At this point, the last thing you want to do is to decide any of these areas are ‘‘poor’’ or ‘‘OK.’’ You need a rating system to effectively determine their current state, where they have been, what progress they have made, and where you realistically want them to be at a designated time in the future. Determine appropriate metrics to use (dollars, percentages, ratios, etc.) for each category and keep it simple. Eliminate the average rating, and forget the overall rating.

The salesperson’s evaluation will consist of quantitative and qualitative issues. When evaluating the quantitative areas, use the metrics. When looking at the qualitative areas, use terms, numbers, letters, etc. You may choose a 1–10 or A–D rating system, but you still need to designate exactly what these mean. One of the more common, and therefore the most accepted, is the six-level evaluation rating system. It looks like this:

This is only one example. Select the rating system that is best for you and the realities of your business. Make sure that it will accomplish your desired results in the easiest, simplest, and fairest manner possible.