MHR Analytics is committed to helping every organisation use this mass of data to obtain actionable insights for real growth. Learn more about using data to improve employee performance from Max Blumberg of the Blumberg Partnership, workforce, Salesforce and analytics advisor.

1. All content remains the property of Blumberg Partnership Ltd
and may only be used with prior written consent
Using data to improve employee performance:
Case study
www.maxb.com
max.blumberg@blumbergpartnership.com
+44 (0) 1258 628552
+44 (0) 7768 455345

2. Personal introduction
2
Professional musician
• One hit!
Academic
• Computer science
• Psychology
• Maths
• Visiting Professor, LUBS
• Visiting Research Fellow,
Goldsmiths, U of London
Work
• Accenture
• Technology start-up
Today
• People analytics
• Global sales force
transformation
• AI app development
• Positioning Game

3. 3
Multi-national
technical and
services business
1200 sales people
worldwide
Sales target
doubled from
£1.5bn to £3bn
over 5 years
Complex global
sales force
structure

4. 1. Where does the problem lie?
4

5. Snippet from Sales Force Capability Survey
5

6. Capability Survey Results 1
6
WEAK
Sales mgt Most sales managers are
drawn from our top sales
force performers or
selected using an ad hoc
process; they receive little
or no sales management
training.
Customer
needs
Customer needs and
buying process are
understood at an intuitive
level

7. Capability Survey Results 2
7
Impact on Business Performance
Low High
High
Low
CapabilityMaturity
Sales Mgt
Designing
Client Solns
Planning
Capability
Sales Process
Negotiation
Skills
Time Mgt

8. 2. Rank sales managers from low to high potential
8
Country Name
Performa
nce Rank 1 Rank 2 Tenure Total
1 Alex Machattie 4 4 6 6 20
2 Brian Woods 4 1 3 1 9
2 Anthony Iuliano 3 3 1 6 13
2 Andrew Spina 4 6 2 1 13
2 Clyde Borraccini 5 4 3 6 18
1 Darrin Alvers 4 1 6 1 12
1 Barry Cracknell 3 5 6 2 16
1 David Johnston 5 6 1 2 14
1 Danny Shea 6 4 5 5 20
1 Dan Chart 4 6 2 2 14
1 Danny Gibson 6 3 5 1 15
2 David Pavelko 5 4 5 2 16
1 Andy Cox 2 2 4 5 13
1 Colin Evans 3 5 1 6 15
1 Chris Boast 4 6 1 1 12
2 Craig Staats 2 1 5 6 14
2 Charles Porter 4 6 6 3 19
1 Bob Grant 3 2 4 3 12
2 Chuck Harvey 6 5 1 4 16
2 Ben Lavenski 3 1 4 4 12

9. 3. What competencies distinguish between high and low performing sales managers?
9

10. Who should do the hypothesising?
10
Consultants?
• What do consultants know about killing rats?
• They seldom hypothesise
• Tend to offer off-the-shelf homogenised turnkey solutions…
• …that seldom allow companies to differentiate from each other on human capital
Line managers
• Trust them with performance management, why not distinguishing features
• Encourages engagement, earns buy-in
• Love it when people show interest in their work
• Motivated because helps to achieve operational targets
• Prevents “tick boxing”
HR
• Facilitators
• Can easily learn and deliver this process
• Raises HR credibility

11. Focus groups with sales management produced a high quality sales manager
instrument
11
1. Marketing and product knowledge
2. Sales cycle expertise
3. Sales planning
4. Sales process
5. Client interactions
6. Internal interactions
7. Designing client solutions
8. Communication and negotiation skills
9. Networking
10. Sales management capability
11. Personality

12. 4. Gather data on each of the sales managers
12
1. Marketing and product knowledge
2. Sales cycle expertise
3. Sales planning
4. Sales process
5. Client interactions
6. Internal interactions
7. Designing client solutions
8. Communication and negotiation skills
9. Networking
10. Sales management capability
11. Personality

13. 4. Analyse data
13
Statistical analysis is needed to
answer the question:
• To what extent do any of our factors
distinguish between high and low
sales management performers?
This is probably the only time
statistical ability was needed
• So you could outsource this
Coin flipping
58%
63%
55%
87%
62% 65%
59% 59%
73% 73% 71%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Accuracy

14. 5. Design new sales process
14
• All salespeople and their managers
Delivered in 7 global centres
Low performing candidates given the
option to relocate
Transition plans and major case study
required from each participant
Integration with salesforce.com
Included forecasting (accuracy +-15%)
1. Pre-meeting
research
2. Stimulate
interest
3. Get
challenge
admitted
4. Diagnosis
and visioning
process
5. Gain access
to Economic
Buyer
6. Manage
evaluation plan
7. Decision
due
8. Pending sale 9.Win/Lose

15. Transition plan
15
SalespersonTasks following new training Weeks 1
& 2
Month 1 Month 2 Ongoing
Schedule sacred time for prospecting (ongoing) X% of
time
X% of time X% of time X% of time
Update your current opportunities to salesforce.com # # # #
Create Challenge Sheets starting with your largest
opportunities
2 5 5 5
Convert the following number of opportunities to C-status 1 3 3 3
Number of visioning calls to debrief with your manager 2 2 2 2
Number of Economic Buyer calls to debrief with your
manager
2 2 2 2
Recall all proposals over 30 days old √
Personally interview a customer and develop Reference
Stories
1 2 2 2
Review your Pipeline Analysis Report with your manager √ Fortnightly Fortnightly Fortnightly
Hand in individually completed Exercise Book TBD TBD TBD TBD
NBS Post-course evaluation Date
Agree NBSTransition Plan dates with your manager

16. Results
1.50
1.88
2.25
2.63
3.00
1.5
1.69
2.4
2.7
YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5 ??
Target versus Actual
Target Actual