sales hiring optimization
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Sales Hiring Optimization: The Power of Assessments and Tests

We're about to dive into the fascinating world of sales assessments and tests. These nifty tools do much more than grade your sales team. They can transform your sales process, create superstars, and put you on the fast track to phenomenal success. Ready? Let's go!

Finding Hidden Gems: Measuring Sales Potential Through Assessment Tests

You've got a team, some of them are regularly hitting and exceeding goals. But the majority are mediocre – to put it kindly. You didn’t hire using profiles, but know that you’ve been around a bit, you’re wanting to find out if any of your “mediocres” have the potential to turn things around for themselves. Enter sales assessment tests. These are not your old school pop quizzes but state-of-the-art evaluations designed to measure the innate selling abilities that can't be found on a LinkedIn profile or resume.

Sales assessment tests look beyond the numbers and go straight to the heart of what makes a salesperson truly shine. They gauge traits like resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving prowess. These tests are like your personal treasure maps, helping you discover who can bring home the gold and push your business to new heights.

But caution is required here! Do not terminate those who are mediocre and were identified by the profiles as unsuitable for a sales career. This will bring the hellfire of the government down on you. Rather, set goals and terminate for failure to achieve goals. You are legally not permitted to terminate based on tests.

Straight Shooter: Objective Evaluation Methods for Sales Talent

There's no room for favoritism in sales. You want a team of top performers, and for that, you need an unbiased referee. Objective evaluation methods ensure everyone's on a level playing field. They focus on the facts, analyzing key performance indicators, and behavioral patterns to provide a clear picture of each salesperson's capabilities.

By using these methods, you're promoting a culture of meritocracy, where talent and effort determine success. Objective evaluations empower your team, boosting motivation, and driving them to reach their full potential.

Hiring the Right Way: Testing Sales Skills

We’re aiming for Sales hiring optimization. A LinkedIn Profile or resume might tell you a bit about a candidate, but it's not going to spill the beans on their ability to close a deal. That's where testing sales skills for hiring purposes comes into play. These tests go beyond surface-level qualifications and delve into the practicalities of selling.

A sales skills test is your secret weapon for hiring top-notch talent. It can reveal a candidate's understanding of sales processes, their negotiation tactics, and their resilience in the face of rejection. By integrating these tests into your hiring process, you'll be bringing onboard sales champs who can sprint to the finish line.

The Perfect Match: Using ValuesMatrix(TM) and StylesMatrix(TM) for Sales Hiring

Imagine if you could find the perfect match for your sales team. That is sales hiring optimization.A person whose values align with your company culture and whose work style complements your existing team. That's not just a dream, that's what you get with ValuesMatrix(TM) and StylesMatrix(TM).

ValuesMatrix(TM) helps you understand what drives a person's decisions. Do they value innovation? Or are they all about customer satisfaction? This tool uncovers those inner motivations that can steer your company's success.

On the other hand, StylesMatrix(TM) shows you how a person works. Do they thrive under pressure? Importantly, what is their deeply-held attitude toward influencing others. How do they interact with others? Getting this snapshot helps you build a harmonious team, where everyone brings something unique to the table.

Together, these matrices are your blueprint for a high-performing sales team. They ensure you're not just hiring skilled salespeople, but individuals who can contribute to your team in meaningful ways.

So, there you have it! Sales assessments and tests are not just about keeping tabs on your sales team. They're game-changers that can help you measure potential, hire the right people, and build an unstoppable sales force. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to embrace these tools and race ahead to that sales finish line!

If you’d like to find out how to build a sales recruitment system based on the latest AI and brain research, schedule a free Science of Sales Hiring Strategy Session.

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Why DISC Scores Consistenly Lead Sales Managers to Ruin

When I first came across DISC in 1989, I was skeptical about DISC. How could the 20-30 set of words in a DISC test help me recruit quality salespeople?

I had signed up for a marketing conference in L.A together with 200 other attendees. One of the presenters Jim Cecil, a Vistage coach, distrtibuted my first exposure to DISC .

It was pre-Internet so administering the test was quite different. in the end, 200 attendees to a $25,000 a seat conference were“ooing” and “ahing.”

Jim explained that DISC alone, is not enough to identify best sales candidate. Without an test to elicit Values, you won’t find top performers.

That said, I took that tool back to Virginia and we began running 100’s of profiles every month. And what I discovered very quickly was the version of DISC we were using was too difficult to use in sales hiring.

Today, sales hiring done right, means getting lasrge numbers of applicants.

We tell our clients 50 applicants per postion minmum. (We used to say 20-30 but applicants have become more clever at faking a track record of success.)

Using the version we had been using with its 20-30 pages of dialogue was too confusing. Plus the verbiage was open to interpretation in any number of different ways.

SInce 1989 I tested 14 different versions but never got closer to a tool that gave us “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”

In 2003 I decided to create my own proprietary DISC. What I needed was a sales test that told me, “Should I call this applicant in for an interview or not?”

Most DISC tests have one fatal flaw: They are too vague because they are for many positions. That’s why the Advanced Hiring CORE Style Filtration Extractor(tm) is a sales-only.

We’re happy to share it with any sales manager who is sick and tired of being disappointed with their sales hires. Click the button below and we’re happy to show you an easier, more accurate way to use DISC.

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Sales Best Practices During Pandemic

A near complete shutdown of the economy is an unprecedented event. This did not happen during the great depression, not as a result of any world war, nor ever before as a response to a contagious illness. But here we are. Focusing on the important big stuff and developing some best practices will go a long way to helping your sales organization survive, if not thrive, during the pandemic.

The World is Closed
Photographer: Edwin Hooper | Source: Unsplash

A solid sales team is important to any business. We typically devote most of our time to helping companies build great sales teams. If you’re in need of building your team, click HERE to learn more about what we do.

We do, however, talk with some of our larger clients about issues outside the scope of our sales recruitment coaching. I have included some ideas on best practices during a pandemic that we have discussed over the last few weeks.

  • Focus on customer relationships. Retaining your base of regular customers will prove lifesaving for your business. Of course you need to get new business and your competitors who are not focusing on their customer relationships might well be a good target for getting it. Strengthen your customer relationships to make them a tough target for your competitor.
  • Adjust your pitching process. Adapt your offerings to address specific pain points of your prospects. They likely have more time now and perhaps product demonstrations or free trial periods might attract interest. When things return to normal, these prospects might want to keep a valuable product you’ve introduced.
  • Offer flexible terms. Money is tight for most businesses, likely including yours. Minimizing the pain of more drains on cashflow will not only help your prospects, it will also let them know you’re trying to shepherd them through the current environment.

Selling is a challenging profession even in good times. COVID19 is making it an increasingly tricky game. Helping your sales team develop new best practices will go a long way toward recovering the ground lost to the shutdown.

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