Sales managers face a unique challenge when it’s time to hire new sales reps. The skills and characteristics that make a sales rep successful are often hard to uncover on a standard resume. Keeping that in mind, what type of experience should you look for when assessing an interviewee? Does their previous work place a potential hire at the top of your list? What about their education and background?
The experience of a candidate definitely holds merit, but your interview process should also evaluate whether or not this person fits your company’s culture as well. If a potential rep aligns with your company values they’re more likely to advocate for your company which will make them a stronger seller for your organization. Craig Rosenberg put it best in a recent TOPO blog when he said, “Achievement matters, but cultural fit is the final hiring factor for candidates.” Are you taking this deeper dive when assessing your sales candidates? What else are you missing?
Salesloft manager Pete Whittingslow is very familiar with leading the hiring process, which is why we’ve brought him in for this week’s addition of Sales Tips.
Transcript
Hey everyone, Pete Whittingslow here with Salesloft. Today I want to talk to you about the three keys to hiring within your sales team.
So key number one, hire within your core values. Within every sales team, we have a coverage model to get to, we have revenue goals to get to, so when we’re hiring, we want to make sure that we’re hiring very skilled sellers, but it takes more than that. You want to make sure they’re living out your core values that are company-wide, so not only are they great sellers, but they’re exemplifying those core values, those core assets that make your company, your sellers, and everybody in between great.
So key number two, start from the back. When you’re interviewing a candidate, rather than starting with their last job and asking them why they’re here today, start from the very beginning. Uncover why they chose that school, why they chose that first job, what’s led them to all the points in their life. That way you can uncover a common theme or a common trend and you can really see if they’re that perfect alignment or in your long-term vision with your business.
And key number three, know your role in the hiring process. Rather than trying to tackle the entire thing on your own, bring others from the organization into the hiring process and break it down so you know exactly what you’re looking for in your part of the hiring process. For example, here at Salesloft, we have a culture team that will interview a candidate and all they’re focused on is do they exemplify those core values. Me for example, if I’m doing my first phone call with a candidate, I want to see do they have that passion for selling, did they do their homework on Salesloft, things like that, but every step along the way, everyone that’s interviewing them has a set role, set expectation so when we get to the end, we really know if that candidate is the best fit for us or not.
Thanks for listening. I hope today was helpful and you’re able to get some takeaways and bring something to your organization. Would love to hear from you and get your feedback and as always, happy lofting.