Leadership Development
Sales Assessment Results by Brenda Neckvatal
46
Needs Improvement
10 questions
Maximum score: 100
Completed in
Let's cut to the chase: your performance shows a lot of room for improvement. You scored an average of 4.6, which means you’re not just missing the mark—you’re missing it by a wide margin. Your responses often skirt around the prospect's core concerns, and instead of addressing their pain points, you’re sidestepping them. This lack of direct engagement is costing you credibility and potential sales.
What you did well is recognizing some of the prospects' issues, but your solutions often lack specificity and clarity. You need to shift from a general overview of your experience to a laser focus on how your training can solve their specific problems. For instance, when discussing budget concerns, don’t just acknowledge them—explore how your training offers a return on investment. Use concrete examples and data to back up your claims.
To elevate your game, dive deep into objection handling and value exploration techniques. Study the Solution Selling approach, which is all about identifying pain points and providing tailored solutions. Pair that with a bit of Value Selling to ensure you are articulating the benefits clearly over just features.
Remember, your prospects are looking for a partner, not just a vendor. Engage them, ask the right questions, and show empathy towards their challenges. Your coaching moment? Every interaction is a chance to build trust. Don’t just sell—collaborate. Make them feel seen and understood, and watch how that transforms your sales conversations.
Question Breakdown
1.
2
/ 10Question:
"I'm not sure if I can justify the monthly payments with my current budget for leadership training."
Answer:
Where in your business are you most vulnerable?
Feedback:
The response fails to directly address the prospect's concern about budget justification. Instead of asking about vulnerabilities, you should acknowledge their budget constraints and explore how your leadership training can provide a return on investment. A more effective approach would involve asking questions that uncover the cost of not investing in leadership training or how the training could lead to savings or revenue growth. This shows understanding and a solution-focused mindset, which is critical in leadership development sales.
Additionally, the tone could be more collaborative by expressing empathy towards their financial concerns before redirecting the conversation.
Overall, the response does not demonstrate effective objection handling or value exploration.
2.
4
/ 10Question:
"This sounds great, but how will it fit into our busy schedules without disrupting daily operations?"
Answer:
We have the ability to create a schedule that will meet both your operational needs and your development needs
Feedback:
Your response attempts to address the prospect's concern about fitting training into a busy schedule, but it lacks specificity and does not fully reassure them. While you mention the ability to create a schedule that aligns with their needs, you should elaborate on how this will actually work in practice. For instance, you could provide examples of flexible scheduling options, such as on-site training, virtual sessions, or bite-sized modules that can be integrated into existing workflows. Additionally, it would be beneficial to involve the prospect by asking about their current schedule and specific challenges they face, fostering a more collaborative approach. Overall, strive for a more engaging and solution-oriented response that demonstrates a clear understanding of their operational realities.
3.
5
/ 10Question:
"I've seen similar programs at a lower price point; what makes yours stand out?"
Answer:
With the type of training that I provide, it’s not so much about cost as it is about the 30+ years of experience that I’ve had dealing with difficult people and teaching leaders how to overcome that. The end goal of every training is to increase the level of skill for every leader so that way they can time collapse the amount of time that they have to spend dealing with difficult people that way they can focus on what’s most important with the company.
Feedback:
Your response highlights your extensive experience, which is a strong point. However, it fails to directly address the prospect's concern about price and competition. Instead of focusing mainly on your background, you should compare the unique features and benefits of your program against lower-priced alternatives. Discuss specific outcomes that your training can achieve, such as improved team productivity or reduced turnover, which justify the investment. Additionally, consider incorporating testimonials or success stories to reinforce your value proposition. This will create a more compelling case for why your program is worth the higher price tag. Overall, aim for a more customer-centric approach that acknowledges their concern and effectively communicates your program's distinct advantages.
4.
6
/ 10Question:
"I’m worried about how this will impact our team dynamics, especially with so many personalities involved."
Answer:
I completely understand that, and that is something that we will have to navigate throughout the process. When dealing with team dynamics, something that we can do is sit down and actually identify who you believe might be the individuals that we have to focus some extra time on, or could actually create some challenges within the group. What I would love to do with you is to identify the strengths of each individual and how you can immediately capitalize on them, as well as improve areas of opportunity as we continue along with this process. This is not intrusive and in fact, if there’s anything that your team is gonna get from, it is a real strong uplifting boost because they’re going to be taking that relevant information and being able to apply it immediately to see results.
Feedback:
Your response shows an understanding of the prospect's concern about team dynamics, which is a positive start. However, it could be improved by being more concise and direct in addressing the worry. Instead of offering to identify individuals and strengths, consider discussing specific strategies or frameworks you will use to manage diverse personalities during the training. Providing examples of how past clients successfully navigated similar situations would also enhance your credibility. Lastly, employing a collaborative tone by asking for their input or experiences can foster a stronger connection and assure them of your partnership in this process.
5.
4
/ 10Question:
"I’d love to know how you handle onboarding—will our team have the support they need during the transition?"
Answer:
Yes, they will and our on boarding process is very simple smooth and honestly it’s a rip. It’s a wash rinse repeat process meaning that we’ve streamlined it so that way there’s very little interruption to the day-to-day operations, but we’re getting the necessary information over to your team as quickly as possible. We don’t like overcomplicated this and that’s something. That’s really important to us because we wanna make sure that through this process, your team is totally dialed in on what it is that they need to do while they are continuing to expand and develop their skills.
Feedback:
Your response attempts to reassure the prospect about the onboarding process but lacks clarity and coherence. Phrases like "it's a rip" and "wash rinse repeat process" may confuse the listener rather than provide confidence. Focus on clearly outlining the specific support mechanisms available during onboarding, such as dedicated resources, regular check-ins, or mentorship. Additionally, emphasize how you ensure minimal disruption to their operations and provide examples or testimonials from past clients who successfully navigated the transition. Overall, aim for a more structured and professional tone to effectively convey your message.
6.
5
/ 10Question:
"I think we might have enough leadership resources in-house; how do I know this is really necessary?"
Answer:
How effective are your current resources at filling the gaps that are occurring within your leaders? If you can answer that then maybe what you have is a utility challenge not necessary and an execution challenge or an education challenge. But if what you currently have is not filling those gaps Then that is a strong indicator. what we provide is going to help you accomplish that.
Feedback:
Your response attempts to engage the prospect by asking about the effectiveness of their current resources, which is a good start. However, it could be more structured and clearer. While you mention the possibility of a "utility challenge" versus an "execution challenge," these terms may confuse the prospect rather than clarify their situation. It's essential to relate these concepts directly back to their specific concerns about necessity and value. Also, consider providing examples of the types of gaps your leadership training can effectively address, along with potential outcomes that could arise from not addressing these gaps. Strengthening your value proposition with data or success stories from past clients would further solidify your case. Overall, aim for a more direct and confident response that clearly articulates how your solution complements existing resources, rather than questioning their adequacy.
7.
5
/ 10Question:
"We're currently tied to another vendor for development; how would switching affect us?"
Answer:
If we’re looking at a transition plan and creating something that will help you move smoothly from one process of learning to the next that would be the best place to start. We would wanna make sure that again your team is not going to be interrupted by change and that we can pick up immediately wear the last team and the last development group has left off.
Feedback:
Your response acknowledges the prospect's concern about switching vendors, which is a positive aspect. However, it lacks specific details about how the transition will be managed and the benefits of switching to your program. To strengthen your answer, outline clear steps of the transition process, such as dedicated support during the switch, timelines, and how you will ensure continuity of learning. Additionally, you could highlight how your program can provide enhanced value or improved outcomes compared to their current vendor. By being more explicit and solution-oriented, you can better reassure the prospect and foster confidence in making the switch.
8.
5
/ 10Question:
"What if the promised ROI doesn’t come through? That could jeopardize my credibility here."
Answer:
I can understand that, and you have a very energetic group of people who are willing to do the hard work and willing to learn what needs to be learned. Your leaders are ready for this change and right there that emotional investment in them is going to give you a lot of mileage. That’s one of the things that a lot of companies are not able to provide is the training that aligns with that intrinsic value that they are looking to wrap their hands around. Our program is very conversational. It’s not just one way directed so your financial ROI and your emotional ROI One hand fit washes the other, which means that your team is going to get the benefit and if there’s something that we need to switch or tweak or move around, we have the flexibility to do that because we wanna make sure that everybody’s getting the biggest bang for the buck.
Feedback:
Your response acknowledges the prospect's concern about ROI, which is a good step. However, it lacks a clear and direct approach to reassure them about the value of your program. While you mention the emotional investment and flexibility, you should provide concrete examples or metrics that demonstrate how your program has delivered ROI for other clients in the past. Discussing specific outcomes and success stories can strengthen your argument and alleviate concerns about jeopardizing credibility. Additionally, be cautious of overly vague phrases like "biggest bang for the buck"; clarity is essential. Overall, aim for a more focused and data-driven response that addresses the risk of insufficient ROI directly.
9.
6
/ 10Question:
"I need to get buy-in from my team, but I’m not sure how to present this to them effectively."
Answer:
I would be more than happy to come in and sit and meet with the team review what we’ve gone through and make myself available for the types of questions that will come up. The way I see it is that we all have a seat at the table here and I wanna make sure that we are addressing everybody’s concerns with this.
Feedback:
Your response shows a willingness to engage with the team, which is a positive aspect. However, it lacks a strategic approach to help the prospect present the initiative effectively. Instead of simply offering to meet, consider providing the prospect with specific guidance on how they can structure their presentation, such as key talking points, potential benefits to highlight, and ways to address common concerns. Additionally, you could suggest collaborative strategies, such as involving team members in discussions or encouraging feedback during your meeting, to foster buy-in. This would demonstrate a more proactive and supportive approach. Overall, aim for a more concrete and actionable response that empowers the prospect to lead the conversation confidently with their team.
10.
4
/ 10Question:
"With so many options out there, how can I be certain this is the best investment for my personal and professional growth?"
Answer:
Based off what we discussed earlier in this process, there’s very few companies out there that have the ability to really get to the root in the core of what it is you were trying to navigate through and grow from.
Feedback:
Your response attempts to assert the uniqueness of your company, but it lacks specificity and fails to directly address the prospect's concern about making the best investment decision. Instead of making a broad statement, you should provide concrete examples of how your program stands out from competitors, including specific benefits, success stories, or data that demonstrate past outcomes. Highlighting the direct impact your leadership development program can have on their personal and professional growth would create a more compelling case. Additionally, asking questions to explore their specific goals and expectations could foster a more engaging and collaborative conversation. Overall, focus on clarity and provide a stronger value proposition to reassure the prospect of their investment choice.