Today I interviewed a seasoned sales manager who said that he rarely hired a bad rep. However, it took him a few years to realize that he was accumulating a lot of mediocre reps. He realized that he was hiring by intuition. If he liked the rep and felt that they would be a good fit, he’d hire them. He realized that salespeople are genius at becoming what you want for that hour of the interview. “Their job is to sell you on them.” He found that quantification and verification were more important than intuition about an applicant. He asks for sales reports, tax forms, and any documentation that gives black and white look at a rep’s results over time. He believes that hiring is a scientific process based on facts, careful observation and analysis.
Along with requiring tangible proof of past performance, using the SPQ*Gold assessment will give you triple verification of what they will do when it comes prospecting for new business.
email connie@exceptionalsales.com or (direct) 602-380-5431 or (cell) 602-380-5431