Sales Pros
Hiring is the front door to your future success.™ Is hiring your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?
Five Steps to Hiring and Keeping Top Sales Professionals
1. Hiring – Mission Statement for Sales. What are the top 3 – 5 things you your sales people need to drive your company’s Mission Statement? For example: integrity, passion, can-do attitude, a WE vs. I approach to sales, etc.
2. Clearly Define the Job. Job description and discussions about the position needs are not 
enough. You need an objective, strategic review of the needs of the position. In writing and with the Sales Manager’s signature, what are the opportunities and challenges of the position. What talents will a successful candidate have? For example: A company may have sales people throughout the US. The sales job is fundamentally the same, but the behavioral traits of a successful sales person in Wyoming might be significantly different that a top performer in NYC, Chicago or LA.
3. Define the Candidate. Sales people can sell themselves, but can they deliver? Benchmark your top performers and then compare candidates to that success model. An objective sales specific assessment can tell you if the candidate can close sales, build strong relationships, prospect effectively, etc. The good assessments will give you valuable information on job fit, manager fit, and team fit.
4. The Interview. Top sales people will come prepared. They probably have read a book on the best answers, researched the company, practiced what how to respond to various questions, etc. Throw the person off their game plan. Make them slightly uncomfortable by walking around the office/factory or talking in the lunch room about general topics. In the right setting, ask them specific questions about how they would handle real-world situations. Have people on the sales team, including customer service, interview the candidate
5. On-the-Same-Page Review. We have a sales tool that measures seven universal sales competencies. The Sales Manager and sales person each take a 20-minute survey. The report compares the two surveys. Benefits: The sales person receives specific, tailored feedback from their Sales Manager on how to improve their sales performance. The report helps the Sales Manager’s allocate their most precious of resources (time) to strengthening their sales force and achieving goals.
How can we help you?
We deliver actionable information to help you hire top people who fit your culture, your manager and your position. We offer a free 60 -minute consultation to discuss your specific needs. Call today
John Bishop
314-651-1479