Sales Test Blog

Dave, a good friend of mine who has been a sales manager for many years, said that when he hires a salesperson he is “renting their behavior.”

How curious are you as to whether the sales candidate that you are considering has the behaviors that you are willing to rent?  The SPQ*Gold will highlight the behaviors that are going to serve your organization well and also shine a light on behaviors that may be a cause for concern.

How serious are you about thoroughly inspecting and investigating before you sign your offer?  Please call Connie Kadansky, 602-380-5431 to find out how easy and stream lined her process is to assess you sales candidates prior to hiring them.

How often do newlyweds start noticing a habit about their cherished spouse on the honeymoon and they choose to turn a blind eye?

Guess what?  Employers do the same!  It takes significant time and energy to hire new salespeople.  Once hired, employers are on their best behavior.  The new hire is on their best behavior.  They are both excited about the possibilities.  However, in the first couple of weeks, employers can start noticing habits and/or behaviors that are NOT what they want to see.  They turn a blind eye and hope for the best.

Very rarely do salespeople have completely developed skill sets!  Most employers know that their new-hire is a work in progress who requires training, development and coaching.

The SPQ will not only assist in the interviewing, pre-hire stage; it will clearly define  areas for skill development so that employers are not blindsided after months have gone by, a lot of internal questioning and wasted opportunities.

Please feel free to call Connie Kadansky about how to use the SPQ for coaching and development.  602-380-5431

That was a question asked by a real estate broker who wants to hire agents who have the fire in the belly to make money.

Yes, the goal level measurement will tell you whether they are emotionally engaged in their personal and professional goals.  The higher the goal level the more fire in the belly.

Please call Connie Kadansky at 602-380-5431 if you do not care about Sales Call Reluctance and only want an assessment that will tell you if your candidate has needs and values that are around money.

Here are some insider tips you can use right now to Spot Sales Call Reluctance:

• Don’t be fooled by the billboard effect.
• Candidates who invest too much energy into looking good don’t have a lot left over for prospecting, which they often find humiliating and demeaning. They may have Hyper-Pro Call Reluctance.
• Avoid virtual success.
  Is your energetic new prospective seller “empowered”? “Grounded”? “Enabled”? Do they arch their eyebrows and boast of being “values-driven”? Of having “integrity”? If so, stop, squint, and look closer. Overuse of semi-psychological trash words could point to someone who is preoccupied with the self-help seminar industry – always searching, never finding, no time left over to prospect. Visualizing new business is not the same as prospecting.
• Demo for dollars.
• Trainers, how your new salespeople see you manage your call reluctance is the best predictor of how they will manage theirs – for the rest of their sales career.
• All light, no heat?
• Listen for rigid, unrealistic optimism throughout the interview. Contrary to popular mythology, frozen optimism is not always characteristic of high self-esteem. When it comes to sales selection it can also indicate entrenched emotional denial which characterizes Role Rejection Call Reluctance.
• High potential, higher cost?
• Listen carefully when interviewing experienced salespeople. Count the number of times you hear complimentary statements and direct or indirect criticisms. Salespeople with career-lethal doses of Oppositional Reflex Call Reluctance criticize far more often than they compliment. Many never compliment at all. Ever. They also don’t produce. They do, however, waste endless hours arguing about why. (Early studies showed they also tend to look impressive on the surface, which is why they tend to be financed higher than other new salespeople.)

From “Street-Smart Selection,” by George W. Dudley and Shannon L. Goodson, ©1996, Behavioral Sciences Research Press, Inc., Dallas, Texas. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduced with permission.

Call Reluctance® is a registered trademark of Behavioral Sciences Research Press, Inc

Another courageous CEO took the SPQ*Gold assessment today.  He just hired another salesperson and is determined to set the salesperson up to succeed.

By investing the time and dollars he discovered that he experiences Role Rejection Call Reluctance.  Why is this so important?  Because Role Rejection Call Reluctance is highly contagious.  He’s willing to shift his fixed mindset about selling and identify with the professional, seasoned salespeople versus the underdeveloped amateurs.  Leaders can contaminate the very people they intend to inspire.

The research shows that in some sales organizations Role Rejection Call Reluctance is pervasive throughout their organization.

It takes humility to be assessed and find out that “you” may be part of the problem.

Hiring authorities throughout industry count on Connie Kadansky, SPQ*Gold consultant, to assist them in identifying salespeople who will prospect consistently.