In commercial terms we should seek to develop our teams in two specific areas i.e. Competence and Commitment.

Competence consists of the combination of knowledge and skills whilst Commitment is a combination of confidence and motivation.

The degree to which a person has achieved certain combinations of these factors can be defined as Development Levels. They represent the person’s development in the job.

The four development levels are:

Level 4: High Commitment & High Competence

Level 3: High Competence & Variable Commitment

Level 2: Some Competence & Low Commitment

Level 1: Low Competence & High Commitment

I realise that one or two additional levels could be added i.e. Some Competence & Variable Commitment etc. but as I have already stated, simplicity is essential

This grading is then translated into the style of management required to obtain the best results from each individual and forms the basis of the Controlled Management model that we devised in 1995 i.e.

Level 4: Delegating i.e. Low Supportive & Low Directive

Level 3: Directing i.e. Low Supportive & High Directive

Level 2: Supporting i.e. High Supportive & High Directive

Level 1: Coaching i.e. High Supportive & Low Directive

Whilst conducting this exercise you should consider taking the opportunity to not only classify the level at which you believe each member of the team is at right now but also where you feel they could get to in terms of their future potential and what needs to be done to get them there.

The areas that you should consider assessing regularly are:

Internal Sales Competence Areas

• Personal Organisation

• Communication

• Business Development

• Qualification

• Interpersonal Skills

• Integration Skills

• Resilience

• Pro-Activity

• Team Working

• Motivation

External Sales Competence Areas

• Planning

• Communication

• Presentation Skills

• Business Development

• Account Management

• Opportunity Assessment

• Negotiation Skills

• Attitude

• Team Membership

• Process & Methodology

• Pro-Activity

• Organisational Skills

Consultative Sales Competence Areas

• Organisational Skills

• Communication

• Presentation Skills

• Business Development

• Opportunity Assessment

• Interpersonal Skills

• Creative Thinking

• Critical Thinking

• People Awareness

• Integration Skills

• Resilience

• Strategic Approach

• Pro-Activity

• Negotiation Skills

• Key Account Management

• Team Membership

• Process & Methodology