How to Hire Employees – The One Question You Must Answer in a Sales Hiring Interview

At some point in most sales interviews most interviewers make a fatal mistake and ask something like, “Tell me a little about yourself…”

At that point the interviewer has given the interviewee permission to take control of the interview. In 99% of the cases the interviewer has lost control of the interview from that point.

The applicant is now taking the interviewer on a “word spinning ride.”

Unfortunately most interviewers think this is a good thing — watching the applicant spin a web of words.

I am here to tell you it is not a good thing – or more specifically it doesn’t mean much of anything.

Amateur interviewers think they are seeing “how the applicant was so convincing in the interview. So articulate. So charming, so professional, so, so so…”

In reality sales hiring interviews like this are a waste of time for one simple reason – the interviewer has not clearly thought through what really needs to happen in the interview.

Seeing if someone can persuasively spin words is only one aspect of what is required to be a successful salesperson.

Yes, true, salespeople need to be persuasive, but being persuasive is only one part of the job. In 99% of the cases you can do this with a sales assessment we call the StylesMatrix(TM). You get a more accurate reading from using theStylesMatrix(TM). .

So what is the one thing? I believe the real “meat” of selling success, is how they are going to meet roadblocks, discouragement and dead ends.

Selling is about keep on keeping on when things are not going the way you want them to go.

In the sales hiring interview, the one question you want to get answered is whether the applicant has follow-through, stick-to-itiveness and the ability to overcome adversity. That is the one question that you need to determine in the interview.

Advanced Hiring System has developed an entire system to help you hire salespeople who really can succeed. Interviewing your sales applicant well is a key part of hiring sales applicants who can sell after they get hired.

Better Sales – Managing Different Styles – High-I

The I score is about ability to communicate with others. Top salespeople nearly always are High-I.

High-I salespeople have the ability to adjust their communication to match the  style of the person they are communicating with. (Although it doesn’t mean that the High-I can speak French to a Frenchman, but if they can’t speak French they’ll figure out how to get their message through despite the language deficit.)

In the hiring process, it is key to make sure that the applicant is not only a High-I because that alone will not make a good salesperson. Many sales managers have been fooled into thinking that just because the applicant is a good communicator High-I, that is all that is needed to be a good salesperson – and it simply is not so! The results from the ValuesMatrix™ are critical here. (See the AHS Member Area for more information on this critical distinction.)

High-I’s are fun to be around. The High-I is great at ad-libbing. The High-I is optimistic by nature. They believe the impossible can be done. .They are charming and charismatic.

High-I’s need to be liked. They, as well like, to like others –usually they are fairly non-discriminating here. This can cause them to trust others where trust is not warranted.

Checklists are handy things. Professionals use checklists.

Pilots are big on checklists. Check out the cool video here

I’ve prepared a list of things not to do when hiring salespeople.

In 2003, when our company’s growth got us to 200 salespeople very quickly, I realized we were way too focused on training. We needed to fix our sales hiring.

Hopefully becoming more aware of these pitfalls will help you to be a better sales manager for 2010.

1. Not constantly looking for sales talent.

If you don’t have a folder in your Outlook of applicants you’ve talked to who show promise, you’re missing out on a key way to build – over time, a better team.

2) Only running the sales hiring process when you need a salesperson.

Someone quits and you start scrambling. Related to number 1, but this is only one dimension of the benefit. You’ll laugh at “sales hiring crunch worries” forever.

3) Running ads that attract the wrong personality style.

If you want a hoot, open up any job board and look at the ads for salespeople. Most of them say to me, “No top sales performers need to apply.” They look like ads written by people who hate sales and salespeople.

4) Not marketing your company’s sales position.

Your sales team is your company’s lifeblood. Really. Great product. A lousy sales team means disaster.

Hopefully, this will get you started. I’ll post some more later, but I’ve got to run to a meeting…