The document discusses assessing sales channel partner capabilities. It provides principles for building successful partnerships, including assessing channel strategy and capabilities, aligning people, programs, and resources, implementing measurable performance solutions, and tracking continuous improvement. The document outlines competency assessment, dashboards and measures, business driver analysis, steering teams, process mapping, program assessment, recognition strategies, and available resources. It discusses isolating high-impact sales behaviors, building a competency model, conducting behavioral assessments, business driver analysis, key measures, and developing competency-based tools to improve performance.

1. Assessment of Sales Channel
Partner Capabilities
Gregg Taragos Phd
www.org-designs.com

2. Principles to Build
Successful Partnerships
Assess Channel
Strategy and
Capabilities
Align
People
Programs
Resources
Present Straw Models
Assess Partner Capability
Link Objectives To Results
Implement
Measurable
Performance
Solutions
Guide
Developmental Efforts
Track and
Recognize
Continuous
Improvement
Measure and
Illustrate Results
Impacting
Performance
Competency
Assessment
Dashboards and Measures
R0I
Training
Business Driver
Analysis
Steering Teams
Process Mapping
Program
Assessment
Recognition Strategies
Available Resources
Joint Funding
Certification
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com
Performance Improvement

3. Isolate sales behaviors that
drive high performance
Which behaviors have the most significant and immediate
impact on performance ?
Build Rapport and
Relationship
Define Working
Relationship
Review Client
Situation &
Portfolio
Develop
Investment
Strategies and
Product Choices
Build Ongoing Planning
Relationship
Develop Client
Investment
Recommendations
Present Strategies &
Products to Client
Act on Market
Information
Gather Data
Develop Short List of
Investments
Conduct Risk
Assessment
Maintain Visibility

4. Assess
and Align
Create
Competency
Model
Assess competencies
Conduct
Behavioral
Assessment
Business
Driver
Analysis
Talent
Management
Communication
Training
Recognition
Collect Key
Measures
Measurement
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com

5. Asses sales competencies
1. What sales competencies have the most impact
on business results?
•
Can we isolate behaviors – that if changed – have an immediate
and direct effect on performance ?
•
How can we ensure we are allocating resources towards programs
•
that will make a difference
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com

6. Assess
and Align
Assess competencies
Create
Competency
Model
 Focus group with
top performers
 Primary
emphasis: What
they do
 Secondary
emphasis: What
they know
Talent Management
• Segmentation
• Selection
• Performance mgt.
Conduct
Behavioral
Assessment
 Assess
importance
and
performance
Business
Driver
Analysis
Develop competency
based tools to
improve performance
Statistical analysis
 Identify
current and
future gaps
Collect Key
Measures
 What measures are we trying to change
 Collect performance snapshot
 Identifies which
competencies
drive measures
 That Identifies
which
competencies
drive other
competencies
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com
•
•
•
•
Communication
Training
Recognition
Measurement

7. Sales Force Competencies and
Behaviors
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com

8. Conduct a Business Driver Analysis
Isolate the critical behaviors with significant
and immediate business impact
Build Rapport and
Relationship
Present Strategies &
Products to Client
Gather Data
.54
.49
Define Working
Relationship
Review Client
Situation & Portfolio
Conduct Risk
Assessment
.18
.23
-.11
.17
Develop Client Investment
Recommendations
Maintain
Visibility
.19
Total Number
of Plans
Develop Short List
of Investments
Length of Service
Enhance Professional
Knowledge
.53
Total Number of
Clients
1. Determine high performance business measures
2. Collect current measures for each individual
3. Map impact of competencies and behaviors on
key performance measures
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com
Performance
Measure
.38
-.12 Develop Investment
Strategies and
Product Choices
Process:
Build On-going Planning
Relationship
Act on Market
Information
-.08
.70

9. Map competencies and performance
Build Rapport and
Relationship
Present Strategies &
Products to Client
Gather Data
.54
.49
Define Working
Relationship
Conduct Risk
Assessment
.18
-.12
Build On-going Planning
Relationship
Review Client
Situation & Portfolio
Performance
Measure
.38
.17
Develop Investment
Strategies and
Product Choices
.23
Develop Client Investment
Recommendations
Maintain
Visibility
.19
Total
Number
of Plans
Develop Short List of
Investments
Enhance Professional
Knowledge
-.11
Length of Service
Total Number of
Clients
.53
Act on Market
Information
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com
.08
.20

10. Identify competency gaps by segment
Score 51 +
Score
LOS 1 - 2
LOS 3 - 5
LOS 6 - 9
Rising Stars
LOS 10 +
Elite Producers
Profile: Elite producers are successful advisors who have built a large client base based on ongoing
planning relationships. On average, they produce more plans per year than the number of new clients
they acquire, most likely because they have ongoing retainer relationships with their existing clients.
Needs: Rising Star Recognition Program, Retainer Relationship training, marketing seminars, staff hiring
and training support, customized local marketing programs, insurance, training, ongoing advice, AFA.
Needs: Elite Recognition Program, continuous reinvention of their practice, succession planning,
advanced technology support, spiffs or discounted rates based on performance.
Score 20-51
Profile: Rising Stars acquire a lot of clients and do a lot of planning early in their career. They need to
continue deepening their relationships with their existing clients as well as as continue to acquire more
clients.
High Potential Advisors
Profile: On average, high potential advisors acquire more clients per year
than the number of financial plans they do per year. They need to focus on
deepening relationships by doing new/refreshed plans with existing clients
as well as acquiring more new clients.
New Advisors Showing Potential
Needs: Client Service Model training, Retainer Relationship training,
marketing seminars, Financial Planning Network, ongoing annual plans,
ONE, acquisition spending as part of business plan.
Score 10-19
Profile: New advisors need to focus on acquiring new clients through planning.
Needs: Leads, marketing seminars, mentoring program, additional support from the home office for their
first 1-2 years in P2. Infrastructure support, business planning, esp. marketing component.
Low Profile Advisors
Score 0 -9
Profile: These advisors have no systematic client acquisition activity and are essentially living off their
existing client base.
Needs: Succession planning, AFA promotion.
10

11. Assess
and Align
Develop Sales Tools
Business
Driver
Analysis
Develop
Targeted
Tools
Talent
Management
Communication
Training
Recognition
Measurement
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com

12. Align business strategy with
training and development program
Gregg Taragos Ph.D. Org-designs.com

13. Gregg Taragos Phd
gregg@org-designs.com
www.org-designs.com