There are all kinds of reasons to generate benchmark data. It might be for a specific job that you are struggling to hire for, it may be for a new region or country where there are no structures in place, or for a hiring manager that wants to look more closely at a particular position.... Continue Reading →
Data is as data does
Market data is great - I love it, you love it, everyone loves it. We love it because it informs us about the market and allows us to be more confident in making decisions. Problems with market data arise from over-reliance where it shifts from informing decisions, to making them. If we have 50th percentile... Continue Reading →
You say SPIFFs, they say SPIVS, I say spiffs, let’s call the whole thing off
Actually, no, let's not call the whole thing off, let's clear this up once and for all. Many people capitalize spiffs claiming it to be an acronym for "Special Purpose Incentive for Field Force" or any one of several possible acronyms. Let's be clear - it does not stand for ANYTHING. At best it is... Continue Reading →
A quota-based sales plan with no quota-setting process – As good as it gets?
This is exactly what Jacob Gonik set out to achieve for IBM Brazil in the 1970s. The starting point is that if we want an effective sales plan, there needs to be some notion of expectation in the form of a goal or quota. The challenge, as most of us know, is knowing what that... Continue Reading →
“An MBO”?
I hear this usage a lot, "Maybe we can give them an MBO" or "I'd like to include MBOs in the plan". However, this doesn't really make sense so permit me a short rant if you will. MBO stands for "Management By Objectives" which means it isn't a measure, it is a process. The approach... Continue Reading →