How to hire great salespeople

This last week I had lunch with a team of sales VPs and the subject of hiring came up. The central question: How do you spot great salespeople during the interview?

A common response was “you just know.” Some people have the “it factor" by this line of thought. It struck me as odd that seasoned sales people would fall back on instincts when they excel in a profession where preparation and process are so critical to success.

The best salespeople are good learners. Questions about past mistakes are a great place to start. Great salespeople will volunteer how they learned from their mistakes.

• Tell me about your biggest mistake?
• What was the last mistake you made?

We need salespeople that are intellectually curious. Ask questions about when they took initiative to learn and what motivated them. Were they forced to learn or did they want to be ahead of the curve?

• Tell me about a time you had to learn something complex.

Listen to the questions they ask you during the interview. See if they demonstrate how much they understand the importance of listening in a sales cycle. Do they appreciate the importance of asking questions?  A very simple test - one that almost every beginning salesperson will fail - is to ask them to sell you something. You might think this is a simple test. It’s not.

• Sell me on why I should visit your hometown.

The green sales person will eagerly jump into all the great things to do and see. “We have great beaches and restaurants.” 

The seasoned sales professional will start by asking you questions. “What do you like to do when going someplace new?” 

The best salespeople understand their customer. They get to know them. My wife - a world class account manager - is masterful at this. She was trained early about the importance of personal details. She knows thier spouses name, their kid's names, their ages, the names of their pets. She knows about thier personal interests and will weave this into her conversations. She knows these things because she cares and she listens. Her customers love her for it.

There are a few questions you can ask a seasoned sales professional that will tell you how good they are at building relationships. With good salespeople, you can go way back. I have close personal friends that were once customers. I’ve been to their weddings and seen their families and careers evolve. It is one of the most rewarding benefits of my profession. The questions may be simple, yet telling:

• Who was your principal contact at Acme? What can you tell me about them?
• What would he/she say about you?
• What did you like most about working with Acme?
• Have you stayed in touch with anybody from Acme?

It is important to remember that we sell to people, not mindless corporations. By asking some of the right questions you will discover salespeople that understand this. The right training and guidance will benefit the new sales people. The best salespeople will quickly stand out.