I wanted to share a hiring methodology for Salespeople that CEOs, VP of Sales and Business Owners can administer themselves. The goal is for companies to hire better sales reps, reduce churn, and save time, but to do the basics yourself.
We offer a complete sales hiring process that is documented, repeatable and will save a business a ton of money and time. It has 16 steps and will improve the salespeople you hire. However, many business executives have a build it themselves mindset, so these five steps will move the needle with hiring better reps.
Five Steps to Hiring Better Salespeople:
1. Write an Ad that makes the salesperson identify themselves as a fit.
In other words, tell them what accomplishments you want to see, not a job description. They should say, “this ad is describing me” after they read it. Be creative, honest and clear.
2. Use a Predictive Sales Assessment
There are 21 Critical Core Competencies required for success in sales. 74% of salespeople are ineffective. Give yourself an edge. Our Assessment is the only Assessment that is Predictive and focuses on Salespeople. It is 94% accurate. We offer a DIY subscription you can cancel after 30 days. This link will take you to a monthly subscription plan with unlimited assessments.
Assess every candidate, don’t even look at the resume. This makes you EEOC compliant. The assessment will provide one of three outcomes: recommended, not recommended or worthy of consideration report. ONLY talk to the recommended, and some of the Worth of Consideration. Don’t waste time. More data can be found here.
3. Resume Review
Only review resumes of the candidates you will phone screen. Most resumes are fluff and often written by someone other than the candidate. Review a resume to challenge the claims made written in the resume. For example, I was the Top Sales Person in the Midwest I would ask, How many salespeople in the region? What was the production of the top salesperson in the company? What was your production? The resume of the candidate that I will interview looks like a poorly written term paper from your English Comp class. I am looking to challenge their claims, see how they react. Great salespeople enjoy the process, weak salespeople fold. Will the prospects they need to meet and sell treat them any different?
4. Interview Cadence
We teach a phone screen 7 to 10 minutes. The goal is to control the call, set expectations and determine if the candidate is professional, on-time and understands what the sales role is about. The first interview is about challenging the candidate claims on the resume and reading the candidate. The second interview are with candidates in whom you are interested, so now you do what most people do in an interview – sell the company and the job.
5. On Board Well
This step is critical. Having each day of the first two – three weeks of the new employee’s day mapped out in advance is a best practice. Don’t just have them sit in a training room. Mix it up. Human Resources. Product Training. Sales Training. Shadowing in the Field. Key Management. Sales people need to be in the field quickly.
Our proven documented process involves 16 steps, but the approach in these five steps speaks to the fundamental changes necessary to improve your selection process of salespeople.
If you want a different outcome, you need to try something different. This process will get you to a better outcome.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments below or send us an email!
Good luck.
