- Post the first comment
- Back to the blog
Salespeople sell, which is what you want, but when hiring them, you want to make sure you aren't seduced by someone more adept at selling himself than your product or service. Peak Sales Recruiting, a search firm focused on finding top technology salespeople, offers the following eight prescriptions:
Show me the numbers
Anyone can call themselves an "overachiever" or a "sales superstar." Check the numbers. If a candidate does not quantify his success in the résumé, it may be an effort to play down less than stellar results.
Look for winners
Strong sales résumés often have an "awards and achievements" section because great salespeople often win awards and can list those honours.
Consecutive short stays are a warning sign
If the candidate has a pattern of staying at companies for one or two years, he or she is probably not making quota, or losing interest before building momentum. Optimally, you want someone who stays three to five years at most jobs.
Words, words, words
When candidates wax on and on about their "soft skills" it should be a red flag, particularly when coupled with an absence of hard numbers.
A focus on "responsibilities" signals a mismatch
Candidates who write reams on the companies they worked for in the past and what they did - such as supervised a team of colleagues or oversaw initiatives - may be focused on things that don't matter to good salespeople.
Mind the gaps in employment
Missing months in the job history, unless credibly addressed, can indicate a failure to reach targets.
Is candidate an A-player?
Has the candidate made it onto top sales teams? Has he been hired by companies you respect?
"You should hire me because..."
Look for a succinct summary sentence that captures the essence of the candidate. Superstars know their role is to deliver revenue, profit and growth, and they will tell you why you should hire them - because they will produce the results.
Start the Conversation, Leave a Comment
This conversation is semi-moderated What is moderation? | How do I report a comment?
You must be logged-in to submit a comment — login now!
Not registered with globeandmail.com? Register now. It is quick and free.
Alert us about this comment
Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.
Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.
