Professional Sales & Marketing Certification

Validation of Credentials is a Two-Way Street

On a recent flight from Houston to Vancouver I had the pleasure of being seated next to John C. Stull II, a Biosurgical Specialist with Genzyme. John is a graduate of West Point and a sales professional.

We were discussing the merits of professional salesperson certification.  John, having achieved great success already in his sales career was wondering what additional benefits would accrue to him by obtaining a validation of his credentials through the SMEI Professional Salesperson Certification (SCPS) program.

It became apparent through this discussion that John would gain intangible if not tangible benefits through the program.  As a highly regarded professional, he would also be validating the need for professional certification in sales through his own application and by embracing the program.

I'm looking forward to meeting you again John, and more people like you.  Together we can all make a difference through better selling.

Bob Sommer's 87th Birthday and Still an Active Member

It is with admiration and respect that we honor you on the occasion of your 87th birthday. Your dedication to the profession of sales and marketing over the years has been demonstrated by your solid support of Sales & Marketing Executives International and Buffalo/Niagara Sales & Marketing Executives. Your personal campaigns to recruit new members and your steady positive influence on our organization are remarkable tributes to your own professionalism and high standards.

To quote Stephen Covey, "Leadership is a choice, not a position." Thank you for your exemplifying this. May you enjoy health, happiness and the company of good friends as you celebrate. Happy Birthday!

Willis Turner, CSE
President & CEO

Melissa Scott CME Chairman of the Board

Sales & Marketing Executives International, Inc.

Measuring Sales Perfomance on Ethical Standards

This Tuesday I gave my interactive presentation "The Power of Principles" to members of SMEI in Lehigh Valley, PA.  This discussion is focused on ethics in sales and marketing.

Always good for debate, we were reviewing Hosmer's The Ethics of Management which discusses three alternative means of arriving at a decision when faced with an ethical conflict.

The ensuing debate considered many applications of the 'Hosmer Triangle' to decision making in sales and marketing management.  One member suggested that we consider managing to ethics in the sales arena, not just managing performance on the traditional quotas, lead generation and territory management, but include ethical behavior in the matrix.

This is an interesting concept.  What if we managed to ethics?  Some companies have their sales force sign an elaborate code of ethics, hard to interpret unless you have legal training, and even harder to apply. Do these companies measure to this or is it purely for liability purposes?

Dear reader, this is where you come in.  I would love to hear your comments.  How could such performance be measured?  What influences would vary the indicators, if any?  Other thoughts, pros or con?  Perhaps ethical behavior by the sales force could become a measurement in the customer satisfaction index. 

Certification Magazine Endorses SMEI's Criteria

Brian Summerfield of Certification Magazine recently interviewed me for an article titled: "Management:  Cultivating Certification Through Standards".

Managing the growth of our certification programs presents us with many opportunities and we are reluctant to grow just for the sake of expansion.  Basing our growth on qualifications and standards will ensure that when you receive your "CSE", "CME" or "SCPS" designation they will have true meaning.

SMEI's first founding principle is "Professional Standards and Identification".  I thought it might be useful in this post to discuss standards.

A standard is something that can be used as a consistent form of measurement.  For example, when a carpenter creates a pattern by cutting a piece of wood to a particular set of dimensions, they can use that pattern to mark subsequent pieces of wood for cutting with the assurance that all of the pieces of wood will match the pattern when cut.  Ultimately, the patterned pieces of wood fit into a master plan that the carpenter is using to create a finished product.  The master plan will already have been drawn to conform to industry accepted standards.

The carpenter will usually mark the pattern with a notation such as "P" or "Pattern" so that there is only one true pattern.  This provides consistency and predictability in results.

The same is true for sales and marketing.  SMEI's certification programs are based on standards that are recognized by the academic and business world.  By reviewing these standards and embracing them, you can be assured that when you develop your sales and/or marketing plan, you will be meeting the standard.  You can measure your sales professionalism and your sales force professionalism against your sales plan with consistent results. 

Certification testing is one way to determine if you or your organization are meeting the standard.

The self-study programs designed around the certification programs help you match up against the pattern.  When I studied for my CSE exam I quickly determined the gap in my knowledge by reviewing the study materials and then focused on filling in the areas that needed help to match the pattern.

It is easy to fall into the trap of measuring against something that is not reliable or standardized.  If we use the analogy of the carpenter, we could end up with a lop-sided house which is unappealing, unprofessional and unsafe. 

Applying the standard learned through the certification process to my sales plan provided me with consistent and predictable results. Results that I could be proud of and processes that could stand the closest scrutiny because they met a recognized standard.

New Sales Hall of Fame Honorees Help Raise Profile of Sales Profession

Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI) recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the free enterprise system through leadership and demonstrated expertise in the areas of selling, marketing, or business leadership. Honorees are business executives who have played a major role in founding or leading a company and have demonstrated their belief in the value of sales and marketing disciplines in that success.

The induction banquet is held in Oklahoma City each year, and includes a panel discussion with the honorees to draw out their conclusions on topics related to their success and the challenges they have overcome.  The promotion of this event helps to raise awareness of the sales and marketing profession and communicates the elements essential for personal and corporate achievement.
The 2005 Honorees are:

Ambassador of Free Enterprise and Keynote Speaker for Induction Banquet:
Clifton Taulbert,  President, The Building Community Institute, a noted speaker and Pulitzer nominated author for "The Last Train North”.

Pinnacle Award Honorees:

• Earl Graves Earl G. Graves Publishing, Founder and Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine and listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation’s most powerful Black executives;
• Stanley Hupfeld, CEO, Integris Health, Oklahoma's largest not-for-profit health care organization
• John H. Patterson, Founder, NCR (posthumous award); John H. Patterson's sales management techniques built National Cash Register into the dominant force in its industry and had a major impact on the development of modern selling.
• John Sykes, Chairman, Sykes Enterprises, Inc. SYKES is a global leader in providing customer contact management solutions and services in the business process outsourcing (BPO) arena.

The 2005 Honorees will be recognized at a special induction Gala Banquet in Oklahoma City on April 9th, as part of the 16th annual SMEI Academy of Achievement event.  While corporate America is being scrutinized, it is refreshing to see individuals with integrity being recognized for their leadership and contribution.

Welcome to our Certification Blog!

Welcome!  I've been encouraged by many leaders to embrace the world of blogging, and this is going to be the first effort to create a community for members of the sales and marketing community to gather and share ideas about the profession.  We will dialogue about benchmarking, ethics, competencies and many other topics that are related to professionalism in our chosen area.

I'm looking forward to your feedback in the form of comments as we build this community.  This blog will be built by several leading authors who have become or are becoming authorities in the area of certification with emphasis on sales and marketing.

Now more than ever, companies and individuals are looking to credible third party organizations to validate their level of competency in a given field.  Certification validates individual credentials. 

Creating this blog will help to bring professional certification in sales and marketing into the public domain.  For over 20 years, SMEI has developed some of the world's most credible certification programs.  We're excited to see that in the past year, the diligence of SMEI's leaders has born fruit in the form of exponential growth in the number of newly certified members around the world.