One of the characteristics essential for all “hunter” salespeople is persuasiveness. This ability, which can be taught, consists of three elements: Comfort with Selling – The individual must be skilled at building a good case, negotiating and getting others to change their point of view. Directiveness – The individual must be able to move the prospect from the first contact through the sales cycle, to the close. Adaptability – The salesperson must be able to adjust his approach to fit his audience, whether in the C-suite, or on the shop floor. How to Determine if Your Sales Candidate is Persuasive [Infographic] was last modified:

Sales managers and recruiters sometimes wonder if they can give sales assessments to passive candidates. The concern in this case is that the rigor of the test will present a barrier to attracting a producer who is already happy in their current position. To be sure, presenting the test immediately can be difficult, as the passive candidate has more leverage at the start of the recruiting process. The key here is to establish rapport up front and position the test appropriately thereafter. Will Passive Candidates Take a Sales Assessment? was last modified: June 19th, 2014 by Dr. Chris Croner

When recruiting “hunter” salespeople, hiring managers occasionally “fall in love” with a candidate with a great resume, who subsequently scores lower than expected on Drive.  It can be tempting to ignore the test results, and move forward anyway, trusting gut instincts over the diagnostics.  However, we ignore the warning of the test at our own risk. Here are three common reasons this situation occurs, and the key to avoiding it: The candidate has built up a great book of business over the years, but is more interested now in dialing back his/her work commitments.  The candidate may talk a good