In this episode of the Sales Café podcast, Jana and I welcomed Jaroslav Salva. They discussed why sales competency maps are one of the most underrated tools in companies—and how significantly they impact results.
In the podcast, they focused on:
The key principle of a competency map – Why every salesperson (and their manager) should have a clear definition of what it means to "be good" in their role, rather than relying on intuition or gut feeling.
Practical applications of a competency model:
✔ How to refine your hiring process and avoid bad decisions
✔ How to build onboarding on a clear plan instead of improvisation
✔ How to evaluate salespeople based on facts, not feelings
✔ How to manage development with concrete steps
✔ And why activities alone aren't enough for better results
And what is most important about competency maps? That they provide a clear answer to three questions:
what a salesperson should know, what they should be able to do, and how they should behave.
Practical information:
Where does a competency model have the greatest impact?
How can you use it in hiring, onboarding, evaluation, and development?
And how can you avoid the most common mistake—pushing for activity without developing competencies?
If your company is dealing with:
- Hiring salespeople that doesn't always work out
- Onboarding based on the "you'll pick it up somehow" principle
- Or performance management that is based more on feelings than data
…this episode could be very practical for you.
Do you run your sales based on clearly defined competencies, or do you prefer to go with your gut? 👇
