b'DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENTC A S ES T U DY: Developing Sales Stars By Michael Mayer Senior Consultant, The Center for Sales Strategy.W eve heard it time and time again: Why isnt1. (Talent + Fit): Hire Talented my new hire meeting new business develop-ment expectations? Our new Focused FastNew Business Development Start Program was designed to give newly hired sales- Representatives people the right tools, habits, and goals to successfullyThe foundation of this program is hiring someone with develop new business and maximize revenue potential.the right talent and the right fit. The Focused Fast-Start Program has three goals: 1 Hire talented new business development represen- Talent tatives.Success begins with a strong, validated talent assess-2.Train them to be experts in a proven sales process.ment to identify the most talented individuals for this 3.Close $1 million in new business for each rep in yeartype of new business development role. one.Talent describes someones natural ability, hard-wired The foundation to achieve these goals lies within Thefrom a young age, to do something well. Talent gives Growth Formula:someone the potential for excellence, and if you hire (Talent + Fit) x Investment = Growthsomeone without it, growth will be limited. Required and desired talents differ, depending on the role youre Lets take an in-depth look at The Growth Formula,looking to fill. the three Focused Fast-Start goals, and how they workFor example, baseball scouts seek out talented players. together to drive success in our new program.Are they all baseball players? Yes. But do they look at how talented a potential Designated Hitter is at throw-Growth Formula ing a knuckle curve ball? Not likely. The same can be said for salespeople. Are they all in the sales world? ( Talent + Fit ( x Investment = Growth Yes. But does it take the same talents to develop new business, as it does to nurture relationships to grow Nature Nurture Growth accounts? No. Recruitment Development Person GrowsSelection Engagement Organization Grows For the Focused-Fast Start Program, here are the six must-have talents we look for: Achiever or Competition: Bonus points if they have both. Sales is a high-pressure profession, and a suc-96 Developing Sales Stars'