Sales Hiring is Different
Question: Hiring for sales is always an issue for our company. What is better hiring someone with experience in my business or hiring someone with great sales experience and teaching them our business?
Answer: In 225 words or less…neither.
The Traditional Approach to hiring sales people doesn’t work! There are several steps that must take place in order to hire stronger people who not only can sell but WILL SELL.
Salespeople are generally pretty good at first impressions, and when they are in transition they typically interview more than their interviewers. So unless you interview ‘salespeople’ all the time…there is no contest. Salespeople are better at telling you what you want to hear than you are at asking great questions that turn the interview into an audition.
Traditionally, companies:
1) Place an ad
2) Sort through tons of resumes
3) Interview 1 to 4 times and sell the company and the position
4) Make the offer
5) Hope and Pray
We believe the most overlooked and critical step is to first Identify the Ideal candidate and we use the BASE to do that, (Behaviors, Attitudes, Skills, and Environment) Next use non-traditional ways to Attract those individuals, Test for Can Sell/Will Sell factors, then start the interview process.
My answer to your question is a question; Is it easier to teach sales skills or product knowledge? That is your answer. If you want to know the difference between Can Sell and Will Sell give us a call.
With The Magic of the Sales Candidate Assessment you can learn how to find out your sales candidates will impact your business.
Good Selling,
Rocky LaGrone
Head Coach & CEO of Sales Development Expert