Never take your sales recruiting skills for granted.  And never assume you’ve got all the answers until you get some sales hiring training under your belt.  Hiring mistakes can begin before the applicant is even in front of you for the first time.  If your old sales hiring habits keep creating stagnant (or worse) sales results, let these quick tips help steer you back on the right path.

1.       Start with Enticing Job Postings and Advertising

You’re actually starting the sales applicant screening process the moment your job listings are posted.  Writing enticing job ads is the first step for attracting top performing sales people to your company.  Save time and money on the hiring process by getting the right people in the interview chair.

2.       Never Underestimate the Power of a Great Headline

What makes a good salesman want to find out more about the job you’re offering? A great attention-grabbing headline.  Use specific details about the job benefits, when possible. Entice them in a headline that lays out exactly how much money they could make at your company in the first year or two.  For example, your headline might read “If You Don’t Want to Make Six Figures or More, You Need Not Apply.” Always be truthful with your headlines and ad content, but bring the most enticing details forward.

3.       Use Important Key Words to Attract the Right Applicants

If you want to know how to hire employees with great sales skills, appeal to the skills they feel they already  have and you need them to have. Use key words like independent, strong-willed and persuasive in your job candidate requirements. Top salespeople want to be where those traits are rewarded.  The role of sales recruiting gets much easier when you appeal to sales professional egos in this way.

4.       Learn that What Makes a Good Salesman Might Be a Surprising Discovery

Don’t just depend on your skills regarding how to take interview questions. Successful sales recruiting requires more. Use sales assessment testing to determine each sales candidate’s values and sales personalities. See this section in the AHS Sales Hiring Course for more details.

5.       Know How to Take Interview Questions like a Hiring Expert

Vary the kinds of questions you ask in each interview. Ask your applicants to answer fully and creatively to resolve sales challenges they might face. The AHS Sales Hiring Course interview model is easy and comprehensive. The questions are already provided for your convenience.

6.       Be Professional.  Be Fair. And Be Quiet.

Sometimes how to hire employees with the traits you need requires more than just the right process. Be professional in all communication. Be fair by using the same testing and interview questions with every applicant.  And let the applicant do most of the talking.  This is their time to shine and your time to make note of whether or not they can.

7.       How to Hire Employees with Top Sales Potential Starts With You

Think successful sales recruiting depends solely on the quality of sales applicants? Think again. Going about sales recruiting the proper and professional way has a huge impact on your hiring success.

These tips can enhance your sales hiring skills by leaps and bounds, providing your company with the support needed for better sales. To be truly great at sales recruiting, use the comprehensive information provided by the AHS Sales Hiring Course.

Gone are the days when a brief, casual discussion about a sales applicant’s job history is considered a sufficient approach to the interviewing process. In fact, to find the best salespeople for your company, one interview simply isn’t enough.

AHS has developed a tried and true four part interview model for hiring top sales performers. The essential interview tips below are from the Advanced Hiring System Four Part Interview document available in full detail for AHS Sales Hiring Course members. We’ll provide here a brief overview of what information you should learn from the applicant during each stage of this four-part process.

What you’re looking for throughout each interview is consistency, in addition to specific information. Do the applicant’s answers in the third and fourth interviews support the answers they gave in the first and second? Be aware of that as the interviews continue and conclude.

The First Interview

The first interview is where you get essential basic information. Ideally before you begin, you have any pre-employment sales assessment test scores and have reviewed the applicant’s answers.

• Ask about the applicant’s background. This is a great first question for the first interview. Leave it open-ended and let the applicant “warm up” by discussing details about themselves with you.
• Ask which of their accomplishments make them proud. You want to know if the applicant is goal-oriented. Someone who lists several awards and achievements of which they are proud is probably motivated to achieve more.
• Ask them to tell you what makes a great salesperson. Determine if the applicant has the values and personality of a top performing salesperson by asking them to tell you what those great qualities are.

The Second Interview

By the second interview you have learned important basics, so you’ll start asking more thought-provoking questions now.

• Determine if the applicant values self-development. Ask what the applicant has done in the past year to improve themselves and their lives. Great salespeople are always striving to get better or be more successful in some way.
• Ask what they would do in your shoes. Top sales performers are always reaching for the top, which means they probably want to be the boss someday. Ask job applicants how they would improve a sales department and team of their own.

The Third Interview

By this time, you’re noticing a pattern in the applicant’s answers, as well as some of their work habits. Are they showing up to each interview on time? Are they dressed professionally? Is their attitude consistently positive and enthusiastic? The four-part interview process is important for learning these details about an applicant’s habits.

The questions in the third interview can get a little broader and more creative.

• If you could be a movie star, who would you be and why? It’s great to find applicants able to come up with quick creative answers for questions like this. You want answers that convey confidence.
• How would you define accountability? Ask the applicant what they think accountability is and what it means to them.

The Fourth Interview

For the final interview, wrap up with questions that clear up any gaps in information you’ve collected so far. You’ll want to ask for references and get more details about this salesperson’s personal selling technique.

• Close with questions about closing. Ask the applicant how they close a sale. Ask if they have more than one technique and how those techniques are applied to certain situations.
• Ask how they handle each “No.” A top-performing salesperson has learned a thing or two about how to turn a “No” into a “Yes.” Ask the applicant to explain their strategies for overcoming sales rejections.

The applicants who complete the four-part interview process with enthusiasm, strong answers and a smile on their face have certainly proven themselves to be very serious about the job. They’ve shown the same dedication to achieve this goal as they likely would to achieve high sales goals for your company.

For full in-depth interview questions and how to properly analyze the responses, sign up for the AHS Sales Hiring Course.

Especially during an economic downturn, the number of sales job applicants is on the rise. Employers are getting more job posting responses than they know what to do with. When do you find the diamond in the rough and fill the job, don’t forget to show some respect to those you didn’t hire.

Every rejected application deserves an official “No, thank you” in a timely manner. This practice is good business. It helps each applicant move on, as well as shows you and your company to be professional and compassionate. It shows you care about following the proper procedures and to set an example for your employees to do the same. These are important qualities for a company to have when working toward attracting the best sales talent available.

A proper rejection for each applicant you turn down also helps you avoid any possible accusations of discrimination or other violations. We recommend you use an official rejection letter. The AHS Sales Hiring Course provides a suggested sample rejection letter template ready for download. Below is a small quoted section of the rejection letter we provide to AHS Sales Hiring Course members:

“I have carefully reviewed your resume. While your credentials are impressive, we have

narrowed our search to several individuals with experience and specific qualifications

that more closely match our requirements than do yours.”

Notice the clear, professional language. Notice that there are no mentions of the applicant’s personal details, past job experience, resume information, etc. Keep the wording focused on having found better-qualified applicants, not on how or why the rejected applicant didn’t measure up.

• Send the same simple, concise rejection letter to every rejected applicant. You should also send all the rejection letters at the same time. If you’re consistent and provide the same respectful wording and timing for every applicant rejection, no one will have grounds for discrimination claims.

• You might mention in the rejection letter that you intend to keep the applicant’s resume on file and will let them know if a suitable position opens up. Some applicants might be great for your sales team in different jobs than what you have available right now. Remember, if you say this to one rejected applicant, say it to them all. It’s best to stick to the same wording in every rejection letter, even if you don’t think you would ever call on some of those applicants again.

A professional rejection letter also expresses your gratitude. Tell the applicants you appreciate their time and their interest. Even when sales jobs are scarce, it’s important to thank people for wanting to work for you. It’s good business and it is good karma for attracting the great salespeople your company deserves.