How hire sales superstars

BY HOWARD COLEMAN
Special to The Wholesaler

As the income generator of the organization, companies can live or die by the quality of their sales force. A dazzling sales team can generate tremendous sales for an average product or service, but a clumsy sales team might not fare well with a first-rate offering. Pre-hire screening assessments can virtually eliminate the costly mistake of hiring poorly motivated people -- especially those who will require substantial training and constant managerial intervention to be effective in the sales role.

Here is what to look for

A lot of people think they can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but truly great salespeople are few and far between. To find the “creme de la creme,” look for salespeople with these characteristics:

• Highly motivated by money
• Eager to learn
• Self-confident
• Stimulated by challenge
• Persistent
• Competitive
• Able to cope with rejection
• Great listening skills

Should I use a selling skill assessment tool when hiring salespeople?

No! Selling skill assessments should never be used as the initial or sole pre-hire assessment instrument for sales positions. Many salespeople list three or four jobs on their resume when, in fact, they “started” with more companies then they listed.

This type of salesperson often gets hired because they “look good.” You know the type. Over time they know how to “talk the talk,” but after you have trained them and then finally expect them to be accountable for results, guess what? They leave!

Level the playing field

The secret to hiring salespeople who can actually increase sales is to look for those who are self-motivated and behaviorally suited to the job. It’s better to hire a lesser-skilled person who is highly motivated than a person who is skilled and not motivated enough to apply their skills on a steady and consistent basis. To differentiate between the two, look at the pre-hire assessment tools that are available today that measure behavioral and motivational attributes and can provide a “heads-up” on the training required to bring salespeople up to par.

Professional headhunters and human resource professionals have used these assessment tools for some time to save the cost of hiring and training those who are ill suited to the job. A good selling skill assessment has its place later on, but, especially in sales, test for motivation first!

Sales success or failure?

If you agree that motivation is everything in sales, read on!

Let’s look at the sales process from a behavioral standpoint. Sales is simply the ability to persuade and influence others. A good salesperson is someone who is motivated to bring prospects under his or her sphere of influence, on a steady and consistent basis. To find this type of person, you cannot depend solely on the interview, the resume or work history. You need a professional tool that cuts through the smokescreen.

Professional interviewers the world over use set interview questions to create a “base impression” of the candidate. Some use fewer than 10 questions, while others use 30 or more. To increase their potential for success, most professional interviewers augment their questions with various assessments that measure motivation, competencies and skills.

To ensure against bad hires, use an assessment tool that rates and ranks your candidate against successful people in the same type of sales discipline. You will then have put yourself in the position of reducing turnover and hiring and training costs while increasing sales and productivity.

Can they sell?

Okay, you have a great and motivated candidate! Now what? We recommend that you now assess the sales ability (skills) of the candidate, that is, the candidate’s ability to strategize for sales success, in a variety of difficult circumstances.

Can I do the same for my entire sales team?

Yes! Administer these assessment tools to each of your current salespeople to determine the training requirements of the sales team as a whole -- an extremely valuable tool! You can then begin to develop the specific training required for each person, as well as the training required to enhance the performance of the entire team.

We will be pleased to answer any questions you have related to pre-hire and post-hire assessment tools.                   

Howard Coleman is the principal of mca Associates, a management consulting firm since 1986. Mca Associates works primarily with wholesale distribution companies that are seeking operational excellence. Coleman and his staff of senior consultants provide operational excellence -- idea-leadership -- and implement continuous improvement solutions focused on business process re-engineering, inventory and supply chain management, sales development and revenue generation, information systems and technology, organizational assessment and development, and succession planning. MCA Associates can be contacted at their corporate office in Connecticut at 203/732-0603, at their Florida regional office at 561/989-3221, by e-mail at hcoleman@mcaassociates.com or by visiting their website, www.mcaassociates.com.