Sales managers looking for “hunter” salespeople, particularly among candidates who are inexperienced in sales or fresh out of school, often wonder how to determine whether their candidate will be comfortable with cold calling.  Most new account acquisition roles require this kind of outreach, either over the phone or in person.  However, not everyone is comfortable asserting themselves in this way.  So when hiring managers need someone who can hit the ground running, in addition to using a sales test, they need to ask their candidates a key question . . .  Will My Sales Candidate Be Comfortable With Cold Calling?

Sales leaders have occasionally expressed to us a preference for capping a salesperson’s earnings.  The reasoning for such a decision typically goes “My salespeople shouldn’t be making more than me.”  Although we are not a sales compensation firm, we do know quite a bit about personality and how high-drive salespeople react to such a policy.  Here is why that approach can be dangerous . . . Salespeople high in Drive, particularly need for achievement, are motivated by excellence . . . constantly raising the bar for themselves and their performance.  Although money is not their goal in and of itself,