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

~ Ph.D., Bradford D. Smart (Author), Greg Alexander (Author) "This chapter will give you just enough theory to understand what you need to know to successfully apply the Topgrading methods provided in the subsequent..." (more)
Key Phrases: job scorecard, percent high performers, analyze your sales, Virtual Bench, Topgrading Interview, Topgrading Career History Form (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Building on the success of his 1999 topgrading process to hire, coach, and keep the best people, author-psychologist-consultant Smart teams up with Alexander (of Sales Benchmark Index) to introduce a hiring method geared to sales reps. Why such a specific topic? Consider these statistics: the average tenure of a sales manager is 19 months, and 40 percent of all sales reps fail year after year after year. Thus, the reason for topgrading’s 10 meticulous steps becomes crystal clear. All of these steps are supported by forms and structure, from the scorecard to the reference-check guide. All are based on sound human- resources practices and policies, including a validation of the interview questions by a top-notch labor relations–employment law firm. Although some text seems to be deliberately designed to sell additional products to readers, Topgrading  itself presents valuable information for anyone in the business of people management. --Barbara Jacobs

Product Description

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 who want to hire, coach, and retain top talent. Now Smart has teamed up with Greg Alexander, who used Topgrading to radically improve his sales force at EMC.

In Topgrading for Sales, they have boiled down the key Topgrading ideas to a pithy 112 pages while focusing on the unique needs of sales managers and sales directors.

Great sales forces don’t just depend on strategies— they depend on hiring the best possible reps. But surveys show that about half of all hires and promotions put an underqualified person in the wrong job. No wonder the average tenure for sales managers is only nineteen months.

Topgrading for Sales takes the guesswork out of hiring by teaching readers how to interview systematically for A-level talent instead of relying on hunches and prejudices. It also shows how to coach B-level reps to turn them into A-players and how to weed out C-players before they do too much damage.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (June 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591842069
• ISBN-13: 978-1591842064
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #92 in

  Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Sales & Selling > Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Topgrading for Sales, June 26, 2008

By	T. Seldess (Somerville, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apply Topgrading concepts quickly to improve your sales, July 19, 2008

By	Frederic Lucas - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid short guide to building a better sales team by hiring better salespeople, September 26, 2008

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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