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…

Better Sales – Managing Different Styles The High-S

High-S behavior is staying in one physical location for extended periods of time. High-S’s make good accounting managers and receptionists since their work requires they stay in the same physical location for extended periods of time.

The High-S is possibly a good inside salesperson PROVIDED that other criteria are met. This is discussed in the Member Area of the Advanced Hiring System website. In general, though, we recommend you stay away from High-S in salespeople.

If you’ve ever hired a salesperson who looked good, smelled good and everything seemed right with them in the interview, but they never left the office, you hired a High-S.

Many sales managers think they can train people to change their behavior. Be extremely cautious when you find this thought creeping into your head – especially with High-S’s.

When I was a young sales guy, I remember my Sales Manager going through the office at 10:00 am clapping his hands saying, “OK everyone out of the office.” He was trying to fix the High-S hirers he had made by getting them out. It was an exercise in futility as those High-S’s just go home or to their favorite coffee show.

Think back to the time you’ve hired a salesperson who you thought was spending a long time learning about the product at their desk. Did they really ever succeed? In the overwhelming majority of cases they failed.

Outside sales is Low-S behavior. It requires a personality style that enjoys going to different places – which is what is required to make sales calls.

The hardest thing for me when learning something new is admitting how little I know about the new subject.

It’s my ego that gets in my way.

After all, “I am an accomplished guy”, I say to myself.

And then I start to tick off all the things I’ve accomplished to myself. “I created and then managed blah, blah blah.” (The list I recite to myself is long. I’ll spare you the list.)

Sales Hiring Failures and Learning Social Media

Recently I have become a client of Blogging and Social Media expert, Chris Garrett.

In working at the material I have had to accept that “I am going to rely on the expertise of someone else to guide me. And even though I have a lot of competencies, in this area I am a beginner.”

My experience at learning to become an “Authority Blogger”, as Chris calls his strategy, has lead me to learn something about my clients too.

Why Can’t Some Clients Learn How to Hire Better?

This question has bothered me for more than 16 years now. I mean we have great raving fans who say things like:

“Its working great. We feel like you’ve turned us on to a gold mine. We can really tell with the last few people that we’ve hired how well the System works.”

Jamie Futrell
GENERAL SALES MANAGER
Bristol Broadcasting

“We hired 11 people in our Dayton Center using the System. It is without a doubt the most productive group of new hires we’ve made. Ever.”

Jeff Sullivan
MetLife Group Auto & Home

And then there are some who simply don’t follow the System the way it was designed and get lousy hires. Then they drop out.

Yet I see it’s the same at Authority Blogger. Some clients, through studying and implementing his method of social media, have created tremendously successful online reputations. Others have tried to do it their way and have failed.

Admitting “What I Know” is Not Relevant

I realize that the hardest thing for me learning something new is admitting how little I know about the new subject.

It’s my ego that gets in my way.

But, I am making real progress and starting to see the power and possibilities of mastering this new skill. And I am doing it by relying on an experienced coach.

If you are not getting great sales hires check out the resources and articles here. Suspend your judgment and just follow the steps.

You’ll surprise yourself with your brilliance for doing it that way.

Trust the System. It works.