How do you recruit the right salesperson?
In an increasingly competitive market, sales teams need to be constantly on top of their game.
It’s the sales director who’s going to be the most stressed and feel this enormous pressure. He’s the one who will have to drive his sales force to record levels, quarter after quarter.
As the sales team begins to evolve, it’s up to the sales team manager or hiring manager to know what constitutes the qualities of a good salesperson, so they can hire the best salespeople for their team.
The decision should be made taking into account the skills and achievements of successful salespeople, and ensuring that they have the right attitude and personality to match your company and the team already in place.
1. Ambitious
Do you always want to grow and improve your business? Ask those new salespeople if they too are ambitious and always want to go all the way. Ask them what their ambitions are, and where they see themselves in 1, 2 or 5 years’ time.
2. Passionate
Your sales people need to believe in what they’re selling (you can feel the passion in their words!).
In fact, a company’s best salespeople are often its current customers. You’ve probably already had the experience of an in-store salesperson informing you that they own a product and recommending it to you.
Ask them what your product evokes and why it interests them. You can also choose a salesperson who uses your products, who will understand your customers all the more.
3. Confident
Self-confidence is everything. If they’re hesitant, salespeople will find it hard to sell.
As soon as you interview them, you can test their confidence by asking them to sell you one of your products. Tell them: “Come on, sell me this product! This will show you how they structure the sale.
4. Competitive
Many companies work on commission, and this is sometimes what makes salespeople so much better. Ask them what results they had before and how they positioned themselves in their companies. Be careful, however, not to inadvertently create a toxic environment where all sales people are too busy trying to be the best to help each other.
5. Honest
You want to build long-term relationships, both with your customers and with your sales people. You want to make sure they don’t lie to close a sale, as this can spell disaster with long-term customer losses and bad publicity.
6. Humble
Accepting mistakes and knowing when others have done a good job enables sales people to improve by spotting what doesn’t work, and what does. Egomaniacs can destroy a sales team, especially if they take all the credit.
7. Analyst
Why do things one way rather than another? Why use one word rather than another? Why prospect in this specific geographical area?
Behind every decision, there must be a reason. The sales person needs to analyze what has happened in order to know what to do. CRM tools such as Moovago help in this decision-making process by providing a history of customer interactions.
8. Social
Whether face-to-face or online, today’s salespeople need to know how to share and promote their know-how and brands. Social networks, and LinkedIn in particular, enable sales reps to showcase their knowledge and skills, and build a much sought-after relationship of trust with their prospects.
9. Empathetic
Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, understanding their needs and expectations: this is the role of the salesperson. That’s why we recommend salespeople who use the company’s own products, as they’ll be better able to understand the real needs and doubts of prospects and customers.
10. Organized
A head full of information can’t manage everything, and that can lead to oversights. Knowing how to store, analyze and use data is essential. The salesperson’s organization is crucial, and tools such as Moovago, designed for traveling salespeople, help in this decision-making process by keeping track of customer interactions.
11. Optimistic
A salesperson without optimism will crumble at the first rejection or failure. You want someone who will learn from failure and pick themselves up to leave even stronger and more optimistic, knowing that they’ll close the next sale. This quality is sought after by all recruiters, because the optimistic salesperson is able to motivate themselves and others to put more effort into their work.