Topgrading for Sales: World-Class Methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top SalesRepresentatives

by Bradford D. Smart, Greg Alexander, Bradford D.; Alexander Greg Smart Ph. D.

Book Overview

A concise extension of the business classic Topgrading, targeted to sales managers Brad Smart's Topgrading has sold more than 150,000 copies since 1999, making it the definitive book for executives... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591842069
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Portfolio
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, Concise quick read with easy procedures

In only 5 concise chapters the objectives are brilliantly explained. Main justification of Top Grading Sales roles is an average Mis-Hire rate of 40%, which if this common error is reduced shall dramatically multiply employers Net Present Value. Second half of the book contains sample forms for the job applicant. In addition to sample scripts for verifying applicants eligibility & job references. I didn’t notice a mention of also performing customary civil, criminal and medical screening as contingent to being hired AFTER offer letter is sent. Truly a Brilliant book. Semper fidelis, DC

The Missing Link in Sales Performance

For twenty years I have performed sales seminars and training around the world. The emphasis from most companies and sales reps in those companies tends to be on sales techniques. It's hard to be effective teaching sales techniques to the wrong person. Although I believe that salespeople are made not born, it's a lot easier to make a superstar salesperson if they have the right make up to begin with. It's hard to make hero's out of zero's. The information in Tograding for sales allows managers, executives and companies to recruit, interview, hire and coach the right salespeople in the right way. The information in this book will dramatically reduce your failure rate in hiring the wrong salesperson and will greatly enhance the success ratio when you do make a correct hiring decision. [...]

A solid short guide to building a better sales team by hiring better salespeople

This book teaches the simple truth that if you hire better salespeople you will get more high quality sales. The authors teach you how to do that and how to coach them to be even better. You will learn how to analyze your sales team and what to do with what you learn. The authors show you how to recruit and hire the best salespeople and provide you with forms, checklists, and key techniques on how to accomplish your purposes. Coaching your salespeople is also very important and this book gives you a chapter on how to do that. The last chapter provides you with the way to get started with the topgrading process and four appendices that provide the means to scorecard your current sales reps, a career history form so you can understand what your salespeople and prospective salespeople have done, and forms for an interview checklist and reference checks. The last appendix lays out the numbers of how topgrading your sales team will make you more money. Very good. Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Apply Topgrading concepts quickly to improve your sales

Topgrading for sales is a must in any manager's library. It's an easy way to get introduced to the Topgrading concepts. You'll be able to rapidly implement tools for better hiring and get results. It will help you improve your sales. Although Topgrading for sales is a great place to start, if you're serious about Topgrading, I suggest you also get the original Topgrading book - How leading companies win by hiring, coaching and keeping the best employees.

Topgrading for Sales: World-Class Methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top Sales Representatives

In today's competitive landscape, getting and keeping the best talent is necessary to win the game. The Topgrading process is a good process to really identify talent that will help make an organization stronger. I use Brad's techniques in my business and they have served me well. I recommend any person who has responsibility for hiring and managing sales people to become very familiar with this book.

Topgrading for Sales

If you are a manager hiring sales representatives this is a must read. It is a practical no nonsense method to identifying top talent. Do not shortcut the process or you will shortcut your results. My team started Topgrading over a year ago and we have drastically reduced turnover and mis-hires. We have been awaiting the Topgrading for sales as the information in this book is only serving to help us improve on what we were already doing.