Sales Interviewing & Hiring Archives

The Illusion of “The Golden Gut”

Over the years, we occasionally get pushback from hiring managers who will dismiss a more scientific screening process in favor of their own intuition also referred to as their “golden gut.” A hiring manager with a golden gut is confident that he/she can pick candidates that will be successful salespeople through intuition alone, and that he just knows a winner when he sees one. Unfortunately, we have never seen the golden gut approach to be proven by the numbers. Inevitably, when we go deeper into the manager’s records it is revealed that the turnover rate is unacceptably high and production

My Candidate Passed the Test, Should I Hire Him Immediately?

One of the most exciting moments of the sales recruiting process is receiving positive testing results for a candidate. As we have noted previously, less than 20% of the population is high in Drive. So, when a candidate scores well on a sales test such as The DriveTest™, it can be very tempting to want to pick up the phone and make an offer. However, this is when we need to be careful. At this point, the test has done its job… it has helped us to weed out low-potential candidates and allowed us to focus on those with a

Sales Experience or Drive: Which is More Important?

Sales managers often look at a candidate’s level of sales experience as a key indicator as to whether he or she will be successful. Previous experience can be alluring, especially if your candidate was at the top of his company within your industry. Unfortunately, experience alone does not tell us whether the candidate will actually step up to the plate and perform. Sales Experience or Drive: Which is More Important? was last modified: October 14th, 2025 by Dr. Chris Croner

When is the Best Time to Use Sales Testing in the Recruitment Process?

Testing is used by a variety of industries to vet initial prospects before a formal interview process begins. Highly technical fields may require a proficiency test that includes knowledge of theory and application. Other candidates in fields that involve significant hands on work may require dexterity testing. Sales fields rely on psychological sales assessment tests to determine if sales candidates have the necessary personality traits needed for success in sales. Administer a Sales Assessment Early in the Hiring Process The most effective time to implement a sales assessment test is after a resume review and an initial phone screen, but

Sales Rep Answering Fly on the Wall Interview Question

Sales Interviewing & Hiring

Why We Love the “Fly on the Wall” Interview Question

How One Interview Question Can Give You a Unique Point of View When interviewing a sales candidate for your next position, there is one question you will want to add to your list of interview queries. It allows you to understand how a candidate reacts in real-life situations. Does he or she get stressed easily? Does he respond with anger or take time to put situations in perspective? Is he a team player? There is one specific interview question that can answer all of these sub-queries and more. The Lead-In Sales Interview Question When conducting an interview, you likely

What are the Costs of Not Applying a Sales Assessment Test?

Each company applies its own metrics, but all agree that the cost of recruiting, training and managing a non-performing salesperson is incredibly expensive. Our clients’ costs for a bad hire range from around $50,000 all the way up to $1.2M in the case of a high net worth financial adviser, and that is for ONE BAD HIRE! Here is a way to calculate your own benchmark. So, much of this comes down to screening candidates before they get a chance to enter the system, because once they are in there, they begin wasting time and money at an extraordinary rate. Next

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The Illusion of “The Golden Gut”

My Candidate Passed the Test, Should I Hire Him Immediately?

Sales Experience or Drive: Which is More Important?

When is the Best Time to Use Sales Testing in the Recruitment Process?

Why We Love the “Fly on the Wall” Interview Question

What are the Costs of Not Applying a Sales Assessment Test?