The following questions are indicators that relate directly to their respective indicated areas. A “no” answer to any of them could lead us to potentially specific causes that, when corrected, would increase performance within those areas. If you would like more information and our perspective regarding your “no” answers, please contact us. Please indicate which assessment and question (#) you took that resulted in a “no” answer.

Profit Enhancing Opportunities Assessment

1. Over the last two years, has sales or profitability increased?
2. Is employee turnover at 2% or less at your company?
3. Are hostility or personality conflicts between employees non-existent in your company?
4. Are you 100% satisfied with interpersonal dynamics within your company? (“Us and Them” mentality)
5. Are you happy with all quality, service or re-work issues your company deals with on a monthly basis?
6. Do you know if a pattern of late product or service deliveries exist within your organization?

Work Environment Assessment

1. Can you quantitatively and qualitatively measure employee performance in at least one aspect of each of their key areas of responsibility?
2. Is there a system in place that allows all managers to effectively define, coach and measure employee progress toward “expert level” job proficiency?
3. Can you, your managers, and your employees rationally and systematically assess situations, identify key factors, articulate goal statements, establish action plans and successfully accomplish them on a routine basis?
4. Do you share company and department financial results (sales, gross profit, expenses and profit before tax) on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis with all employees?
5. Do you have a clear, concise, written vision statement for where you want to take your business and are all your employees able to discuss and explain it accurately?
6. Do you have a clear set of core values established in your company that employees know, understand and use routinely to make decisions and to guide their behavior?

Sales Force Effectiveness Quiz

1. Does your sales force know and follow a sales cycle?
2. Does your sales force have a reasonably consistent level of competence regarding the basic sales process, prospecting skills, self-management ability and effective time use?
3. How many closes does your sales force know?
4. Does your management staff have a management process to manage sales force activities?
5. Do you have a method that allows you to quantitatively and consistently measure the level of knowledge related to basic skills possessed by each of your sales people?
6. Do you have a normative profile of your top sales people that defines the traits they have in common and do you use that profile as one of the selection criteria with new hires?
7. Are your sales people aware of their basic sales style and its strengths and weaknesses relative to their job and can they accurately assess client style and adjust their own to more effectively sell them?
8. Do you experience a low (less than 2% for small, less than 3% for medium companies, and less than 5% for large organizations) turnover rate of your sales force staff?
9. Do you have a recognition program for you sales representatives?

Customer Service

1. Over the last two years have customer service cancellations increased?
2. Does your customer service force have a reasonably consistent level of competence regarding the basic sales process, prospecting skills, objection handling and effective time use?
3. When CSR’s are not on the phone do they have idle time?
4. Do CSRs have a thorough understanding of their job expectations?
5. Do you have performance measurement standards for each of your customer service representative?
6. Does customer service conduct monthly one on ones with CSRs to review and assess their performance levels?
7. Do you experience a low (less than 2% for small, less than 3% for medium companies, and less than 5% for large organizations) turnover rate of your customer service staff?
8. Do have a profile of your top customer service representative that defines the traits you look for in applicants and do you use that profile as one of the selection criteria with new hires?
9. Do you have a recognition program for your CSRs?
10. Do you have a management process that will track and manage customer service force activities?

Leader/Management Assessment

1. Do you think of skill training and personal and professional development training as something needed at least as much by you as by your employees?
2. Do you model personal actions and behaviors related to your own personal growth and learning that are consistent with what you expect your employee’s attitudes to be?
3. Have you had an anonymous reverse review of management and employees or an anonymous employee review in the last 24 months to see how employees rate your performance?
4. Has your organization or department done organizational needs assessment to determine the effectiveness of your business structure, management style and culture, as perceived by employees, in the last 24 months?
5. Is your own personal growth and effectiveness a part of your annual goals and do you have a formal, written plan to accomplish it?