If you are serious about hiring the best salespeople possible, it is essential that you get your sales hiring process optimized to ensure only the best sales candidates are making it to the final round.
Sales executives who are passionate about winning...
- Are relentless in the pursuit of the best sales talent possible. They are passionate about learning what it takes to hire the very best salespeople possible on a consistent basis.
- Do not waste time. They understand "time is money".
- Learn from past hiring mistakes. They are committed to avoiding costly sales hiring mistakes.
Does this sound like you?
Two common questions we often hear from new Clients are, "How do I know who to profile using a validated sales personality aptitude test?" and "How do I quickly interview to identify the best potential candidates to consider further?" I strongly recommend the following:
- Make sure the sales candidate meets the minimum identified threshold on the hiring scorecard - i.e.: education and experience.
- Ask the following three questions to quickly separate the low potentials away from the higher potential sales candidates.
Three powerful sales interview questions you must ask to help identify and hire the best salespeople - your future "sales wolves".
Keep in mind... True sales wolves think differently about their world and how they engage it and they often do so from a young age. True sales wolves hate losing and they learn from their mistakes. True sales wolves are competitive with others and with their own potential.
Take a few minutes, pull your top salespeople aside and ask each the following three sales interview questions. The answers they provide you may surprise you.
Sales Wolf Interview Question One - What was your first job?
This is a powerful question that requires caution. Some people do not view self employment as a "job" - yet it very much is. Salespeople who have had paper routes, sold something door-to-door, ran a lemonade stand, babysat, were a housesitter, and/or owned a lawn mowing or painting service demonstrate entrepreneurial motivators that can be powerful in sales.
Sales Wolf Interview Question Two - What do you do when you lose?
The correct answer is, "I figure out what I did wrong, I learn from it, and I fix it so that it does not happen again."
Notice the correct answer... The word "I" is found four times and this is on purpose.
- Personal Accountability - The best salespeople do not blame the weather, the postman, the President of the United States, nor their boss for past failings. They own the problem by being accountable.
- The best salespeople learn through "fast feedback loops" - They try different approaches and continuously improve their winning strategy.
- They take action. The best salespeople do not wait for others to take action. They make it happen.
Sales Wolf Interview Question Three - In your prior sales position(s) - How did you do?
The best salespeople expect to see how they stack up against others and they expect to be on top. Even if their manager is not keeping score - they are.
Sales wolves always know how they did in actual sales and they know how they stack up against others on their team. Sales wolves are highly competitive.
Great interview questions are never enough by themselves.
Use these powerful sales candidate interview questions to weed out future low performers.
Always keep in mind that the best sales hiring process must include a valid sales personality aptitude test backed by brain research. Remember... Sales candidates can study for the interview. Using the interview alone to identify sales wolves is foolish. "Sales wolf wannabes" can read books like "Knock'em Dead" by Martin Yate and prepare themselves with rehearsed answers.
