To get maximum benefits from the aprraisal process, managers need to be very specific about their goals and how these goals are to be measured. Managers who are very specific about their goals before an appraisal avoid surprising reps during appraisal about what their objectives are supposed to be. Second, indentifying what measurement will be used against these goals clarifies how performance will be determined against goals. Rating won`t be incongruous with performance because both rep and manager will have been looking at identical measures.
But measuring specific goals against actual performace ratings is just a start. Reps also need to know how to improve, from the manager`s perspective. Do they need more training in a specific skill? Do they need to learn by immersion in some specialized assignment? Does the rep need to put out more effort in terms of calls per day or new account calls? Does the rep need more product training on new products in order to speed up sales of the new lines? Does the rep become more organized, more focused?
Reps need feedback on how to improve in as specific a form as it is possible to provide. This is the only way for them to try to neutralize any negatives in their abilities, or to boost the application of any underutilized strengths they may possess.
One way to get reps more actively involved in the appraisal process is to ask them to do a self-appraisal prior to the appraisal meeting. This could include self-assessments of results, skills, and attributes, as well as training needs. The self-assessment can them form the basis of a two-way instructive dialogue between the manager and rep. If the rep`s self-assessment is close to that done by the manager, the two are in lock-step agreement about rep develop needs, shortfalls, and strengths.
If the rep self-assessment is far apart from that of the manager, either the rep is quite out of touch with how he or she is performing or the manager and rep have developed a real communication problem about the manager`s goals and ratings measurements. If, however, the gap cannot be explained by one of these two scenarios, then it can only have results from an unfair out-of-touch appraiser. The manager is then in deep trouble because he/she obviously doesn`t know his or people (and is unfit to lead them).
Peter Drucker maintains that the new managers must lead specialists just as an orchestra leader does, teaching people who all play to a different score how to harmonize. One of the management`s key challenges is to find such a way that the specialist is involved in the appraisal, is clear about the goals for his or her specialty, and knows exactly how the orchestra leader believes he/she can improve individual performance to the assigned score.
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This is second series from previous Sales Rep Peformance Appraisals
Tags:
self-assessments