Interviewing Tips for Hiring a Successful Sales Force

Hiring the right people to sell your company, services and products is a critical decision. After all, your success is driven by sales.  Your sales force not only sells your products, they are the ones who have direct contact with customers and potential customers. They are your walking and breathing public-relations representatives.

Based on my sales management and training experience, I look for specific characteristics or behavioral traits when selecting sales candidates. I look for answers to the following questions when recruiting sales-force candidates:  

1. Does this individual have passion?  Either someone has passion or they don’t. They need to have a “fire in the belly” internal sort of motivation. When you hand a candidate a job description, does he or she demonstrate a passion---an internal motivation to achieve the goals you have outlined for them? 
2. Does this individual have a strong desire to make money?  There are employee- profile evaluations that help determine how motivated an individual is to make money. Generally speaking, successful sales people are more motivated by making money than by altruism.
3. Does this individual have a strong need to be recognized?  Again, an employee-profile evaluation will help determine this characteristic or behavioral need.  You want people who have a strong need to be recognized.
4. Does this individual exhibit a sense of urgency?  You want people who don’t wait around for something to happen. Successful sales people make things happen with a high sense of urgency.  Someone may have a great “bedside” manner, but if they are willing to wait until someone wants to buy, they won’t close the deal.
5. Is this person likeable?  Do you feel comfortable with them, and did they immediately establish rapport with you?  If you are not comfortable talking with them, the chances are your potential customers may not be comfortable with them.  Ask yourself---is this someone who I would like to hang out with?
6. Is this person convincing in their responses to you during the interview?  If they are not convincing in an interview, they will not be convincing during a sales call.  They need to be able to build that credibility with you.

Business owners need sales people who will close the deal. I find that sales candidates who meet the above six criteria are more likely to be successful.  You want a salesperson who says to the potential buyer, “Look, we’ve been through this dance and we’ve been through the courtship.  It is time for the marriage.”  I have found that a person who gets a “yes” to a closing question like that will effectively meet all six of these interviewing criteria.

Hiring the right people to sell your company, services and products is a critical decision.