The process of finding and hiring productive sales people is not always fun or easy, but it is one of those necessary evils of business.

Interviewing is not only time consuming and repetitive, but depending on the interviewer, ineffective because the right questions may not be asked the right way. Simply, most interviewers are not trained or skilled in the interview process. However, with a greater understanding of key questions to ask to determine if someone is a match, as well as the integration of other assessment tools, the interview process for an effective sales person in the concrete industry can be more successful.

Cost of a bad hire

Too often, reliance on the resume for useful and accurate information will lead the interviewer/hirer to make a poor hiring decision. If the resume looks good, the applicant sounds good and appears motivated and excited, the hire is made. Unfortunately, we fall for the number of years of experience in selling and believe that person brings a lot to the table. Many times, 10 years of sales experience in reality is only one year of sales experience 10 times.

The hires made strictly from interviewing based on the content of the resume result in an 86 percent failure rate. The interviewing process now has to start over and, unfortunately, the same mistakes may be made again. Ever thought what the cost effect is in time, resources and manpower in making a poor hiring decision?

Culture is key

Every organization has its own culture, specific ways of delivering the sales process and its own definition of success. A common reason salespeople quit or are asked to leave is because they may not fit in or comply with the organization's culture and performance standards. They may be round pegs in square holes. Being prepared to ask the right questions that correspond to the culture, values and standards of your company is critical. This will provide insights about the candidate beyond the resume.

Because of the hiring cost implications, many companies are looking at and implementing other tools to assist in the interviewing/hiring process beyond just the resume. For example, more and more companies are adopting assessment tools to assist them in making better hires and reducing turnover. These tools offer valuable information about the candidate's behavior, attitudes, beliefs (values) and success potential in that company's environment.

There are a few good assessments to select from in the marketplace. The assessments that are the most valid and most effective are accepted by EEOC (under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EEOC states that job assessments or testing is allowable as long as they are not designed or used to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin) as a viable tool in the selection process. The caveat to using assessments is the selection cannot be based strictly on the assessments themselves. No more than one-third of the candidate's evaluation process can be based on the assessments. The resume, the interview process, shadowing a salesperson, peer feedback (other interviewers), reference evaluation are other viable options to complement the assessments.

Because companies are unique with their own culture, standards and values, assessment tools can be used to establish templates that describe the position. Areas such as sales competency skills, appropriate selling behaviors, attitudes/values and performance requirements can all be benchmarked and measured. Skilled interviewers or assessment specialists can assist the interviewer/hirer on how to establish the templates and evaluate the results. In many cases, the hiring process, using these assessments, has greatly reduced making poor hires. Assessment tools will never be accurate 100 percent of the time, but they will reduce the risk and frequency of making bad hires.

Some assessments not only assist in positive selection of salespeople, they can serve as good management tools. Simply, not all salespeople are created equal - not only from the success standpoint, but also from the communication and interaction components of professional selling.
Understanding the behavioral, attitude makeup and values of an individual is critical in managing their performance.

Good sales managers rarely manage the group as a whole, rather, more one-on-one. Because sales people are a unique breed, understanding their style and emotional drives assists in promoting and managing performance more effectively. It was once believed assessments were meant to eliminate candidates. Today, however, good assessments have proven their worth in helping hire a good candidate without strong or well proven sales skills by providing awareness to areas where training can enhance an individual's performance by growing their skill levels.

Interviewers must listen

An important point to remember about the interviewing process in hiring salespeople, or anyone for that matter, is to be a good listener.

Remember, sales candidates are interviewing the company while they are being interviewed. Allow the applicant to ask questions and give feedback.

Much can be learned from the type of questions they ask and how they are asked. It, again, will offer valuable insights about them and their interest in the opportunity.

Keys to effectively hire salespeople go well beyond the resume. Don't dwell too much on the piece of "fluff and half truths" that is considered the resume.

Get into the head and heart of the candidate with the "why's and how's" on "what" they've done. The better you interview, the less you have to. CM