Earlier this year I was conducting phone screens for a client whose service was always changing and evolving. Essentially, we knew a major key leading to success in the role was to find candidates with a Theoretical motivation. One of my screening questions was “What have you done in the last 3 years to further develop your sales skills?”

A response from one of the applicants:

“I have taken a bunch of Microsoft classes, from PowerPoint to Excel to Word to Access. If you name it, I’ve taken it.”

Sounds right. Shows a desire to learn. But notice my question – develop your sales skills. Did these courses afford them the opportunity to be in front of prospects and customers because of their proficiency on the computer? Or did they close more business because their presentations were now more animated? I doubt it. This applicant may have been a tremendous support person, but deeper into the phone screen it became quite apparent they lacked the needed business development skills.

Posted By Lee Fratzke | Anecdotes | | Comments(1)