I received an email over the weekend from Brian Lambert, the Director of Sales Development and Performance at the American Society for Training and Development, seeking salespeople, managers, sales trainers, and academics to help him in his research for his doctoral dissertation. I hope you’ll consider giving him a few minutes of your time to participate by taking one of the two surveys he is using to gather data.

Brian is researching the characteristics needed to successfully sell in a business-to-business environment and that should be addressed in a comprehensive description that can be used for training and coaching.  To this end, he, in conjunction with his doctoral advisory committee members, has developed two surveys.  One survey will determine the perceptions of sales managers, experienced salespeople, sales professors, and sales trainers regarding the importance of competencies required for success as an entry-level salesperson.  The other survey will examine shared competencies sales practitioners need to be successful in business-to-business sales, and how these competencies align to roles in terms of focus and differentiation.

You can get a complete overview of the Brian’s research goals, his methodology, and also take either of the surveys at http://www.b2bsalescompetency.info/.One word of warning-the site does explain the hypotheses he is working with and his methodology, but it is, of course, written in dry academic speak that only an academic can put up with.  If you don’t want to wade through all the pages, just take the surveys and know that you’re participating in a good cause.