Category: Sales Recruiting

Everything You Need to Know About Phone Screening Sales Candidates

Posted on by hiredna

Historically, most interviews for sales rep positions have been done in person. However, in recent years, there’s been a shift to holding initial conversations over the phone to make a baseline assessment of a candidate’s qualifications. 

And with COVID-19 greatly restricting in person interactions, phone screening is something that many companies are doing by necessity. 

Here’s everything you need to know about phone screening so that you can streamline the process and find the best of the best sales reps. 

The Purpose of Phone Screening

In an eBook called Best Practice to Recruiting the Hardest Role in the Company, sales development firm SG Partners explains why phone screening for this position is such a smart idea. 

“Because your salespeople need to engage over the phone — doesn’t it make sense to check that they can and will be able to engage effectively with your existing and potential clients? They need to convince you that they are worth progressing to the face to face interview stage.”

This is a simple way to assess how well sales candidates perform and which ones you should advance. It also provides you with instant insights into their personality, traits, sales style, and so on. As a result, you not only learn about a candidate’s hard skills but also their soft skills and how well they fit in with your company from a cultural standpoint.

Now that we better understand the context, here’s how to seamlessly implement phone screening. 

Keep it Brief 

Given that this is a preliminary stage in the hiring process, it’s not usually the time to ask in-depth, hard hitting questions that require a long winded response, says global HR consulting firm Robert Half International. Rather, the goal is to narrow down your list of candidates and pinpoint the ones you want to give serious consideration. 

Therefore, you should keep the phone screening brief — ideally somewhere between 15 to 30 minutes — and focus only on the essentials. Then, once you’ve finished this round, you can follow up with candidates who’ve advanced and dive into deeper questions during the official interview.

Create a Script

In order to accurately and objectively gauge sales candidates, you need to have a standardized phone screening process where every interaction is nearly identical. You need to have a script. 

Why? There are two main reasons. 

First, this creates a sense of homogeneity where every candidate can be viewed through the same lens, making your assessment less likely to be skewed by variables. It’s like creating the same conditions during a science experiment to ensure the results are valid.

Second, it helps you move through phone screenings faster and more efficiently. By sticking to a script and asking the same questions (something we’ll discuss in more detail in just a bit), you can navigate through the process more fluidly and not waste time. 

And this is important considering that on average, conducting phone interviews can increase the length of the recruitment process by 6.8 to 8.2 days. 

So, what exactly should a script look like?

Here’s a basic formula you can use:

  • Offer a quick introduction of who you are, what your company is about, and what you’re looking for in a sales rep
  • Ask a series of straightforward questions
  • Take notes
  • Ask follow up questions
  • Ask the candidate if they have any questions for you
  • Close letting them know when and how you’ll reach out to them next

Ask The Right Questions

The exact questions used during phone screenings will obviously vary from company to company. That said, applicant tracking system, Betterteam, has pinpointed seven key questions that work great for making an initial assessment of a sales candidate. 

Here they are.

Besides that, you may want to ask questions to see how much they know about your company and what makes them a good fit. Some examples include:

  • What products or services do we specialize in?
  • What was it that attracted you to our company?
  • Why makes you a better fit over other candidates?

Again, the goal here isn’t to know a candidate inside and out. It’s to get a basic feel for who they are, what their skill level is like, and how good of a fit they would be for a sales position. These questions should serve as a good starting point, and you can tweak them as needed. 

When it’s all said and done, shoot for somewhere between five to 10 phone screening questions, as that tends to be the sweet spot. 

Treat Each Candidate Equally

It’s also vital that you eliminate any bias and give each candidate the exact same opportunity. “Approach every conversation with a blank slate, and treat each candidate fairly and equally,” writes Robert Half. “Remain fully engaged during every call.”

This should prevent your judgment from being clouded, enabling you to make an accurate assessment of multiple candidates, which brings us to our final point. 

Use Objective Scoring

The final piece of the puzzle is to objectively quantify your results so that you use concrete data when deciding which candidates to advance. Typically, the easiest way to do this is to use a numerical rating system to rate how satisfied you are with a candidate’s response to each question. 

For example:

  • 5 is excellent
  • 4 is good
  • 3 is average
  • 2 is below average
  • 1 is poor 

Then, add these numbers up to score each candidate, and use this to decide who moves onto the next round of hiring. You should also incorporate a sales-specific assessment that uses data and science to objectively evaluate the candidate’s selling skills and capabilities to accurately predict the likelihood of success. 

Improving Overall Hiring With Phone Screening

Phone screening sales candidates is a proven way to filter through a large applicant pool and find the true rockstars. It’s just a matter of developing an efficient system that allows you to move through the process swiftly and seamlessly. 

Need help hiring sales talent. HireDNA sales recruiting platform makes hiring sales reps easy by delivering pre-screened and qualified sales professionals. Request a demo. 

These Are the Top 5 Traits to Look for in a Sales Rep Based on a Mountain of Research

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In another blog post, we talked about the importance of making hiring decisions based on data rather than a hunch. At the end of the day, sticking to a proven formula leads to better hires who are more productive and perform at a consistently high-level. 

It’s all about using science.

In this post, we’re going to expand on this topic and break down the top five traits to look for in a sales rep based on in-depth studies and a boatload of data. Let’s dive right in. 

The Sales Acceleration Formula By Mark Roberge

There are countless bodies of research that have analyzed what makes for a successful sales rep. For instance, sales strategist Steve W. Martin of The Harvard Business Review interviewed 1,000 top tier salespeople and performed personality tests on them in 2011. 

And the University of Florida conducted in-depth research in the early 2000’s to distinguish the difference between “tellers versus sellers.”

Research like this offers a ton of value, but one of the preeminent sources for identifying key traits is the work that former Chief Revenue Officer of HubSpot, Mark Roberge, did in 2015. He exhaustively analyzed a massive amount of data to come up with what he calls The Sales Acceleration Formula, which he wrote a book about. 

One of the key parts of his system is tapping into critical metrics to not only find high level sales reps, but create a more efficient process for doing so. After parsing through the data, Roberge came up with five specific traits he found most important. 

Here they are ranked by their importance. Drumroll…

1. Coachability

Above all else, Roberge found that being coachable and adaptable is the number one characteristic to look for in a sales rep. He specifically mentions how he’s had situations in the past where a rep who had incredible success in a prior position floundered in a new environment simply because they had a rigid attitude and weren’t open to input. For example, they had the mindset of “I’ve been selling for 10 years, and I’ll figure it out.”

But in today’s ultra dynamic business world, having a willingness to accept direction and feedback is of the utmost importance. In fact, some of the top reps Roberge has encountered who have “crushed it” are the ones who have been the most coachable. 

2. Curiosity

Next, he found that having a natural inquisitiveness is huge. Being curious about how a platform works, how it fits into a company’s sales model, how to solve a prospect’s pain points, and so on plays a key role in gaining a deep comprehension, and in turn, being an adept salesperson.

And this is a sentiment that’s shared by many other sales experts, like Matt Sunshine of The Center for Sales Strategy. “Great sellers are naturally curious and they can’t help but ask questions to learn more about how they can help.” In turn, they take that information and tailor their approach to meet the unique needs of each lead head on. 

3. Intelligence

Okay, this one is pretty obvious. A rep should always have a strong intellect and a high-level understanding of your industry, customer psychology, how your platform fits into a lead’s business model, and how to nurture a lead. It’s also helpful when they possess a solid emotional intelligence (EQ), where they know how to navigate issues like addressing prospect concerns, how to collaborate with other team members, and generally how to operate with tact. 

It should be noted that Roberge places intelligence far above what many would consider conventional sales skills like convincing, which involves an aggressive approach. Instead, he says that the top performing reps in this day and age tend to act more as consultants or trusted advisors to leads. They use their business savvy to help leads make critical decisions and explain how a platform can improve operations, rather than trying to “shove a product down their throats.”

4. Work Ethic

This trait should also come as no surprise. “Someone with a great work ethic will accelerate his or her learning curve and operate in a state of constant improvement,” explains The Muse in Forbes. “He or she will always look for ways to be better.”

Naturally being driven and willing to put in the time inevitably positions a rep for success and is integral to their evolution.

5. Prior Success

While prior success doesn’t 100% guarantee success within your company, it definitely factors in heavily. As long as a rep possesses the other four traits listed above, their odds of thriving are excellent. 

When it comes to assessing prior success, David Kurlan of Objective Management Group, explains that there are two specific criteria to look for:

  1. Sales reps reached 100% of their quota or better in a previous position
  2. They were in the top 26% of all salespeople

So, these should definitely be on your radar when assessing candidates. Kurlan also points out that using a science-based sales recruiting platform like HireDNA allows companies to identify reps in the top 6% of the total sales population. 

Always Look to the Data

The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge reaffirms what sales recruiting experts have been saying for years. Making smart hiring decisions hinges largely on looking at objective data to make assessments. 

After performing a mountain of research, Roberge was able to pinpoint the top five traits that electrifying reps possess — coachability, curiosity, intelligence, work ethic, and prior success. 

Using a science-based sales recruiting platform allows you to effectively zero in on these areas and provides you with quantifiable data to help you make the right decision. And the best part is that this is something that can easily be rinsed and repeated. 

Want to see how you can streamline your hiring process and find top tier talent? Book a HireDNA demo today. 

Why Hiring Decisions Should Be Based on Data, Not a Hunch

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Using your intuition and “following your gut” can be beneficial at times. And as humans, it’s something we’re naturally wired to do. 

In fact, research psychologist and author Gary Klein found that as many as “90% of the critical decisions we make are based on our intuition.”

But when it comes to critical business decisions like hiring, it’s better to take a data-driven approach rather than merely relying on “a hunch.” Here’s why. 

What the Harvard Business School Has to Say About It

In an article entitled The Advantages of Data-Driven Decision-Making, The Harvard Business Review (HBR) talks about how intuition has become deeply ingrained in the business world and the deep value that’s been placed on it over the years. 

“Society has imbued the concept of ‘intuition’ — of simply knowing when something is right or wrong — with a tremendous amount of prestige, importance, and influence,” the HBR explains. “The concept of intuition has become so romanticized in modern life that it’s now a part of how many people talk about and understand the ‘geniuses’ of our generation.”

They make specific mention to intellectual and business juggernauts, like Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, who relied heavily on their instinct for guidance. And while intuition has certainly factored into the success of notable figures like these, as well as other massive success stories like Henry Ford and Jeff Bezos, it doesn’t mean that it should be the default for making important hiring decisions.

The HBR says that intuition can definitely be a helpful tool, but there’s a strong body of research that says data-driven organizations have an inherent advantage over their competitors that rely less on data. In fact, they point to a study by PwC that found the former are three times more likely to experience “significant improvements” in decision-making than the latter. 

Let’s Quantify

Given that this article is all about the numbers, it’s only fair that we quantify exactly how much hiring decisions improve by taking a data-driven approach. According to separate research from the HBR, an algorithm that based candidate evaluations off of a simple equation outperformed human decisions by at least 25%. 

Further, using the algorithm allowed researchers to increase the accuracy of choosing productive employees by over 50%. That’s impressive! 

So, what specifically makes data superior to human intuition when it comes to hiring?

Brian Connelly, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management at the University of Toronto summarizes it well by saying, “the problem is that people are easily distracted by things that might be only marginally relevant, and they use information inconsistently.”

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of being overly charmed by a particular candidate’s personality, where you end up overlooking major flaws. You may also pass up a top tier talent simply because they don’t have a striking personality or you don’t feel an instant connection with them. 

This isn’t to say that you should mindlessly rely on machines to make every single hiring decision, and human input should definitely factor into the equation. But at the end of the day, it’s clear that using data is highly important. 

And given the high-powered tools that are readily available, it would be foolish to not take advantage of them. 

Finding Perfect Candidates

In a whitepaper called The Modern Science of Salesperson Selection, David Kurlan of Objective Management Group mentions how extensive research was done to identify “perfect candidates” — those that are virtually no fail and positioned for massive success.

Kurlan boiled it down to two specific criteria:

  • Candidates are top performers who reached 100% of their quota or better
  • They were ranked in the top 26% of all salespeople

Then, by using strong filters to assess core sales competencies, Kurlan was able to pinpoint candidates that were in the top 6% of the total sales population. This shows firsthand how making an objective assessment using the right data can help a company find the best of the best. 

It eliminates the guesswork and allows you to assemble a sales team based on legitimate skill and talent rather than merely a gut feeling. 

What Specific Data-Driven Assessment Tools Should You Use?

There are multiple sales assessment tools on the market, but there’s one in particular we recommend — the OMG Sales Candidate Assessment. It’s designed specifically for sales rather than simply “being tailored for sales” and evaluates 21 core sales competencies (not just personality traits) that have been objectively proven to predict success. 

Here’s what it looks like. 

And here’s a glimpse of the data that went into identifying the 21 core sales competencies that it analyzes. 

Using this tool provides you with a bird’s eye view of what each candidate brings to the table, providing you with quantitative data and allowing you to effectively predict their likelihood of success. 

Studies have found that a staggering 92% of recommended hires through the OMG Sales Candidate Assessment reach the top half of their sales force within a year and that it eliminates 96% of hiring mistakes using proven science. 

It’s even been rated as the number one predictive sales talent assessment for nine years straight by Top Sales World. 

Let’s Recap

Although there’s no denying that instinct can definitely play a role in business success, multiple studies have proven that it has its limitations, especially when it comes to hiring. Companies that choose candidates based on concrete data have a distinct advantage over their competitors that rely solely on emotion. 

It’s just a matter of using the right tool to analyze core sales competencies, and narrowing your candidate pool down to the top performers. 

Want to learn more about the process? Register for a free sales candidate assessment today. 

Are you hiring? Get pre-screened, assessed, and vetted sales candidates tailored to your hiring criteria and unique selling environment. Request a Demo of the HireDNA sales recruiting platform.

The Ultimate Guide to Interviewing and Hiring Rockstar Salespeople

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What makes someone a winner in the sales world?

More importantly, how do you pick them out of the crowd, finding the small handful of champions out of hundreds of applicants?

In this guide, we’ll explain what goes into interviewing and hiring rockstar salespeople, while looking at science-backed data. 

Look for Candidates With These 5 Traits

Mark Roberge, former chief revenue officer of HubSpot, wrote a book called The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to Go from $0 to $100 Million. In it, he talks about how every company will have its own unique sales hiring formula, where the ideal salesperson will possess a distinct set of characteristics. 

That said, Roberge also mentions that there are some specific traits based on quantitative data that rockstar salespeople share across the board and that should always be on your radar when hiring. 

Here’s what those traits are, according to Roberge. 

So, being coachable, curious, and intelligent, while demonstrating a strong work ethic and having a proven record of success should be at the forefront of your mind when reaching out to candidates and conducting interviews. And you’ll want to create interview questions that help you gauge these specific areas. 

For full details, watch this Google talk from Mark Roberge. 

Seek Out Reps Who Can Be Trusted Advisors

One of the interesting points Roberge makes is that some of the characteristics that have historically been valued in salespeople, like being able to convince leads and possessing strong closing skills, were negatively correlated in his model of success. 

In other words, being overly aggressive and “salesy” can now end up doing more harm than good, and what most leads are really looking for is someone who can assume the role of a trusted advisor.

And there’s plenty of other research that backs this up. According to Salesforce, “79% of business buyers say it’s absolutely critical or very important to interact with a salesperson who is a trusted advisor — not just a sales rep — who adds value to their business.”

There’s just one problem. Only 3% of buyers trust reps!

While it may be many hiring manager’s first impulse to seek out slick, high powered reps that are “selling machines,” this data shows that this isn’t usually the best approach. Instead, you should look for candidates that exude trustworthiness and professionalism. Individuals that you could see being a consultant to your leads and who will make them feel comfortable throughout the buying journey — that’s who you want to look for. 

Assess Verbal Communication Skills Over the Phone

These days communication can happen over a variety of different channels, including email, live chat, social media, and even texting — none of which require actually speaking to a customer. That said, research has found that 92% of customer interactions still happen over the phone, with many deals being closed this way. 

That’s why you need to pay close attention to a candidate’s verbal communication skills and look for someone who is clear, articulate, and confident. One of the best ways to assess this is by simply having a brief phone interview during your preliminary round of hiring. 

Within the first few minutes, you should have a pretty good idea of what their verbal communication skills are like, and you can filter out anyone who struggles in this department. 

Can They Give an Epic Presentation?

“69% of consumers believe a product demo best assists them when making a purchase decision.” This is what ultimately connects the dots and lets them see how your product works, what its features are, and how it will make their life easier. 

So, being able to give a killer presentation and show off your product demo is absolutely essential. While this is something that can be learned to some degree, some people are naturally better at giving presentations than others. 

One of the simplest ways to gauge their skills in this area is to have them give you a mock demo. Here are some specific things to look for:

  • The ability to instantly build rapport
  • Deep knowledge of your industry and product
  • Taking a personalized approach
  • Making smooth segues
  • Asking relevant questions at opportune times
  • Being able to seamlessly handle objections and concerns
  • And most important great listening skills

Use an Interview Questionnaire and Scorecard

A common mistake many hiring managers make when interviewing and hiring is relying on “a gut feeling.” Don’t get me wrong, sometimes going on instinct works out fine. But other times, it can be a disaster and lead to excessive turnover, which negatively impacts productivity and profitability. 

Fortunately, we’re living in an era where data is more plentiful than ever, and taking a data-driven, scientific approach has never been easier. By using in-depth analysis, the right processes, and powerful tools, top sales leaders have been able to boost sales force productivity by 200% and close 3x more leads. 

An easy way to generate quantitative data when interviewing and hiring is to use a sales interview questionnaire and scorecard. By downloading a free template, you can streamline your interviewing process and ensure consistency across your pool of applicants. In turn, you’re able to evaluate candidates more effectively and identify those that align perfectly with your ideal candidate profile and hiring criteria, moving them swiftly to the next round of hiring. 

This keeps everyone on the same page and can be a massive time saver. Here’s a peak at what the HireDNA sales interview questionnaire and scorecard looks like. 

Finding Unicorns in a Sea of Donkeys

Interviewing and hiring aren’t always easy. With the average job attracting around 250 resumes, the sheer volume of applicants alone can be overwhelming. 

But developing a formula and focusing on critical areas, such as essential traits and abilities, should help you navigate the process with relative ease. Combine that with tools like a sales interview questionnaire and scorecard, and you can find rockstar salespeople who truly stand out, while developing a repeatable system. 

See how you can use the HireDNA sales recruiting platform to hire better sales talent, faster, using data and science to reduce hiring mistakes.

Here Are the Most Important Traits to Look for in a Software Sales Recruiter

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The Saas industry is on fire. According to a global forecast, it’s expected to grow from $272 billion in 2018 to $623 billion by 2023, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 18%. 

While this presents plenty of opportunity, it also comes with growing competition. And the SaaS companies that thrive are the ones with skilled software sales recruiters, as they’re integral for assembling a winning team. 

Here’s a list of the most important skills — both hard and soft — to look for in a software sales recruiter. 

A Proven Record of SaaS Success

First off, they need to have a track record of success and plenty of proven experience. Ideally, a software sales recruiter will have at least a Bachelor’s degree in business, human resources, technology, or a related field. However, this can extend into other areas of study as well. 

In terms of real-world experience, common jobs qualified experts have before becoming a recruiter include sales, operations, administrative, support, and research. 

Candidates should have a minimum of five years of experience and firsthand knowledge working with SaaS products. This brings us to our next trait. 

Being Comfortable with SaaS and Recruiting Technology

To thrive in this position, a recruiter needs to have in-depth experience both with SaaS and recruiting technology. When it comes to SaaS, this can include:

  • Sales
  • Programming
  • Digital operations
  • Virtualization
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Administrative tasks

As for recruiting technology, this can include:

  • Sourcing talent using software programs
  • Candidate profiling and screening
  • Using data-driven tools for candidate evaluation

Familiarity with Software Sales KPIs

When evaluating candidates, there’s a definitive list of key performance indicators (KPIs) a software sales recruiter should pay attention to. This allows them to make an objective assessment and determine how good of a fit a rep would be for your team. 

Here are some specific KPIs a recruiter should be familiar with:

  • First response time – How long it takes a rep to follow up with leads
  • Sales closing ratio – How many quotes a rep sends out and how many deals they close
  • Average conversion time – How long it takes for a rep to convert a lead
  • Sales targets – The number of deals that are closed over a period of time

A Deep Understanding of SaaS Trends 

As you’re probably well aware, the SaaS industry is rapidly evolving. There are currently over 10,000 private SaaS companies, and 80% of businesses use at least one SaaS application. 

At the current rate of adoption, both of these numbers should only continue to increase. Just look at how the SaaS market has grown over the past decade. 

For a software sales recruiter to be successful, it’s vital that they see the big picture and pay close attention to statistics like these. They should have a genuine passion for SaaS trends and always be up-to-date on what’s happening in this incredibly dynamic industry. 

Besides simply knowing the numbers, they need to have a deep understanding of the greater context and how everything fits together collectively, as this will inform their recruiting strategies and impact the direction of your business. Additionally, being open to new ideas, like participating in a sales recruiting training and certification programs, will help a recruiter continually evolve and stay ahead of the pack.  

A Science-Based Approach to Recruiting

Up until now, we’ve discussed the hard skills to look for in a recruiter. But there are also some essential soft skills they should possess. One of the most important is that they take a science-based approach to recruiting.

“The future of recruiting is scientific, data-driven, and businesslike,” explains author, professor, and HR advisor Dr. John Sullivan. “The roadblock to that transition is our current ‘art not science’ approach where intuitive recruiters act like artists who want 100% freedom over how they work.”

Sullivan also adds that scientific recruiting has some major benefits, including:

  • A more efficient, systematic hiring process
  • More consistency
  • Faster hiring speed
  • The utilization of concrete data to fine-tune hiring over time
  • Recruiter accountability

And in the long run, it often leads to increased team productivity because of the overall higher quality level of your hires. The bottom line here is that you’ll want to look for a software sales recruiter who turns to science rather than merely “a hunch” when assembling your team. 

Exceptional Interpersonal and Communication Skills 

The other main soft skill is being inherently gifted at communication. This role requires exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a recruiter acting as liaison between company leaders and job candidates. It’s also a position that at times demands brutal honesty with candidates where they may have to provide unpleasant feedback.

Although certain elements of social skills like these can be learned, it’s ideal for a recruiter to be gifted with them naturally. So, how do you assess this when looking at a potential software sales recruiter?

First, see how their in-person communication compares with their resume or cover letter. “A person’s ‘voice’ or way of communicating should be similar, whether they are writing or speaking,” says career coach April Klimkiewicz. 

Next, ask a few communication centered interview questions. Some examples include, “Tell me how you go about giving bad news to a candidate that they won’t be hired for a position,” or “How do you handle conflicts that arise in the workplace?”

Finally, pay attention to how they listen because this accounts for 45% of communication. 

Landing a Top Tier Software Sales Recruiter 

Finding the right recruiter is vital to your SaaS company’s success. It improves the overall quality of your hires, lowers turnover, and gives your business a competitive advantage. 

Knowing which specific traits to look for should help you systematize your approach and base your decision on the most critical criteria.  

Note that many companies have greater success outsourcing this process to a professional technology sales recruiter. See how HireDNA can help you source, screen, and qualify candidates using powerful recruiting technology and science-based sales assessments. 

Sales Manager Responsibilities: Job Description, Duties, Key Skills, and More

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Sales managers play an integral role in your company’s success. Their level of performance directly impacts your ability to hit your targets, your reps’ ability to reach their quotas, and your overall bottom line. 

“The bottom 25% of sales managers were performing at 76% of their target, while the top 25% of sales managers were performing at 115% of their target,” Michelle Vazzana, CSO and Co-Founder at VantagePoint explains. Furthermore, “The bottom 25% of sales managers had 47% of reps achieving quota, while the top 25% of sales managers had 65% of reps achieving quota.”

This data shows first hand the difference of making the right hire. Now, let’s examine sales manager responsibilities and other essential career information, along with specific questions you can ask when hiring a sales manager.

Sales Manager Job Description

A sales manager is responsible for leading sales reps to consistently reach their targets individually and collectively as a team. They coach, mentor, motivate, hold reps accountable, manage the sales forecast, identify current trends, and run sales reports. They’re usually involved in the sales training and onboarding process and are responsible for equipping reps with the tools for success. And in many cases, they’re also involved with recruiting. 

Median Pay

The median pay for a sales manager in 2019 was $60.89 per hour, totaling $126,640 a year, according to the BLS. Here’s how that breaks down by state. 

Experience Requirements

Most sales managers are required to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in business or a similar field. They must also have direct experience in business and/or management, ideally with five years of experience or more. 

Many organizations make the mistake of promoting their top reps to sales manager. While this often seems like a good idea, top-performing sales reps don’t always have the needed skills, desire, and commitment required to be a successful sales manager. It’s important before making any hiring decision to use a science-based assessment to help identify the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses to ensure they have what it takes to be successful. 

Sales Manager Duties

  • Recruit team members to build and maintain an effective sales team
  • Monitor market trends and continually create sales forecasts
  • Identify sales opportunities and emerging markets
  • Create concrete short-term and long-term goals for the entire sales team, as well as for individual reps
  • Closely monitor the results of their team, determining what percentage of quotas are met
  • Perform routine assessments of reps to identify those who are getting the best results, as well as those who need to improve their performance
  • Use analytics to gain in-depth insights on KPIs
  • Provide reps with ongoing sales coaching to fully develop their skills 
  • Offer individual help to reps who need it
  • Communicate with marketing and upper management
  • Motivate and mentor sales reps 
  • Set goals and hold reps accountable to achieving those goals
  • Work diligently to build trust and rapport among key accounts to create lasting customer relationships

Key Skills of Top Performing Sales Managers

John Thomas of CRM platform SalesBabu highlights the five most vital skills that a top performing sales manager should possess. 

  1. Leadership – This should come naturally, where a sales manager understands how to interact and engage with reps and how to guide them without micromanaging. 
  2. Sales performance management – They must be skilled at A) setting goals and B) staying up-to-date on KPIs to determine if those goals are being met. If not, they must make changes to align the sales team’s results with their expectations. 
  3. Coaching and motivating the sales team – Being a great motivator is paramount — something that largely boils down to keeping reps engaged. Research has found, “Organizations with higher than average levels of employee engagement realized 27% higher profits, 50% higher sales, 50% higher customer loyalty levels, and 38% above-average productivity.” Research has shown that top sales managers spend more than 50% of their time coaching their sales team. 
  4. Organization and planning – A top sales manager understands how the pieces fit together and knows how to leverage the unique skill sets of individuals to guide their planning. They’re “big picture” thinkers and use their organization and planning abilities to pave the way for attaining ambitious achievements. 
  5. Being adept at hiring – Making a bad hire costs companies an average of nearly $15,000. A top sales manager knows how to find sales reps that are natural fits with their business’s culture and develops a streamlined onboarding process to reduce the learning curve. How much is a bad sales hire costing you? Use this sales hiring mistake calculator to find out. 

Beyond those five key skills, data from independent research firm ZS Associates identified some additional characteristics that distinguish top sales managers from their average counterparts. This information is based on an occupational personality questionnaire, with the traits on the right being the ones we’re interested in. 

Some of the most important traits include being:

  • Variety seeking
  • Innovative
  • Caring
  • Democratic
  • Socially confident
  • Outgoing
  • Decisive
  • Achieving

Interview Questions When Assessing a Potential Sales Manager

Now that we know what a sales manager’s core responsibilities are and the specific skills they should possess, let’s take a look at some interview questions you can use to assess a candidate’s potential. 

  • What particular things do you like most about sales?
  • What’s your style of leadership?
  • What traits do you look for when recruiting sales reps?
  • What techniques do you use to onboard new sales reps?
  • How do you minimize onboarding friction and quickly get reps up to speed?
  • What strategies do you use to motivate sales reps?
  • What motivates you?
  • How have you gotten yourself out of a sales slump in the past?
  • How do you help a rep with poor performance get back on track?
  • How do you handle issues that arise in the workplace? (Ask for an example)
  • What specific steps did you take to improve sales performance at a previous position? (Ask for data-driven metrics)
  • Which types of sales platforms are you familiar with?
  • Which platforms are your favorite, and why?
  • How comfortable are you with using data analytics?
  • What makes you the best candidate for our sales manager position?

Hiring Top Tier Sales Managers

“Top-performing sales managers achieve 39% more of their target than bottom-performing managers,” making them a critical part of your organization. Understanding sales manager responsibilities and knowing which factors play the biggest role in success should improve your hiring process and help you pinpoint the most qualified candidates.  

Looking to hire better sales talent, faster? See how HireDNA can help you attract and recruit more qualified candidates and improve retention by using cutting-edge technology and science-based sales assessments. 

How to Avoid Costly Sales Rep Hiring Mistakes

Posted on by hiredna

Hiring salespeople is typically among a company’s largest budget items, and the cost of a bad hire is immense. The average cost of a bad sales hire is more than $115,000, while the cost of a bad sales management hire can reach as high as  $3.5 million, as outlined in our recent blog post on hiring effective sales managers.

These numbers represent average costs; you can use this free Hiring Mistake Calculator to determine your organization’s specific bad hire impact, including your cost of recruitment, development and lost business.

And that’s strictly from a mathematical perspective – the overall impact is compounded when you factor in the loss of resources devoted to the bad hire, lowered team morale and performance, and the damage to your brand reputation among your clients and prospects. 

In this blog post, we examine why the wrong sales reps are hired so often, and what smart sales leaders are doing to reduce the risk and impact of hiring mistakes.

Wrong People Are Hired 77% of the Time

According to a recent evaluation by Objective Management Group (OMG), the wrong salespeople are hired 77% of the time. According to OMG, these bad hires: 

  • Make excuses for their lack of performance (60%)
  • Lack commitment to sales success (37%)
  • Are not motivated to achieve sales success (20%)

How to Avoid a Bad Sales Hire

When OMG compared data between all salespeople and the lowest-performing 50%, they found that the most significant differentiator among “good” and “bad” hires was their Sales DNA – the unique set of  traits and behaviors that influence a rep’s performance. 97% of weak salespeople lack the minimum required Sales DNA for success in their roles. 

In a detailed white paper exploring the science behind salesperson selection, OMG outlined five key components of a rep’s Sales DNA that signal a potential bad hire: 

  • Need to Be Liked – While it’s important for a sales rep to be likable, reps who demonstrate a need for approval usually have difficulty facing potential challenges like confrontation, rejection, and asking tough but necessary questions.
  • Tendency to Become Emotional – Reps with higher emotional involvement may struggle to listen and remain focused on the prospect, which can result in missing important details or losing control of a conversation.
  • Self-Limiting Beliefs – Ineffective sales reps exhibit a number of self-limiting beliefs that can sabotage their selling process, such as “I don’t like making cold calls” or “It’s impolite to ask a lot of questions.”
  • Bad Empathy – Sales reps who make their own major purchases using a non-supportive buy cycle (comparison shopping, heavy research, long decision timeframes, etc.) are more likely to empathize with prospects who engage in the same behavior, and are less effective at helping prospects move forward with the purchase decision.
  • Discomfort Discussing Money – When sales reps are uncomfortable asking questions about budget or a prospect’s financial position, they are unable to ask the necessary questions or make suggestions on solving potential budget-related objections.

Science-based sales assessments that identify a candidate’s Sales DNA, along with other sales competencies, can help sales leaders determine a candidate’s likelihood of success before making a costly hiring mistake. 

Build A Winning Sales Team

At HireDNA, we offer a range of science-based recruiting and assessment solutions for companies looking to hire and retain top sales talent. We help sales leaders determine candidates’ Sales DNA, among other competencies, and avoid costly hiring mistakes.

Why Choose Us?                

  • Our predictive candidate assessments eliminate 96% of hiring mistakes
  • Businesses hire 50% faster when they work with us
  • We have an 80% success rate for placements across organizations

Secrets To Sell Your Company To Prospective Employees

Posted on by hiredna

As the labor market tightens, companies are in search of new recruitment tactics that can attract top sales talent to come work for them. It’s easy to get caught up in what candidates have to offer, but the key to successful hiring lies in making the right offer. That’s because top tier candidates want to hear what makes your company the best place to work. In this post, we’ll teach you key strategies to sell your company to prospective employees so you can attract the best talent to your organization.

At HireDNA, our recruiting experts can help you attract, hire, and retain the perfect candidates for your company. Learn More.

Start By Setting Clear Expectations

Securing jobs is no longer as important for candidates your company is likely looking to hire. Unlike their older counterparts, millennials tend to look at their jobs as a form of advancement in their careers—just another stepping stone. According to a Gallup Report, 87% of Millennials said career growth was an essential factor in their job search. The bottom line? Prospective candidates want to know how they benefit from working for you.

To attract top talent, employers should outline the recruits’ learning journey at the company at the outset of the hiring process. Have an honest conversation on what resources your organization will provide for their learning and development. Talk to them about the nature of their work and the room for growth in the near future.   

Be Transparent

Be transparent about your hiring process. 83% of candidates say their experience would improve if employers gave a timeline of their employee acquisition processes. In a time where companies are competing to secure skilled candidates, being transparent can help retain candidate interest in your offering.

Distinguish Your Company Culture

Your work culture is a reflection of your company’s vision and values. Luckily, it’s also a marketable facet of your business as a workplace. Your company culture should attract candidates that would be an excellent fit for your work environment and repel those who seem unlikely to flourish.

It’s important to establish your culture through channels such as your company website and social platforms. Use social media to give future employees an inside look into what your company represents and create more transparency into how it functions.  

Remember, you’re selling a vision of where your company is and where you’re going. Help candidates see how your company culture will help them thrive. Aligning your company’s goals with your candidate’s goals will attract better talent.  

Revamp Your Employment Brand

Did you know that a poor company reputation can cost you approximately 10% more per hire? Your employee brand tells fresh hires precisely what they’re getting into and could help to strengthen the idea that your company as the ideal workplace for them.

Employment branding isn’t just renewing your company logo or boosting your advertising. Your employment brand needs to be just as strong as your consumer brand, and you won’t find better ambassadors for your company than your employees! Empower your employees to become brand ambassadors, engage them in your business, and inspire a commitment to your company mission.

Manage your employment brand, so it increases the value recruits see in working for you. Address poor reviews on employment sites like Glassdoor, touch up your LinkedIn profiles, and always put your best face forward as an employer.

Personalize Your Hiring Process

Accepting your job offer is an extremely important decision for job candidates. They have much to consider:

  • Will they have to relocate to come work for you?
  • How does your job affect their family?
  • Does it mean they spend less time at home?
  • What if they’re leaving a job? Will your company match any benefits they are giving up?

Candidates may consider refusing your offer because a job with you might render them unable to fulfill personal commitments. Recruiting teams must realize that their candidates have other options. You need to know what you’re up against, and how to make counteroffers that recruits simply can’t ignore. Ask the right questions regarding compensation needs and work closely with candidates to outline a competitive offer that they can’t refuse.

Build A Winning Sales Team

At HireDNA, we offer a range of solutions for businesses looking to hire and retain top talent. Our expert sales recruiters can help you find top talent, assess candidates, evaluate your current talent pool, and more.

Why Choose Us?                

  • Our predictive candidate assessments eliminate 96% of hiring mistakes
  • Businesses hire 50% faster when they work with us
  • We have an 80% success rate for placements across organizations

Ready to hire the best salespeople for your company?

Contact Us

8 Qualities Of The Best Sales Representatives

Posted on by hiredna

Generating sales is not easy, yet the best sales reps understand the challenges of their job and are always at the top of their game. So, what qualities does a successful sales representative have that makes them a cut above the rest? Let’s take a look at the traits that help distinguish a seasoned salesperson from an average one.

At HireDNA, our rigorous sales recruiting processes can help you locate top talent so you can hire the best salesperson for your needs. Talk to an expert today.

What Are The Traits Of An Effective Salesperson?

Some personality traits have a direct impact on a person’s selling style and ultimately their ability to succeed. Here are eight key qualities of the best sales representatives:

Extensive Product Knowledge

To sell a product, an exceptional salesperson must have in-depth knowledge of it, down to the smallest detail. Closing a deal requires extensive research, confidence, and perfect execution of the sales pitch. Without deep product knowledge, that will be difficult to achieve.

A highly successful salesperson is always prepared with the right information and resources to make a profitable sale. They are aware of any potential criticism their product might receive and know how to pitch its advantages to a possible buyer to make it seem like an excellent purchase.

Accountability

More than 70% of salespeople are not prepared for meetings. The best sales representatives, however, are dedicated to their job, clients and work schedule. They are always ready to meet or give a demo to a client.  

The best salespeople recognize their mistakes and do not blame others for any shortcomings or failures. Instead, they remedy the flaws and minimize the risk of failure in future sale pitches. Furthermore, they possess a sense of responsibility to follow up with the client and remain vigilant for resulting queries.

Listening Skills

Successful sales reps know that the secret to a successful sale lies in the loyalty of a customer. Therefore, they will strike a connection with the client by addressing their concerns and issues before offering the product. That’s why the best salespeople seldom talk—instead, they are always listening. This helps ensure that they understand a client’s needs and can respond accordingly.

Clients usually have a positive reaction to the empathetic attitude of a salesperson, and they are more open to listening to a sales pitch from them.  

Polite Persistence

It takes 18 calls on average to even connect with a buyer. Anyone who gives up after the first few phone calls can’t possibly be successful in this field.

The best sales reps are persistent in their efforts to get through to a prospective buyer. They are tenacious yet polite and never give up an opportunity to convert a lead into a buyer—or to at least get them into the sales funnel. At the same time, they respect the boundaries of their clients and instead of showing extreme doggedness, they strive to develop a relationship with the potential customers through frequent personalized follow-ups.

HireDNA’s streamlined hiring process can help you get in touch with the best sales representatives that satisfy the talent needs of your organization. Learn more.

Ambition & Will to Sell

Goals motivate the majority of sales representatives, but the most successful among them take it to the next level by creating a plan for their career. The targets they set for themselves may be even more challenging than any professional goals set for them. This determination helps salespeople grow as individuals and as professionals. Achieving personal goals requires patience, resilience, long-term planning and can encourage better sales habits.

Candidates who are committed and possess the will to sell are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve greater sales success. Today, selling is more difficult than ever. Avoid hiring sales people who are unwilling to commit and push beyond their comfort zone to get results.

Coachable & Curious To Learn

An essential quality of a successful salesperson is their curiosity to learn. They educate themselves by reading industry blogs, watching video tutorials, and attending training sessions.

The best reps work on their presentation skills, time management, and other relevant abilities that make a significant impact on their performance. Studies have shown that sales personnel produce 50% higher net sales when they work at companies that offer training activities.

Hiring sales people who are coachable and willing to learn is essential. The best candidates agree that there is always room for improvement. Look for reps who are open to constructive criticism and are always ready to learn.

Whether you would like to train an existing team or need help onboarding as part of the hiring process, HireDNA offers sales training services to help turn your sales team into a high-performance machine. Learn more.

Tech-Savvy

Technology is a crucial part of sales, as the latest developments such as AI, CRMs and automation tools have changed the way sales activities are executed.

Today’s world requires salespeople who can keep up with tech and its contributions to the sector of sales. The best reps know how to use up-and-coming tools to enhance their prospecting and pitch processes.

The Right Sales DNA

Sales DNA is a term used to describe a candidate’s mix of natural and learned skills. Finding candidates with the right sales DNA for your team is crucial. At HireDNA, we offer a predictive sales candidate assessment that goes beyond personality traits to assess 21 core selling competencies possessed by top sales performers. Predictive hiring accounts for much more than credentials or standard interview answers. We go further with comprehensive assessments and analysis to find the right candidate for your organization’s needs.

Learn more about our Predictive Hiring Assessments.

Hire Outstanding Sale Representatives

Highly competent and persuasive sales reps can enhance the effectiveness of any sales and marketing team manifold. They possess unique attributes that set them apart from an average salesperson.

At HireDNA, we bring over 10 years of experience recruiting, hiring, and training the most successful salespeople. Get in touch to learn how we can help you build a winning sales team.

Why Choose Us?              

  • 80% of our searches for sales talent end in a successful hire
  • 92% of our hired candidates reach top half of sales force in 12 months
  • 50% faster onboarding for new hires

Ready to hire the best sales representatives for your company?

CONTACT US

6 Characteristics of a High Performing Sales Team

Posted on by hiredna

The hallmark of a high performing sales team is their ability to push through obstacles and continue to provide a constant revenue stream for the business. But what do high performers have that others don’t? Let’s take a look at some of the top characteristics of high performing sales teams.

HireDNA sales recruiting, evaluation, and training services can help you build a winning sales team. Contact us today.

1. Invested in Better Customer Research

With the dramatic rise of social media and other public communication platforms, the modern consumer is well-aware and has access to various sources of information. In many cases, by the time consumers get in touch with a sales team, they are already midway through their buying journey.

Top salespeople recognize the need to invest time into understanding their consumers better, instead of relying on conventional selling pitches and tactics. In fact, research shows that high performing sales teams are 2.8X more focused on personalizing customer interactions.

Highly successful sales teams invest resources in researching for their target audience. This includes developing call objectives before you even pick the phone, asking highly targeted questions, and tailoring your solution to fit the prospect’s requirements.

2. Ruthless with Qualification

A top tier sales team knows how to make the most of every single minute of their time. This means identifying high-value targets and dedicating more time to cultivating high-quality leads.

The best salespeople are decisive when it comes to wasting time on prospects. Some consumers do not convert, regardless of the effort you put in. A distinguished sales team knows every minute spent on an unsuccessful lead is a minute lost that could have been used to close a deal.

By closely analyzing your pipeline and evaluating every opportunity that comes your way, you can make sure to only dedicate your time on the highest value leads.

3. Exceptional Sales Managers

One of the major driving forces behind the success of a sales team is exceptional leadership. Every salesperson is likely to hit a slump at some point in time, but teams with outstanding sales managers tend to do a lot better than teams without one.

Read our blog on Essential Sales Manager Skills for more insight into what makes the best sales managers.

Successful teams rely on the coaching skills of the manager to improve their performance, and the best managers dedicate more than 50% of their time to transferring their skills to their colleagues.

According to a recent study, managers of sales teams that achieved 75% or more of their quota were not only more proficient at training their sales team, but they actually spent more time in training their sales staff compared to low performing sales teams.

HireDNA can help you build out custom sales training programs to improve performance at both the individual and team levels. Learn more.

4. Increased Accountability

Regardless of the fact that they work as a unit, a high-performing sales team holds every individual salesperson accountable for their own performance. Every sales rep has to be accountable for their sales quotas. If there isn’t a clear system to help ensure accountability, your performance can quickly decline..

Some key tips to improve accountability within your sales team include:

  • Set clear, realistic, and actionable goals. Your team can’t be held accountable for goals that are not clear.
  • Establish periodic check-ins. While you don’t want to be overbearing, regular check-ins at both the individual and team level can let your team know that their performance is being monitored. You will also be able to take action if you notice a team member’s performance lagging.
  • Make corrective actions clear and fair. What is your plan to improve performance for a lagging team member? Your reps should know what to expect if they begin to or repeatedly miss goals.
  • Coach and train when needed. Corrective action doesn’t have to be the threat of termination. Remaining positive and providing essential coaching and training to lagging team members can help to establish a culture of improvement and success.
  • Congratulate successes. Incentives and recognition can go a long way to motivate your team and keep them accountable for their quotas.

At HireDNA, we offer thorough sales evaluations to identify and resolve weaknesses and skill gaps limiting your sales results. Learn more.

5. No Space for Poor Performers

As a sales manager, you need to enforce accountability in order for your team members to actually take their quotas seriously. That may include making some tough decisions, such as terminating continuously low performing sales reps.

A high performing sales team is made up of over-achievers who meet their goals consistently. If coaching is not helping to improve an individual’s performance, a sales performance improvement plan (PIP) can be a great way to get them back on track.

However, if they fail to improve beyond a certain period, they don’t deserve a place in your high performing sales team. Terminating a rep may be tough, but it may be necessary to keep the team on track.

6. Continuously Striving for Improvement

A relentless desire to improve and get better is one of the hallmarks of a highly successful sales team. Never be content with previous achievements, and always show a determination to exceed previous goals.

A determination for improvement can be made visible through the metrics your team sets each year, such as a 10% raise on annual quotas every year. While this may seem like an aggressive tactic, it can help to push your sales team to achieve grander goals.

On a more micro level, this translates to every sales rep trying to overcome their weaknesses. Unable to land high-quality leads? Prospect more diligently. Struggling to make it past the demo stage? Research and customize your offering to the consumers’ pain points.

Build an Exceptional Sales Team

A highly efficient and productive sales team is the cornerstone of organizational success. A high performing sales team has several unique characteristics that allow them to scale their performance.

At HireDNA, we bring 10 years of experience to help you recruit, manage, evaluate, and develop an efficient sales team.

Ready to take your sales performance to the next level?

Contact Us