Which is More Important When Hiring a Salesperson: Previous Success or Drive? [Infographic]

Hiring managers often wonder whether a candidate’s previous sales success or level of Drive is more important in making a hiring decision.

It can be tempting to rely on sales experience alone when hiring a salesperson. However, for candidates who have been successful previously, we need to determine how closely their previous selling circumstances match the open position.

Let’s start with an infographic to dive into this a little deeper…

And here is the text version…

Previous Success versus Drive

A salesperson who has had success at a larger company may have relied on a big brand name and lots of collateral material to open doors for him. He may have trouble moving to a smaller company with less brand recognition.

Whether the candidate is very experienced or fresh out of school, the most important factor for determining his potential as a “hunter” salesperson is his overall level of Drive. It is essential for us as hiring managers to assess the candidate’s Need for Achievement, Competitiveness and Optimism, through testing and interviewing, before hiring.

To be sure, if we need a salesperson who can start producing quickly, we will be looking for both Drive and experience. However, when we have the opportunity to train a new salesperson in industry knowledge and sales skills, Drive becomes the more important factor in our decision.

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Dr. Christopher Croner and Richard Abraham are authors of Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again and developers of the proprietary and patented sales assessment test, The DriveTest™, for sales candidates. To experience the difference of The DriveTest™, contact us today!