- Picture the last sales person you hired.
What made you say yes to them?
Were they charismatic, persuasive?
Did they have a great sales record?
While all these are great skills
to look for when hiring salespeople,
they shouldn't be the only things
that you base your final decision on.
Let me show you how I hire.
Like most hiring managers, I look for candidates
that can clearly communicate ideas.
Communication is a huge part of the sales job,
so I'm looking for highly articulate candidates,
and even more important is their ability to listen.
Great salespeople listen more than they talk.
The next thing I always look for
is a strong sense of empathy.
Great salespeople put themselves in their customers' shoes
as they guide them through the buying process.
Empathy is a very important skill
that is very hard to teach,
so I hire reps that already have it.
Also, I know I've found a great candidate
if they know how to work smart rather than hard.
What do I mean by this?
You need people who know how to prioritize
and leverage technology to be more efficient.
For example, my app, Badger Maps,
helps salespeople meet the right customers at the right time
and creates optimized routes and schedules.
A field salesperson that uses technology like this
is a salesperson that works smarter instead of harder.
You'll want to screen for reps like this.
Coachability is also a key trait that I look for.
You can tell a rep is coachable
when they're open to criticism
and humble about what they know.
I've seen very good sales reps
who were not really open to feedback,
and they ended up causing problems within the organization
despite their other talents.
These are all pretty common traits to look for, right?
But there are less obvious traits
that managers often fail to consider,
and they can make all the difference.
What are those characteristics?
First, curiosity.
People that are naturally curious
about their customers, their customers' businesses,
and how to be better at their job
are generally great salespeople.
They ask the right questions
because they're genuinely interested in their customers.
Also, patience is important to close deals.
Most deals, especially deals
with multiple decision-makers, take time.
If you push too hard too soon, the deal can fall apart.
On the other hand, you have to watch out
for the opposite problem.
Did you know that 44% of salespeople
make the mistake of giving up on a deal too soon?
Next, being collaborative.
Look for salespeople who are team players.
Team players will share their knowledge
to help those around them succeed.
Some competition is good to motivate your sales team,
but you should avoid candidates
that will put their own interests
before the team's best interest.
Also, grit.
You need people that can deal with rejection,
failure, and frustration.
And finally, creativity.
You need someone who can think on their feet
and map your product or service
to solve each customer's unique problems.
So think about the traits I've listed.
Now write down the three skills
that you think your next hire needs to have.
Doing this will get you that much closer
to having your sales dream team.