Four Critical Criteria

There are four critical criteria that hiring companies need to assess before they hire salespeople, says Pete Kadens, CEO of Acquirent LLC, a sales outsourcing company.

“These are truly universal criteria and not at all specific to the opportunity at hand, so ensure that these four criteria are included in your critical hiring criteria,” Kadens says, and provides this outline of the criteria and how to question and assess if an individual possesses these necessary traits.

Positive Attitude: Its almost a no-brainer, but a positive attitude should be the number one criteria with anyone you hire especially salespeople. How do you assess whether they have an “interview” positive attitude or truly do possess the real thing? Kadens says to begin by asking candidates about their prior experiences, and then question how they would go about helping grow your business if they were hired. A great question to illicit some information about positive attitude is: “What do you dislike the most about sales?”

“If they get on a pessimistic tangent at this point, then you will know that positive attitude is not their strong suit,” says Kadens.

Listening Skills: “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason, and the best salespeople use these in the appropriate proportion,” says Kadens and advises that companies test listening skills while they interview. “Ensure that the individual does not interrupt you and that he/she answers your questions directly.”

Self-Discipline: Salespeople spend a lot of time by themselves without supervision, Kadens reminds us. So companies need to ensure that the candidates they hire don’t need to be constantly supervised and are self-starters. How? Ask their employment references, says Kadens.

Tactful Persistence: “The ideal salespeople are classy and tactful, but simultaneously aggressive,” says Kadens. “Ask the candidate how they would handle a really important prospect who does not call them back after three or four tries. You can find out a lot about their tact and persistence by asking this question.”

“All in all, these are a few things to consider when looking for the ideal salespeople,” says Kadens. “The ideal person for your company may embody some other traits so just make sure that you are keenly aware of what those other traits are and build a process to ensure that you will find the right people.”