If you’re looking to hire a new sales person or an entire sales team, we’ve outlined four sales hiring best practices to consider. You want to avoid filling seats simply because you need to meet your company’s hiring quota. Before offering a position to a job seeker, make sure you can identify these attributes.
DRIVE
When it comes to sales, one attribute a successful sales person can’t function without is drive. When trying to determine the best person to hire, look for people whose passion and motivation comes from within. During your interviews, ask about what each person is looking to achieve in their career. Understanding why someone wants to do something can help you when determining whether or not someone will exceed expectations. If you find someone whose drive aligns with your company’s mission, then you can guarantee they will put all of their energy into their new sales role.
COACHABILITY
The sales industry is one of constant learning and when reviewing candidates, it’s important to look for a person who is willing to be coached. Try to envision this potential hire as a future leader of your company. If they’re open to learning new methods or perspectives, they will make great mentors themselves one day. Flexibility in any role is important, but in a sales environment that is always changing this is a particularly valuable skill in any applicant.
EXPERIENCE
Looking for experience in the hiring world doesn’t strictly translate to previous professional experience. Paying attention to intangibles from past leadership experience, (e.g. – moments of perseverance) in conjunction with career experience can help you get a more rounded perspective on your candidate. Don’t limit your employee specifications to purely professional backgrounds; give yourself room to find the right people who have enough experience to succeed and can make up for what they may lack career-wise.
POTENTIAL
Lastly, the best employees are those that are full of potential. Although potential can be hard to define, a hiring managers typically knows it when they see it. Every employee you hire should have the potential to be a top rep at your company. Potential is the embodiment of all three of the aforementioned traits all wrapped into one. The key is not necessarily hiring the person where you know ‘exactly what you’re getting’, but rather someone that will push the boundaries and raise the bar for the rest of the team. Remember that you’re looking for the future leaders of the company, not just the status quo!