Hiring The Best Sales Team

Having the right sales team is vital the success of your business, and it all begins with the hiring process. Knowing which questions to ask, and how to ask them can make the difference between a lackluster new hire and one that will help take your organization straight to the top.

When you are screening applicants to add to your sales team, be sure to give the same interview to all of them. This means that all applicants are asked the same questions. This will help you to accurately assess each one and will also keep an experienced sales person from taking control of the interview. Hiring someone because you get along well with them is not always a good idea, particularly if this outweighs a lackluster sales track record. Of course, sales people need to be personable, so you should pay attention to their personalities as well. A good balance of experience and personality is what you should be looking for.

Stay away from generic interview questions, especially since any experienced sales person will already have an answer prepared. Dont ask them what their greatest strengths and weaknesses are, instead ask them how they would handle an industry specific issue, or what they would do if they or someone on the sales team were having trouble meeting a monthly goal. Asking questions about how they have handled workplace conflict situations in the past will also provide valuable insight into both their personality and interpersonal skills.

Do not be afraid to ask the hard questions either. The answer that a candidate gives to the question, have you always been able to meet or exceed your sales quota and why or why not will be more telling than the actual yes or no response. Ask about their references and emphasize that you will be checking them.

Last but not least, ask the sales team candidate some questions about your company with the assumption that any serious candidate will have done their research. Ask them what they feel your companys greatest strengths and weaknesses are, and why they are interested in working with you in the first place. Asking the right questions is the first and most crucial step towards finding just the right person for the job, and having an interview process in place before the first candidate walks in the door is the best way to make sure that you are prepared to find that perfect member of your sales team.