Building a team of excellent salespeople can be difficult, especially if your business is new or in need of an employee makeover. Whatever the reason, most companies agree that sales positions, regardless of experience level, are among the hardest to fill and often present the most challenges. We’ve all heard countless stories about candidates who excel in the interview process but never close a single deal after they start. So what is the secret to hiring good salespeople???
For starters, take a different approach to the interview process when hiring for sales positions
Previous sales experience and a successful track record in sales are a must, however those two things alone will not guarantee a candidate’s success with your organization. Before interviewing salespeople, ask yourself what characteristics & personality traits make for a successful salesperson within your organization? These are the characteristics you should spend the most amount of time trying to qualify and observe during an interview.
If your sales process involves high-volume cold calling for example, asking questions that will help you identify the candidate’s call volume levels and resiliency to failure is critical.
If your sales process is one that can drag out for months or years, asking questions that will help you identify a candidate’s thoughts & understanding of concepts like timing, motivation & the ability to identify when it’s time to walk away from a sales prospect is critical.
Make sure you are very clear about what the position entails and what the performance expectations will be
- It starts with the job description! When preparing a job description, make sure you include terms like “high-volume cold calling”, “metrics”, and “high renewal rate” if they are part of the job. Oftentimes companies feel these aspects of a job are better off left for the interview because they are concerned with scaring potential candidates away. However, adding those buzz words to a job description is the first and best way to weed out the candidates who aren’t right for your organization. More than likely, you are going to figure that out at some point during the interview process, so why waste valuable time?
- Share success stories and use them as a way of qualifying candidates. Throughout the interview process, give examples of the steps and work ethic successful employees within your organization have displayed in order to achieve their sales goals and then ask candidates to provide similar examples from their current or previous role. Don’t focus solely on the basic sales questions they would expect from any company, instead ask questions that are relevant to success within your company.
- Once you’ve made your decision, act quickly. A good salesperson will have plenty of options as they continue looking for work, so make sure you’re acting promptly to get them hired and onboarded. This quick action will give the new hire an impression of how you feel about them and your expectations regarding their progress and future success in your team.
Start looking now
The best way to find good salespeople for your team is to start looking for the perfect candidate early. Each step you make in the hiring process should be thought out with a high amount of consideration for your company’s future and the fit of the new hire. Our thoughtful approach to recruiting ensures your company will find the best candidates to improve the success of your business & drive revenue! For assistance finding qualified sales employees, contact Atlantic Group today!