Tool #2: TEN VALUE SCALES FOR Assessing Your Organization’s Sales Process
Conduct this simple “value scale” analysis for your organization’s sales process. It takes only minutes … and
it gives you valuable information to help implement and sustain a comprehensive management program for
your sales operations.
#1. Self-Correction
At the beginning of each month I can accurately forecast my building’s
census 30-days into the future.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#2. Date-Driven Selling as a Performance Standard
When I ask a sales person “what does the prospect think is going to
happen next?” … the answer does include a specific date and time for the
next meeting with that prospect.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#3. The Common Language
When the sales person represented that he or she had a ‘great meeting’
with a prospect, those words mean the same thing in every conversation
and we both understand what that meaning is in terms of a move in event.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#4. We have weekly sales meetings that are productive
The weekly sales meetings are crisp and concise, focused on metrics and
not stories, and the sales people come ready to do most of the talking and
are focused on critical behaviors and not vague discussions about various
prospects.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#5. I am able to ask diagnostic questions related to the health of the pipeline
without reservation.
As the manager responsible for census, you can ask questions such as:
“how many fully scheduled appointments did you set last week?”; or, “when exactly are
you meeting or talking with this prospect again?”; Or, “What’s the very next step
needed to eventually close this sales?” without worrying that the sales person will
become defensive.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#6. My sales people know their ratios.
They have a good sense about how many prospects they need to manage
at any given time to keep their pipeline where it needs to be. And how
many meetings with referral sources they need to conduct each week in
order to keep the lead volume where it needs to be.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#7. Calendars are 70-80% scheduled at least two and a half weeks ahead –
all the time.
When you examine your sales people’s calendars there are few blank
spots that are at risk of filling up with ‘stuff’. Activities that are entered
into the calendar are those that have good potential to start a new
relationship, or to move something forward in the pipeline.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#8. Before any sales meeting the salespeople can produce evidence that they
planned for the meeting.
When your sales people conduct meetings with prospects or referral
sources they don’t run out of questions after 5 minutes and start to
‘product dump’. But rather previous to the meeting they have worked out
key issues they need to address and have developed some key questions
they will ask.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#9. Sales Process is bigger than sales personality.
As an organization our recruiting criteria looks more like the ‘right side’
than the ‘left side’ of the following hiring guide:
Personality Approach:
Describing the Person
Proven track record in selling and
relationship building.
Sales Process Approach:
Describing the Role
Sales pipeline requires consistent inventory
of 15 active prospects.
High level of creative problem-solving
capability
Sales pipeline requires minimum of 8 new
meetings each week.
Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills
20% of the time (1 day/week) needs to be
allocated to generating new qualified
referrals sources in year 1.
Extrovert, empathetic and persuasive
Proven leadership abilities
Strong team-building capability
Naturally consultative
Persistent and tenacious
Capable of exceeding target
Strong on listening
Pipeline reporting completed by 12 noon
Thursday each week.
Scheduled 8 am Monday morning group
meeting each week.
Scheduled one-on-one meeting with
manager each week for Year 1.
Specified tools must be used.
Detail-oriented
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
#10. The last act of the selling day is a sales pipeline check.
As an organization we should be asking ourselves two important
questions: 1, how many new opportunities did I start today? And 2, how
many prospects did I move forward today that will contribute to
improving our census picture.
Please circle your Confidence Factor using the following scale:
Not confident
1
2
Mostly guessing
3
4
Very Confident
5
My Confidence Factor Number is: ______________________
If it is:
10 – 35 points.
LEVEL ONE PROCESS . There is little confidence that census can be influenced by the
sales process. Assume LITTLE OR NO ABILITY TO FORCAST CENSUS 4-6 WEEKS
INTO THE FUTURE.

When census is down, this organization will react by:
1
2
3
4
Increasing activity
Trying to improve the performance of the team. (Sales training)
Analyzing what is happening in the market.
Invest in something without a solid strategy.

It will take a month or more for occupancy to show any improvement after any of these
elements have been implemented.
36-40
LEVEL TWO PROCESS. This manager will have some ability to forecast census 4
weeks out. The operations team has some confidence that outcomes can be
influenced before there are too many problems with census and profitability.

The sales process is defined and fairly well implemented.

It is likely that too much data is being captured and analyzed. Data management will
take up an inordinate amount of time.

However, depending on the areas of deficiency, there is a good chance that there may
be some tendency towards ‘micromanaging’ the process and with it the normal
problems with this type of management.

Weekly meetings may seem punitive. There is likely ‘burnout’ on the sales side.
41-50
LEVEL THREE PROCESS. This manager is managing a ‘self correcting’ sales
operations. Because he or she can forecast census at least 4 weeks out,
interventions can be put in place to avoid problems and to keep growth and
profitability at optimal levels.)

You have likely met the ‘gold standard’ of sales operations: a ‘self correcting’ sales
process.

Sales and management are on the same page when talking about any prospect or
referral source.

Your pipeline gives you an accurate forecast of your census 4 weeks out.

Your team will take action proactively, before census dips, to resolve issues and
increase activity in order to keep the building full.

You will tend to have an active waiting list.