Sales Interviewing & Hiring Archives

Drive is Not the Same as Obnoxious

Drive is a critical component of a successful salesperson’s personality mix. Drive is what internally pushes her to succeed. Drive is what causes her to love to compete. Drive is an internal element that generates innate optimism in a profession in which rejection is part of the program.And Drive cannot be taught . . . despite what motivational speakers would like you to believe. Salespeople need to start out with Drive, and then training can really have an impact. Drive is Not the Same as Obnoxious was last modified: October 16th, 2014 by Dr. Chris Croner

Can a Candidate’s Mood Lower Scores on a Sales Recruitment Assessment?

Hiring managers occasionally wonder whether a sales candidate’s mood can substantially affect his or her scores on a sales assessment test. These questions can arise when a candidate reports recent frustrations at work or other challenging circumstances and scores low on traits such as Need for Achievement or Optimism. The key here is to remember that we are measuring traits rather than states. A state is a more temporary mood or condition (such as temporary anxiety or sadness). A trait is a stable underlying characteristic or quality (such as Need for Achievement). So, although it can be appealing to attribute

My Candidate’s Sales Personality Test Score was Lower than Expected . . . Should I Re-Test Him?

Despite our initial screening efforts, sales candidates occasionally score lower on the online sales test than expected on measures of Drive. For example, candidates with a history of success at a large company may have relied on its brand recognition and collateral materials. Similarly, some candidates are strong interviewees, and can look great on paper and interview well over the phone, but they may not have the internal motivation we need in a “hunter” salesperson. Nonetheless, when we are disappointed by a candidate’s test score, it can be very tempting to re-test the candidate, thinking that perhaps the first result simply

Salespeople Who CAN Sell vs. Those Who WILL Sell

It’s a million dollar difference. There are many salespeople who can sell. They have the intelligence, the wits and the charisma. But there are far, far less salespeople who will sell, in a sustained way, over time. The difference? Drive. Salespeople Who CAN Sell vs. Those Who WILL Sell was last modified: September 18th, 2014 by Dr. Chris Croner

What Questions Should I Ask in a Salesperson Phone Screen?

After reviewing sales candidate resumes, hiring managers often add a phone screen to determine whether to move the candidate forward into the testing and interviewing process. This 20-30 minute phone call helps bring the candidate’s resume to life and provides some excellent clues about whether he or she has the characteristics the company is seeking. Since the time is short, hiring managers often wonder about the best questions to ask. Here is a salesperson phone screen protocol, we use and recommend, to help you determine whether a candidate is likely to be successful in the testing and interviewing process. What Questions Should

Why is Optimism so Important to Sustained Sales Success and Why Can’t it be Taught?

Optimism is critical to sustained sales success for two reasons: Most sales calls are rejected. Rejection, when personalized, can lead to depression and diminished performance. Salespeople who are high in innate optimism do not personalize rejection. Like strikeouts in baseball or missed shots in basketball, they see it as part of the game and do not expect to get a hit every time. In other words their optimism protects them and allows them to put their job in a healthy perspective. Knowing that sales is a numbers game that includes both hits and misses, optimists see a miss as simply getting

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Drive is Not the Same as Obnoxious

Can a Candidate’s Mood Lower Scores on a Sales Recruitment Assessment?

My Candidate’s Sales Personality Test Score was Lower than Expected . . . Should I Re-Test Him?

Salespeople Who CAN Sell vs. Those Who WILL Sell

What Questions Should I Ask in a Salesperson Phone Screen?

Why is Optimism so Important to Sustained Sales Success and Why Can’t it be Taught?