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Mistakes Most CEO's and Managers Make When Hiring Salespeople
| Guest post by: Scott Smeester |
Article Overview: It cannot be denied that many CEO's, sales managers and HR folks make mistakes when hiring salespeople. In fact, the industry average yields only about a 20% success rate. This is understandable as finding and choosing suitable individuals is not an exact science... at least that's what most people in charge of hiring salespeople believe. If you want to ensure that you hire the best salespeople for your sales team, read about some mistakes commonly made. Perhaps if you can familiarize yourself with the mistakes made by countless HR departments, sales managers and CEO's, you should stand a better chance of taking onboard the best possible candidates.
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Mistakes Most CEO's and Managers Make When Hiring Salespeople
The first error that is often made is that the interview is not up to standard. This is simply because a large number of sales managers have no knowledge of how to conduct an interview properly. The questions that are asked are often not probing enough. Every interview should include questions relating to the candidates' work history, education, and experience, but this is not all. If there are any gaps in a potential candidates resume then this should be discussed openly.
It is a fact that salespeople are often experts in PR and understand exactly how to make a great impression. For this reason it is easy for a manager to get misled by the candidates. It is important to realize that just because you feel a strong rapport with a particular sales hire candidate does not necessarily mean they will perform well and be the best person for your sales position. It is essential that the decision to hire is based on logic as opposed to a gut instinct.
A big mistake and one that is all too common today is that many CEO's, sales managers and HR managers do not check the references they are given. Checking references should not be thought of as a chore; in fact it is often the only method available to find out whether the information presented by candidates is all above board. Sadly, many people exaggerate the details presented in their resumes or simply lie outright. Never hire an individual without first of all carrying out a comprehensive reference check, and this does not mean passing the buck to subordinates to do the work.
Not all sales jobs are the same. The type of profiles can vary extensively from one firm to the next. It would be a mistake to hire an individual with generic skills rather than a salesperson that has not just the exact experience of the type of tasks they would be required to do, but the skills to perform that sales role. Understand that different kinds of sales environments would require a completely different set of skills and knowledge.
A common error is to decide the outcome of the interview without assessing the candidates correctly. An assessment would prove in black and white whether the candidates have the potential necessary to succeed and develop the business along the right lines.
Another big mistake that is made over and over again by sales managers in all sectors is to settle for under-par sales candidates when few individuals apply for the position that is being advertised. Just because no suitable candidates have put forward their resume does not mean we should then settle for the best of a bad bunch. Instead it would make more sense to re-advertise the position, perhaps on a different job board or through a different medium.
It's a fact that many of today's sales managers love to talk. Usually this is not a problem; in fact it is important in sales that all people are confident talkers. The time that this can be a negative issue is when a manager talks more during the interview than the candidates. It is important to allow time for those people being interviewed to express themselves fully. The interviewer should only interject every so often, but do nothing more than ask tough and probing question - being sure not to rescue the candidate.
It is not just the sales candidates that should prepare for the interview. Sales managers and CEO's should also do so. It's vital that the person or persons who are to conduct the interviews review the resumes beforehand and identify any areas in which to probe and question the candidates.
Being in charge of a sales team is often a time consuming activity. It can sometimes feel that the phone does not stop ringing. It is important to make sure that during the interviews no interruptions cause distractions. If you are to conduct the interviews then make sure your phone is switched off or placed on silent mode.
And one last mistake: one on one interviews with candidates. Because you want to make the interview similar to a sales situation, you want to make it tough. So it's far better to have two people conducting the interviews. This would allow for a broader perspective and a more rounded impression of each of the candidates.
If you resolve to not make some of the mistakes mentioned, you're success rate will go well above the industry average of 20%, and what would that do for your bottom line?
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About the Author: Scott Smeester RSS for Scott's articles - Visit Scott's website Upon graduating from engineering school in 1992, I worked for several years in sales for a variety of different types of products and services. In 1997 I started a web development company that ultimately failed following the collapse of the ‘Internet bubble'. I attribute the failure of that company to a lack of reliable sales systems - inbound leads, closed deals, etc. - and that experience instilled in me the drive to leverage the structured thought process from my education with my sales and entrepreneurial experiences for creating and implementing sales systems - for myself, my companies and the clients I serve. I help the leaders of small and startup companies... * Accurately discern all the problems that are limiting the expected growth for the organization Click here to visit Scott's website   Does Your Title Box You In Mistakes Most CEOs and Managers Make When Hiring Salespeople True Sales Professionals Are Product Agnostic The Difference Between A Good And Great Sales Person 3 Tips to Empower Your Negotiations |
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