The PSV process

A structured path from assessment to informed action.

PSV combines sales-situation questions, self-perception and contextual interpretation to help organizations prepare more useful coaching and selection conversations.

The process at a glance

1. Define the purpose

Clarify whether the assessment supports development, recruitment, onboarding or another authorized business objective. Identify who will receive the results and what decisions they may inform.

2. Complete the questionnaire

The participant answers 50 multiple-choice sales situations and completes a 15-item self-assessment. The suggested active time is 60 minutes.

3. Interpret and act

Results are reviewed by dimension and connected to role requirements. The organization then prepares interview questions, coaching priorities or a development plan.

Before the assessment

The requesting organization should explain why PSV is being used, whether participation is required, who is authorized to see the results and how long information will be retained. The participant receives an opportunity to review the privacy notice and provide the required assessment-processing consent.

The correct language and market are selected before the questionnaire begins. This choice adapts regional examples, telephone formats and currencies; it does not change the core evaluation framework. A stable internet connection and a quiet period of approximately one hour are recommended.

For recruitment, the organization should first define the role. Sales cycle, customer type, prospecting expectations, territory, technical complexity and account responsibilities all affect interpretation. Without a clear role profile, even a detailed assessment can be misused.

During the questionnaire

The participant completes the assessment individually and without external assistance. Some questions may have more than one appropriate answer. The purpose is to examine commercial reasoning across situations related to contact, discovery, presentation, objections, negotiation, closing, follow-up, organization and prospecting.

The questionnaire includes a timer and limited pauses. Elapsed time and pause information can be transmitted with the submission to help document administration conditions. These indicators should not be interpreted in isolation as measures of ability.

The self-assessment section records how participants perceive their own capabilities. Differences between situational answers and self-perception can become useful discussion points. They are not automatically proof of overconfidence or underconfidence; context and follow-up questions are essential.

How results are organized

Overall perspective

A high-level result provides orientation, but it should never replace review of the individual dimensions. Two participants can have similar overall results and very different development needs.

Dimension-level findings

The 13 areas help leaders locate possible strengths and gaps. Patterns across related dimensions are often more informative than one isolated response.

Self-perception

The participant’s ratings add another perspective for discussion. Alignment and divergence can both produce valuable coaching or interview questions.

After the assessment

Results should be reviewed in relation to the objective established at the beginning. For a current employee, the manager can select a small number of priorities, describe the observable behaviours expected, agree on practice activities and schedule follow-up. Trying to improve every dimension at once usually weakens the plan.

For a candidate, findings can inform structured follow-up questions. The interviewer may ask for concrete examples, test a scenario or clarify an apparent inconsistency. PSV should be combined with interviews, experience, references and other legally appropriate evidence.

Responsible interpretation

PSV is a decision-support and development tool. It does not diagnose personality, guarantee sales results or replace the professional judgment required for employment decisions.