{"id":5859,"date":"2017-06-13T08:37:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T13:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/?p=5859"},"modified":"2019-06-04T12:10:44","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T17:10:44","slug":"4-pillars-of-successful-sales-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2017\/06\/4-pillars-of-successful-sales-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Pillars Of Successful Sales Selection"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container-fluid\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<h3 class=\"\">Successful sales hiring, in any company, is one of the most difficult tasks in which to achieve repeatable success.&nbsp; From unexpected outbursts to terminal tardiness to woeful incompetence, every company has a sales hiring horror story regarding employees who interviewed strong but performed poorly.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\">Perhaps a subtle, but more dangerous occurrence is the all-too-common hire who performs their job in the gray twilight of mediocrity.&nbsp; They never rise to the occasion and they never catastrophically fail.&nbsp; They interviewed well but now simply perform their role in a nondescript manner within the company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Amass too many of these employees and your company will be overwhelmed with mediocrity\u2026or worse.&nbsp; How do you identify candidates who have unseen natural capacities that will elevate them to record-setting achievements?<\/p>\n<p>There are 4 pillars that are present in all repeatable, successful sales hiring processes.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\">\n<li>\n<h4><strong>Always select talent and skills over experience.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"\">Experience is a definite benefit to shortening a sales ramp, but it is not an airtight predictor of success.&nbsp; This over reliance upon experience in hiring decisions is the foremost error companies make when selecting new salespeople.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The issue is simple \u2013 no two companies are the same, no two cultures are the same and no two sales are the same.&nbsp; Competitors still approach the market from different points.&nbsp; Competitors have unique cultures that may be sales-focused, engineering-focused, financially-focused.&nbsp; A salesperson who is successful in one culture may very well be a flop in a different culture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A successful salesperson from a competitor may have inherited the strongest territory.&nbsp; They may receive a disproportionate amount of leads.&nbsp; They may have the competitor\u2019s largest customer in their territory.&nbsp; You will never know the answer to all of these questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">However, you can know the answer to their skill and talent level.&nbsp; These are abilities that can be objectively measured.&nbsp; You can know how they will fit into your sale before they ever land on your payroll.&nbsp; Our assessments provide an x-ray into their sales abilities.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\" start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h4><strong> Do not clone yourself.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"\">Bias can blind people from seeing real talent.&nbsp; Oftentimes we encounter sales leaders who either consciously or unconsciously constructed a team in their own likeness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Here is why this matters &#8211; different styles provide different strengths that can augment an existing team.&nbsp; A team consisting of varied styles, skills and aptitudes will approach a singular problem from different angles.&nbsp; This varied approach provides a broader view of the problem and an opportunity to consider differing solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Weakness occurs when a herd mentality, based on similarity, creates a monolithic solution.&nbsp; This solution may be feasible at that moment, but one thing we are encountering today is disruption.&nbsp; Markets are changing a lightning speed, technologies are shifting major platforms and prospects are more informed than any time in our past.<\/p>\n<p>Your hiring process should embrace sales candidates with unique styles and motivations for your team.&nbsp; This variety will allow you to accurately foresee cataclysmic changes in your marketspace.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\" start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h4><strong> Use hiring situations to see the candidate in action.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"\">Use every contact as a chance to see the candidate incorporate their sales abilities.&nbsp; The similarities between a hiring process and a sales process are remarkable.&nbsp; The sales candidate is attempting to sell his or her abilities to the needs of your sales position.&nbsp; This similarity provides a wonderful opportunity to see the candidates\u2019 sales abilities in person.<\/p>\n<p>Your sales hiring process should begin with a phone screen as most selling still commences through an initial phone call.&nbsp; Phone etiquette still matters.&nbsp; Thought coherence under pressure is crucial in all sales.&nbsp; Personality, humor, articulation\u2026these traits can all be discerned through a relatively short phone screen.&nbsp; Finally, pressure can be placed on the candidate to get your first glimpse of their calmness in a phone qualifying call.&nbsp; The key is to match the pressure that the candidate will face selling for your company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">If your salespeople typically sell to a committee, ensure that you have multiple people in the initial interview with the candidates.&nbsp; This simple move mirrors the selling situation the salesperson will encounter in your sales role.&nbsp; You can observe how they handle multiple questioners, eye contact, different personalities, various power levels and much more.&nbsp; The key through this process is to envision the candidate selling for your company.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\" start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h4><strong> Do not expect to hire perfection.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"\">Even the strongest candidates have some blemishes.&nbsp; Every sales hire requires an understanding of strength areas and potential weaknesses.&nbsp; These areas can be measured through our accurate sales assessments.&nbsp; The key is to understand what areas are \u201cneed-to-haves\u201d and what areas are \u201cnice-to-haves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">There are aspects of a successful sales hire that are always required, including qualifying skills and an ROI motivation.&nbsp; Yet, there can be some give-and-take regarding prospecting skill, presentation skill, communication style and general aptitudes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">It is the rare candidate that perfectly matches your sales position so do not lock down on the eternal search for perfection.&nbsp; You must know the absolute need-to-have abilities and use those as your measuring stick.&nbsp; Besides, waiting for perfection means you may never make a hire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Install these four pillars into your sales hiring process and you will drastically improve your hiring success.&nbsp; We have the tools and training available to solidify your process.&nbsp; Contact us today if you would like to learn more about turning your sales hiring process into a company-wide strength.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong><a class=\"btn btn-pill btn-color-5 btn-glow\" style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/recruiting\/\">Our Recruiting Process<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Successful sales hiring, in any company, is one of the most difficult tasks in which to achieve repeatable success.&nbsp; From unexpected outbursts to terminal tardiness to woeful incompetence, every company has a sales hiring horror story regarding employees who interviewed strong but performed poorly. Perhaps a subtle, but more dangerous occurrence is the all-too-common hire who performs their job in the gray twilight of mediocrity.&nbsp; They never rise to the occasion and they never catastrophically fail.&nbsp; They interviewed well but now simply perform their role in a nondescript manner within the company. Amass too many of these employees and your company will be overwhelmed with mediocrity\u2026or worse.&nbsp; How do you&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2017\/06\/4-pillars-of-successful-sales-selection\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,16],"tags":[125,257,1762],"class_list":["post-5859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiring","category-hiring-salespeople","tag-hiring-process","tag-hiring-sales","tag-hiring-salespeople"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5Oho-1wv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1334,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/12\/mediocrity-in-the-hiring-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":0},"title":"Mediocrity In The Hiring Process","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"December 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Hiring salespeople is the difficult combination of science and art weighted perfectly to select the right person for the position's requirements.\u00a0 Obviously, knowing the position's requirements is the preeminent step.\u00a0 Many sales managers believe they know what it takes to be successful in the position and they do to a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19159,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2018\/10\/creeping-mediocrity-in-your-hiring-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":1},"title":"Creeping Mediocrity In Your Hiring Process","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"October 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Past behaviors are the best indicator of future success. This point is crucial when hiring salespeople for your team.\u00a0 The difficulty lies in deducing if the candidate has the right set of skills to be successful in your specific sale. Here's the ugly truth - \"bad\" salespeople can still have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yawn.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yawn.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yawn.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1677,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/07\/when-hiring-expect-success\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":2},"title":"When Hiring, Expect Success","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"July 28, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever worked with a \"glass half empty\" person?\u00a0 They are something to behold especially if you are a bit of an optimist.\u00a0 We get the chance to interact with many leaders of both sales departments (VP of Sales) and entire companies (CEO).\u00a0 One thing that always catches my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring Salespeople&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring Salespeople","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/hiring-salespeople\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":386,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/10\/open-mind-hiring\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":3},"title":"Open-Minded Hiring","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"October 23, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Another good article from the new Selling Power newsletter - Open Minds Open Doors. The topic here is Hiring Salespeople From Outside Your Industry. If you follow that link, you will see that this topic is of great importance in our world. From the article: \"I believe the way the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1187,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/09\/2-performance-problems-mismanaged-and-misemployed\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":4},"title":"2 Performance Problems &#8211; Mismanaged and Misemployed","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"September 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Since we work in the sale hiring and management arena, we get the chance to see a sales position from both sides - the sales management side and the sales person side.\u00a0 It is a unique perspective that we discuss often internally. Like most people, we tend to look at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring Salespeople&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring Salespeople","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/hiring-salespeople\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27430,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2019\/03\/interviewed-by-a-robot\/","url_meta":{"origin":5859,"position":5},"title":"Interviewed By A Robot","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"March 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"You've probably used the term \"robot\" to describe some of the people you have worked with or, in my case, some of the hiring managers with whom I interviewed over the years. But I'm not talking metaphorically now.\u00a0 This BBC news article introduces (is that the right word?) us to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hiring&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hiring","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Robot-Drawing.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Robot-Drawing.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Robot-Drawing.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Pillars.jpg?fit=304%2C204","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5859"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49574,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859\/revisions\/49574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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