'Insanity', said Deming, 'is continuing to do things the way they have always been done and expecting the results to be significantly different'.

The decision to apply science to selling means that things will change, people will be expected to operate differently. In order to meet those expectations they must first understand the processes and the terminology. Then given new tools and techniques with which to execute the process and they must then develop the skills of using the tools.

The TLA Blueprint therefore includes a plan for change. The plan will include informational, educational and training activities. Against each of these will be identified the functional category such as sales executive, consultant, product manager or marketing manager. Each individual will be assessed against the following criteria:

• what knowledge do they need to know to perform their job well?
• what skills do they need to be able to do their job?
• what knowledge and skills do they already have?

From this assessment an individual Personal Development Plan can be developed identifying the training programs and coaching support needed to fill any skill and/or knowledge deficiencies, and specifying future assessment criteria.