We’ve been working with clients to hire top performing salespeople for 16 years.  In truth, from time to time, I feel like I’ve said it all.

And then, I read an article on LinkedIn and realize, once again, why more than 3 out of 4 sales hires fails.

First of all, focus on what you are looking for in an interview. In our System, we profile sales applicants before we meet them.

Because we do this, we know  the values and personality style ahead of time. We know the applicant matches the values and style of most top salespeople.

In the interview you’re looking for the applicant to give examples in their lives  of:
•    Stick-to-ive-ness
•    Follow through
•    Ability to overcome adversity
•    Entrepreneurialism

Second, structured interviews get you high quality answers. Never “wing it” in an interview. Have all your questions planned and prewritten.

Third, ask the same questions, in the same order, of each applicant. By nature we tend to like people we “bond” with. But we’re not looking for a friend here.  We are trying to determine if they applicant is tough enough to do the hard work of selling.

By asking the same questions in the same order,  you are able to compare the applicant’s answers.  This is a key point.

Finally, never ask the following questions that Afa Front in the LinkedIn article suggests. They are too open-ended. You won’t get any information that will help you pick the best applicant.

1. Tell Me About Yourself
This is a horrible question. It gives the applicant to take control of the interview. If you believe that is what selling is about, you’re bound to hire duds.

2. What’s Your Greatest Strength?
Another bad question because you won’t be able to compare the answers you get. One applicant will tell one lie, another applicant will tell another lie.

3. Why Should We Hire You?
What would be a right answer? Exactly there is no way to score this answer. Skip it.

4. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
Can you imagine a lawyer asking that of a witness in a court room? Bad  question. Only gives up control of the interview.

Delivering a structured, scripted interview for every sales applicant puts you ahead of 3 out of 4 sales hirers – and is one of the keys to successful sales hiring.

The common complaint is companies aren’t getting enough sales applicants these days. We teach our clients how to get more and better sales applicants.

Our client Harry reports he had gotten 750 applicants over the past 5 months. He hired 8. Four of them knocking it out of the park.

Ed got 100 in a month and hired a star. Both clients are in the Financial Services industry, which is a tough industry to recruit in.

Using our system you should get 50 applicants for every sales hire you make. But unfortunately most companies are not equiped to handle large numbers of applicants.

Using your current system, if you did get 50 applicants which would you bring in for an interview? (If your answer is previous industry sales experience, you’re odds on to hire another dud.)

If you’re not getting enough applicants click here and let’s talk.

We use an easy formula for getting a lot of applicants. Then we use a quick system to identify which applicants to bring in for an interview.

Having a sales hiring system puts you in charge. Click here and let’s talk.

You know what it’s like. You meet them and after less than 10 minutes you know it – they’re the killer you are looking for.

So what happened to them after you brought them on board? Why did they fail so bad at doing what you told them would work to sell your product or service?

I am a sales guy, sales manager, company owner and entrepreneur. And for 20 years I’ve studied the sales hiring process because that is where the money in any business is.

Do you want to know why your “super pick” – destined for sales greatness, screw up so bad?

It’s not your fault, but your process for hiring salespeople is no process at all. It’s one step above the fog the mirror method of sales hiring. Gut feel ends up too often to be a pain in the gut.

Because in truth all people have so much going on beneath the surface. And if you don’t get a way of figuring out who your sales applicants REALLY are, you will hire too many duds.

And what’s worse is today, finding out who they really are, is so easy that not doing it is just dumb.

I discovered this fact 20 years ago and back then it was hard. There was no internet, there were very few computers. But I had 200 salespeople and the losers were costing me a fortune.

To find out how easy it is click here. We’ve created a free online tool that you can use. My CFO says we should lock this tool away in our Member Area, so do it today before he has his way.