Solver”
“Relationship
Builder”

Contact Us
Phone: +1-866-913-8101
Assessment Opportunities
Are you prioritizing the right initiatives?
Defending your sales plans does not have to be a difficult exercise.
With continued pressure to cut costs, CSOs must become more proficient at justifying their business decisions. Our tools help you assess your sales efforts in terms of the
maturity of your practices and your effectiveness in driving performance outcomes.
Use Our Resources To:
■■ Prioritize areas of focus for the organization.
■■ Build consensus and buy-in for proposed initiatives.
■■ Benchmark year-over-year progress.
CEB Sales Maturity Diagnostic
Measure your sales organization’s performance in five objectives and 25
discrete activities to identify critical maturity gaps and create an action
plan for improvement.
Anatomy of a World-Class Sales Organization
Compare your organization to the 24 attributes known to drive high-
performing sales organizations.
Additional Anatomy Diagnostics
Sales Operations, Channel Sales, Inside Sales, Key Accounts, and
Coaching
CEB Maturity Framework
Sales Process (Excerpt)
Level 5
Integrate sales
playbook software
with CRM.
Highlight tools
and enablement
support in
sales playbook
software.
Level 4
Derive sales
process from
customers’ buying
process.
Use customer
actions to verify
deal progress.
Align tools to
stages of the
buying process.
Level 3
Account for how
hi-pers approach
the sales.
Gauge deal
progress by
completion of
sales activities.
Level 2
Reflect
forecasting
and reporting
requirements.
Level 1
Inform sales
process from
how leaders want
sellers to engage
with customers.
Source: CEB analysis.

Contact Us
Phone: +1-866-913-8101
Sales Excellence
The Anatomy of a World-Class Sales Organization (v6.0)
© 2014 CEB. All Rights Reserved. SLR8572314SYN www.cebglobal.com
From the SALES EXECUTIVE COUNCIL®
of the SALES, MARKETING, AND
COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICE
www.sec.executiveboard.com
© 2010 The Corporate Executive Board Company.
All Rights Reserved. SEC7208110SYN
7
BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION
Impact of Attributes of Manager Effectiveness
Management
Fundamentals Distribution
(Illustrative)
Today’s Discussion
Building Managers for
a Return to Growth
73.4%
Sales
Management
■ Selling
■ Coaching
■ Owning
26.6%
Management Fundamentals 1
■ Integrity
■ Reliability
■ Listening
Management
fundamentals account
for 27% of sales manager
effectiveness.
■ Management fundamentals
include such attributes
as integrity, reliability,
and listening.
■ Due to the fundamental
nature of these attributes,
managers tend to either
have these skills or they
do not, resulting in a drastic
decrease in performance
when these attributes
are not present.
Not Well Suited
3.5% of managers fail at
management fundamentals.
Quality of Management Fundamentals
1 7
ManagerEffectiveness
n = 5,211.
Source: Sales Leadership Diagnostic; Sales Executive Council research.
1 Representative sample of management fundamental attributes.
10
Advocate and coach
traits appear across many
actual stakeholder profiles.
■ SEC quantitative analysis
of buying situations
determined seven types
of buyers exist, each with
distinct attributes.
■ The buyer types were
evaluated on their ability to
drive organizational action
as related to a significant
purchase or change
initiative.
■ Attributes traditionally
associated with advocates
and coaches broadly
presented across these
profiles.
ADVOCATES ARE ALL OVER THE BOARD
Customer Stakeholder Profiles
As Determined by Factor Analysis
Key Advocate/Coach Trait
n = 717.
Source: Sales Executive Council research.
■ Believes stability is a goal
in and of itself
■ Believes improvement projects
are distracting
■ Rarely helps vendors
The
Blocker
STOP
■ Often teaches new insights
■ Colleagues and senior executives
seek their input
■ Good at convincing others
The
Teacher
■ Champions others’ good ideas
■ Always delivers more than asked
■ Learns from mistakes and moves on
The Go-
Getter
■ Provides information typically
unavailable to vendors
■ Speaks the truth when sharing
with vendors
■ Distributes information equally
The
Guide
■ Perceives unclear projects as risky
■ Prepares influential stakeholders
for disruptive ideas
■ Believes changes require small wins
first
The
Skeptic
■ Readily accessible and enjoys
conversations with reps
■ Often networks reps with colleagues
■ Generous in giving time to reps
The
Friend
■ Needs to personally gain from
projects
■ Wants personal rewards for risks
taken
■ Likes to tell others about successes
The
Climber
Building Sales
Managers for
a Return to
Growth
Sales
Competencies
Resources
The Anatomy of a World-Class Sales Organization
24 Diagnostic Attributes
Strategy and Culture
Talent ManagementSales Operations
Customer Management
20. Rewards and Recognition
Our rewards are based on
simple, easily communicated,
relatively unchanging crite-
ria. These rewards align with
our strategic objectives.
Sales Compensation Center
Plan Complexity
Equalizer
5. Segmentation
We tier customers based on
future value, differences in
how customers use our offer-
ings, and fit with our growth
goals—not just sales volume.
Account Management Center
Opportunity Fit
Matrix
21. Sales Metrics
We have identified the driv-
ers of business success (e.g.,
loyalty, retention, profit). In-
dividuals receive appropriate
dashboards, allowing them
to take clear action to drive
these business outcomes.
Sales Metrics Center
Pipeline Health
Calculator
3. Sales Culture
Sales is viewed as a true
value-added partner by the
rest of the organization; we
are recognized for improving
customers’ businesses while
growing our own business.
New Sales Leadership Center
Goal-Alignment
Exercise
14. Onboarding and Training
Experiential learning forms
the basis of nearly all train-
ing. Prior to training, we
build demand to learn new
skills, and after training, we
create opportunities to apply
these skills.
Sales Training Center
Ready-to-Learn
Process
2. Change Management
We consistently improve on
current practice, applying
concerted focus and
communication to drive
adoption.
Boosting Adoption Center
Prelaunch Adoption
Mapping
15. Sales Competencies
We analyze high-performer
behaviors to build compe-
tency models of the required
skills for different roles. These
models are fundamental to
recruitment, promotion, and
development efforts.
Defining Capabilities Center
Sales Competency
Model Design Principles
6. Voice of the Customer
We systematically measure
the voice of the customer
and use it to identify and
improve drivers of customer
purchasing and loyalty.
Data Quality Center
Third-Party Win–
Loss Analysis
11. Commercial Messaging
Our messaging teaches cus-
tomers about their business
in a way that leads to our
unique differentiators. The
focus is always on customer
opportunity, not our prod-
ucts and services.
Commercial Teaching Center
Commercial
Teaching Pitch
7. Account Planning
We have structured pro-
cesses to collaborate with
customers and build joint
account plans. These plans
create value for the business
and individual stakeholders.
Account Planning Center
Partnership
Calibration Process
8. Coverage
We have aligned sales chan-
nels (e.g., field, inside/tele,
partner, e-sales) with how
customers want to buy and
their purchasing power.
Sales Coverage Topic Center
Sales Force
Optimization Model
23. CRM
Our CRM system consolidates
structured and unstructured
information from across our
business(es), enabling us to
grow customer relationships
based on accurate and usable
account intelligence.
CRM Center
Social CRM
24. Sales Process
We have designed a replicable
sales process fundamentally
based on how our customers'
typically purchase from us and
validated by how our highest
performers sell. This process is
well adopted.
Sales Process Center
Customer-Paced
Sales Funnel
9. Key Account Management
Key accounts clearly under-
stand they have access to
our scarcest resources in ex-
change for helping grow our
business. We up/down-tier
accounts based on account
performance.
Key Account Center
Key Account
Incubator
10. Customer Stakeholder
Management
Our sellers focus on cus-
tomer stakeholders who are
willing and able to make
change happen. We do not
simply focus on titles, roles,
or traditional definitions of
advocacy.
Customer Stakeholder Center
Stakeholder
Identification Tool
22.Sales Enablement
Our sales operations and
enablement team delivers
insights to focus sales on the
highest-value activities. We
actively eliminate redundant/
low-value activities and auto-
mate when possible.
Sales Operations Center
Project Prioritization
Scorecard
4. Internal Alignment
We have established cross-
business accountability and
processes that make us easy
to sell for and easy to buy
from.
Solutions Selling Center
Deal Desk
Support Center
13. Recruitment
We only hire candidates who
demonstrate, or who are
capable of, learning the be-
haviors that determine suc-
cess and align to our future
desired selling profile.
Talent Acquisition Center
Interview Guide for
Challengers
1. Strategy
We sell in a manner consis-
tent with our overall strategy,
highlighting our unique dif-
ferentiators.
Strategic Planning Resources
Strategy Cascade
16. Coaching
We have adopted a coach-
ing culture that builds and
sustains skills. All managers
are held accountable for
coaching frequency, time,
and quality.
Coaching Center
Stage-Aligned
Coaching Road Maps
17. Performance Management
We meaningfully differenti-
ate high performers, ensur-
ing broad demonstration of
such behaviors. Rewards and
consequences for following
these performance standards
are clear.
Talent Development Center
Observation-Based
Selling Approach
18. Frontline Management
Our sales managers effec-
tively strategize on accounts,
innovate ways to engage
stalled business, and coach
the behaviors that drive sales
success.
Developing Managers Center
Rapid-Fire Skill
Immersion
19. Goal Setting and
Forecasting
We set challenging, yet fair,
goals across our organiza-
tion. We confidently forecast
by using objective customer
reactions that indicate clos-
ing business.
Improving Sales Predictions
Deal Verification
Toolkit
12. Skill Certification
We use and celebrate the
certification of learned
knowledge and skills. Skill
certification is based on the
observation of long-term
customer value creation.
Talent Development Center
Job-Embedded
Skills Certification
Step 1: Internal Assessment
■ Members assess company effectiveness and
improvement potential in 24 attributes.
■ Based on scoring, members identify performance
gaps and the most urgent areas for focus.
Step 2: Launchpad for CEB Research and Resources
PotentialImpactonCompany
5 = Very High
4 = High
3 = Moderate
2 = Low
1 = No Impact
5=Superior
4=Strong
3=Adequate
2=Marginal
1=Weak
Company’s Current Effectiveness
URGENT
CHALLENGES
10
15
18
10
15
18
Rewriting the
Sales Playbook
Client Site: www.sec.executiveboard.com
www.executiveboard.com
challenger™ competency Model Starter Kit
SaleS, Marketing, and CoMMuniCationS PraCtiCe
SaleS executive council®
Competency Skill Definition Developing Behaviors Proficient Behaviors Advanced Behaviors Mastery Behaviors Sample Ineffective Behaviors Sample Effective Behaviors
TeachingforDifferentiation
offers unique
Perspective
aligns our unique
insights to key
customer priorities,
reframing the way
customers view their
business.
■■ initiates commercial conversations by focusing on supplier's
history, past successes, listing current customers or product
features and benefits.
■■ always agrees with the customer in an attempt to be likeable.
■■ Consistently asks customer contacts for information through
fact-finding questions, rather than offering information.
■■ Focuses conversation on customer’s readily apparent (and often
explicitly known) needs.
■■ emphasizes rapport-building as the preferred means to
commercial outcomes.
■■ Backs away or apologizes if customer does not immediately
attach to insight or alternate viewpoint.
■■ initiates commercial conversations with insight about a current customer
challenge or business need.
■■ earns customer’s loyalty by sharing newsworthy insights about the market,
educating them on new issues and outcomes, and helping them avoid potential
land mines.
■■ Provides a unique or contrarian perspective during commercial conversations.
■■ embraces tension in commercial conversations.
■■ always ties insights back to our unique strengths in the market.
■■ Creates "a-ha" moments for customers by identifying previously overlooked or
unrecognized problems or opportunities.
drives two-Way
Communication
engages the customer
by deliberately
linking their business
priorities to our value
proposition.
■■ asks customer to repeat information they have previously given.
■■ Makes poorly informed assumptions about customer challenge
areas.
■■ Speaks for prolonged periods of time without soliciting
feedback.
■■ often speaks up prematurely to fill extended silences.
■■ asks collaborative, open-ended questions to deepen understanding of the
customer’s situation
■■ Paraphrases customer’s thoughts to ensure understanding and drive customer
to a desired outcome.
■■ diagnoses when customer is unclear and ensures comprehension.
■■ interprets verbal and physical cues to gauge customer reaction and interest.
■■ uses prolonged silences to seller advantage.
TailoringforResonance
leverages
individual Value
drivers
understands and
influences a wide
range of customer
stakeholders.
■■ uses generic language and messaging that lacks specificity to
the customer’s industry, company, function, and/or role.
■■ links offering to generic, organizational-level goals such as
“driving growth” or “improving performance.”
■■ Prefers pitches that “stick to the facts” rather than incorporating
storytelling.
■■ Prefers “comfortable” conversations with stakeholders that are
readily accessible and easy to talk to.
■■ develops a distinct strategy for engaging critical stakeholders.
■■ links supplier capabilities to specific, individual stakeholder objectives.
■■ adapts sales messages based on the role and communication preferences of the
stakeholder they are speaking with.
■■ drives urgency by appealing to both the rational and emotional concerns of
customer stakeholders.
■■ identifies and attempts to mobilize “change-ready” stakeholders who may be
more difficult to engage.
incorporates
economic
drivers
Has a deep knowledge
of customer's business,
current macro- and
microeconomic trends,
industry trends, and
potential new business
opportunities.
■■ uses a fairly standardized, one-size-fits-all commercial approach
regardless of industry or situation.
■■ uses data or examples that are not directly relevant to the
customer or their industry.
■■ Holds misconceptions about customers’ business model or
industry that are regularly corrected by customers.
■■ demonstrates knowledge of the customer’s industry in context of the current
economic climate.
■■ Can articulate customer’s value proposition and explain how they differentiate
themselves in the marketplace.
■■ easily articulates how our offering can impact specific customer financial or
performance metrics.
■■ references personal experience with other similar accounts to educate customer
on best practices adopted by peer companies.
TakingControl
establishes
Value Before
roi/Financial
terms
Qualifies and
quantifies the impact
of maintaining the
status quo or pursuing
competitors' solutions.
■■ Quantifies roi only in terms of up-front investment compared to
projected financial return.
■■ treats an rFP or early pricing request as an opportunity to try to
make a quick close.
■■ Plays negotiations by ear, preferring to wait and see how the
situation unfolds.
■■ revitalizes stalled business by making large, last minute
concessions or offering time-sensitive discounts.
■■ Quantifies roi in terms of the impact of resolving an unrecognized problem or
need.
■■ tactfully acknowledges and defers price requests until value is fully agreed
upon.
■■ Comfortably navigates negotiations, expanding the number of negotiables to
maintain leverage.
■■ knows how our own offerings are priced compared to competitors, and is aware
of customer's budget and decision-making process.
■■ recognizes when a deal is unprofitable or unlikely, and is willing to walk away.
drives
Momentum
Proactively advances
the purchase decision
without rushing the
customer.
■■ attempts to accelerate the decision process regardless of
customer’s readiness to proceed.
■■ leaves the conversation open-ended without clarity on next
steps for moving the process forward.
■■ agrees to customer requests without attempting to understand
the customer’s motivations.
■■ only confronts objections or barriers to purchase when
customer raises them.
■■ Seeks immediate resolution when conversations become tense.
■■ Verifies customer’s decision-making progress before attempting to advance the
sale.
■■ Continuously builds urgency by emphasizing the cost(s) of leaving a previously
unrecognized problem unresolved.
■■ Collaborates with customers to define next steps, coaching customers through
the buying process.
■■ anticipates and prepares for common objections and barriers to purchase, pre-
empting them whenever possible.
■■ Maintains an assertive and value-focused posture when closing, without
becoming overly aggressive.
Behavioral indicators of proficiency are highly nuanced and unique to
each company. as such, SeC members are encouraged to incorporate
their own selling behaviors into this model. it is critical that behaviors
be defined as specifically and objectively as possible to establish clear
distinctions between varying proficiency levels. For additional support in
defining Challenger™ behaviors specific for your business, please contact
SeC Solutions® at secsolutionsinfo@executiveboard.com.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
25
of the SALES, MARKETING, AND COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICE
Skeptic
PROGRESSIVELY DISQUALIFY
Lead with
Thought-
Provoking
Insight
YES
“WE”
FACTS
AND
TASKS
Mobilizer Qualification Screens
Do they
prioritize the
organization
(“we”) or
themselves
(“me”)?
Interested in
Greater Good
2a
STORIES
AND
OPINIONS
Communication
Style
Talkers
Do they speak
about facts or
share opinions?
Verify Mobilizers
by requesting
they conduct
research or
tasks, or suggest
next steps
to you.
3
4
Healthy
Skepticism
NO
Friend
Guide
Climber
Teacher
Go Getter
Commercial
Teaching
YES
“ME”
Use for
information,
but not to
drive action.
Mobilizers
Next Steps
Source: Sales Executive Council research.
If engaged,
do they ask
challenging,
thought-
provoking
questions?
Do they
share useful
information?
NO
1
2b
STOP
Blocker
9
Resource Allocation
■ Driving sales process
compliance
■ Taking corrective
action
Sales Innovation
■ Generating new ways
of solving deal-level
problems
■ Innovating new ways
to position an offer
Coaching
■ Guiding reps to
tailor effectively
■ Showing reps how
and when to assert
control
Selling
■ Offering customers a
unique perspective
■ Tailoring offers to
customer needs and
priorities
TO GROW, YOU MUST INNOVATE
Sales Management Attributes Impacting Manager Effectiveness
Sales innovation has
the largest impact on a
first-line sales manager’s
ability to drive growth.
■ The manager job consists
of three components: selling,
coaching, and owning the
business.
■ Owning the business—
which breaks down into
resource allocation and sales
innovation—has a greater
impact than coaching on
manager effectiveness.
■ Within “owning the
business,” improving sales
innovation skills has nearly
a 2x greater impact on a
sales manager’s ability to
drive growth than improving
resource allocation skills.
ImpactonSalesManagerEffectiveness
Key Finding #2
Improving sales innovation skills has
nearly twice the impact of resource
allocation on manager effectiveness.
Key Finding #1
Owning the business has a
greater impact than coaching
on manager effectiveness.
Owning
(45.4%)
Coaching
(28.0%)
Selling
(26.6%)
n = 5,211.
Note: Management fundamentals account for 26.6% of manager effectiveness, and sales management—selling, coaching, owning—accounts for the
remaining 73.4%.
26.6%
28.0%
16.2%
29.2%
Coaching Versus Sales
Innovation
■ Coaching corrects or reinforces
known rep behaviors.
■ Sales innovation identifies new
paths to customer success.
Source: Sales Leadership Diagnostic; Sales Executive Council research.
Client Site: www.sec.executiveboard.com
www.executiveboard.com
SALES, MARKETING, AND COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICE
SALES EXECUTIVE COUNCIL®
This tool is intended to help companies structure each stage when developing a sales competency model. Reference our Sales Competency Model Design Principles for additional
guidance on information gathering and model development.
Sales Competency Model Development Workflow
DERF 05-3462
Catalog # TD14K1VVX
Title Leadership Competency Model Resource Center 2-Pager
Project Planning Information Gathering Model Development Model Testing Communication and Implementation
Key Actions
■■
Identify functional and organizational goals for
the competency model
Sample Goals:
■■
Create a common language for hiring,
training and evaluating sales reps.
■■
Establish a performance framework to guide
manager coaching conversations.
■■
Establish the specific sales role(s) of focus
■■
Identify who “owns” the competency model
development process
■■ Create a project timeline, assigning
responsibility for process components and
deliverables to specific stakeholders
■■
Review our organization’s strategic objectives
and identify its implications on talent
management
■■
Account for anticipated changes in talent
profiles, skills, or development resulting from
this strategy
■■ Conduct a needs assessment that includes
interviews with the senior leadership and the
frontline
■■ Leverage these interviews to help determine the
behaviors required to meet the organization’s
future needs
■■ Benchmark the competency models employed
by other organizations and identified individual
competencies we may want to tailor to meet
our needs
■■
Establish a balance between competencies
needed in the near term and those needed to
drive our organization’s future ambitions
■■
Allows for enough flexibility to incorporate
functional/technical skills into the competency
model
■■ Develop language that clearly explains each
competency and identifies underlying behaviors
■■ Engage various stakeholders, including reps,
managers, and leadership
■■
Assemble “focus groups”—consisting of key
stakeholders across all business units and levels
and reflecting the diversity of our organization—
to pressure test a draft of the model
■■
Analyze “focus group” feedback regarding
the comprehensibility and usability of the
model and included it in a new iteration of the
competency model
■■ Present the new draft to the senior leadership
team and include its feedback into the final
iteration of the model
■■
Create a timeline for rolling-out the new
competency model to the organization
■■
Ensures that L&D programs support the
development of the competencies identified in
the model
■■ Develop a communication strategy that
provides a compelling vision for the model’s
adoption across the organization
■■ Identify which organizational processes will be
effected by the competency model (e.g., hiring,
L&D, etc.), and establish a timeline denoting
stakeholder responsibility and milestones for
the integration
■■
Provide lines of business with guidance and
support for assessing performance against the
competency model
Sample Product
Deliverables
■■ Project plan for the development of the
competency model identifying:
– Members of the Project Team
– Goals of the project
– Parameters of the project
– Timeline with key milestones
– Responsibility for achievement of milestones
■■ Organizational needs assessment identifying:
– Implication of strategic imperatives on talent
management
– Interview data from a cross-section of the
leadership population and frontline
– List of different-in-kind skills required for the
future
■■ Draft competency model that includes:
– Skills and behaviors that align with the
identified competencies
– Flexibility to include role-specific functional
or technical competencies and to emphasize
competencies needed to support shifting
strategic priorities
– Initial attempt to define the behaviors
associated with each proficiency level for each
competency
■■ Final iteration of the sales competency model
incorporating “focus group” and senior
leadership feedback
■■ Communication strategy that includes internal
marketing materials providing the vision for the
model’s use
■■
Metrics that will be used to assess the model’s
impact on individual and organizational
performance
■■
Instructional materials for line managers using
the model to assess the performance of direct
reports
■■ Timeline for integrating the model into key
organizational processes (e.g., hiring, L&D, etc.)
■■ Initial training modules for FLSMs to explain the
model in detail and ensure their buy-in
Timeline Three Months Three Months Four Months
For Additional Support:
Reference our Challenger™ Competency Model Starter Kit for additional guidelines on defining Challenger-specific competencies.

SEC Solutions® can provide additional support in developing customized competency models or revising your current competency models to integrate the Challenger™ competencies. Should you be interested in discussing this type of support further,
please contact your SEC Account Manager or secsolutionsinfo@executiveboard.com.
For a deeper dive on these two steps, please refer to
Sales Competency Model Design Principles.
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