Now in its 44th year, the Distinguished Salesperson Award (DSA) organised by the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) once again puts to the test the old cliche that a good salesperson can sell sand in the desert.
'The DSA does more than give recognition to successful salespersons for their achievements - it helps salespeople enhance their careers and reputations,' says Rayson Chan, chairman of the HKMA DSA Organising Committee.
He says the award also helps improve the quality of salesmanship in Hong Kong, and builds up the image of selling and marketing as a prestigious profession.
In addition to recognising the individual achievements of salespersons, Chan says the high standard of entrants indicates the level of importance companies place on sales training.
'We see this reflected through the quality of the candidates. It shows that companies understand the need to invest in quality sales training,' says Chan. 'This can only be achieved when management, human resources and training departments work together to build a strong team spirit and a robust sales culture,' he adds.
Chan believes that by supporting DSA candidates and celebrating their success, firms demonstrate their commitment to employees, which can help retain top talent. 'Salary increases and bonuses are some of the ways of recognising successes, but public recognition of achievement is also very important to strengthen the bond between companies and their employees,' says Chan, who is also an investment consultant with Citibank (Hong Kong).
He says that during the judging process, participants are tested on their product knowledge and required to make a sales presentation to a panel of expert judges. They are also asked to make a short sales presentation to a target audience, based on a random product selected by the panel.