Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Hiring A Sales Superstar: Constructing & Conducting a Sales Simulation


"Mistakes Are Temporary But Regret... That Lasts Forever"
John C. Kolencik

When I was a kid and would get into trouble almost always my parents would find out. The next 20 minutes, after their discovery, I would spend apologizing, trying to avoid the inevitable punishment that was coming. That's when my parents came right back everytime and said "John Christopher Kolencik your actions speak louder than your words" emphasis THEIRS!

Why do we take a candidate's word for it when they say that they can sell? Oh, right it says they can on their resume'. Yea, and their references said they can too. Well I have waited a long time to say this instead of hearing it "your actions speak louder than words".

Sales simulations are a KEY tool in discovering the actual skill level of any potential sales hires. Think about it, what tells you more about a person besides how they actually react in a particular situation? And the beauty of the sales simulation is that you can construct it EXACTLY to the experiences you have everyday.

There are a 1o steps that must be adhered to so the simulation will yield the results and information you need to help in your hiring selection. I will detail 9 of them today and the 10th will be in my next post.


  1. Give the candidate access to any advice or resources that a currently employed sales person would have but don't prompt them to specifics. If they ask great but if they don't, well that tells you something right there doesn't it?


  2. Make sure that the simulation is based in your everyday reality. Harder is better than easier but straying to either extreme garners you nothing but wasted time.


  3. Each step in YOUR actual sales process should be simulated, no short cuts!


  4. Detail out, internally, how you define success in the simulation. This gives you an un-biased road map to grade/assess the candidate.


  5. There should be multiple "actors" in any simulation. When was the last time you were involved in a sale that didn't have multpile parties involved?


  6. Write defined roles and direction for the "actors", don't rely on their "acting chops". This removes any bias or random mistakes.


  7. Include "planned interruptions" during the course of the simulation. What sale have you been a part of where your meetings were never interrupted?


  8. Always include a letter/proposal writing segment in any simulation. What a deflation it is to find your new star sales hire "don't write too good".


  9. Record it, minimum audio but preferably video. See my last post as to why.


  10. Conduct a Critique Session.

That's it for today. If you have any questions or need any help constructing/conducting a Sales Simulation give me a call at 216-347-6729. Make sure to check back for my next post where I detail out Number 11; How to conduct an effective Critique Session. And believe you me if you thought the Simulation was an eye-opener just wait to see what you will learn by critiquing your candidate's performance.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Hiring A Sales Superstar: 1st Interview Questions


“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside themselves was superior to circumstance” Bruce Barton

First let me introduce you to Gauge, he is a member of the BPL: The Best Practice League. His specialty is the hiring and assessment process and he helps us to remember just how important it is to not only ask the right questions but to ask them the right way.

Okay, I promised you the questions to use for a first interview. So below is the link to the document with the questions. But before we get to them, let's talk about "HOW" to conduct a first in-person interview.

Remember this is an interview not a date. Don't get swept up in the style of the moment. You are looking for answers that contain facts and figures. The best salespeople know how to make a compelling point . They know how to paint a picture evoking emotion with their words. They also know how to give specifics, facts and details. The less specific an answer is the quicker your @#$%^ detector should be going off.

Make sure you are very clear upfront about what you want from them. You want this to be conversational but you are looking for answers to these questions. If they don't get to the point don't let them off the hook. Keep after them a maximum of 3 times on any one question. If they have not answered the question to your satisfaction after 3 tries move on but make sure to notate the miss.

Finally, ALWAYS record your interviews. This kills 3 birds with the proverbial 1 stone. 1) you don't have to trust your memory or your notes 2) upon reflection you may hear something for better or worse that you missed on the first pass 3) legal protection. Remember, you do have to tell them they will be recorded.

Please feel free to give me a call 216 347 6729 and we can talk through any questions you may have and in the meantime make sure you go to my websites by clicking in the links to the right.

Make sure to check back for the next post when we discuss how to conduct a Sales Simulation and conduct a Critique Session that will give you more insight into a sales hire than you ever thought possible.

Here are your 1st Interview Questions...
1st%20Interview%20Questions%20Rev.%201.doc

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Monday, June 30, 2008

Hiring A Sales Superstar: What We Are Looking For

"You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you."

George Lucas

"96% of all sales managers have NO formal interview training" this quote is excerpted from an article in Selling Power Magazine. WOW, what a scary statistic! Suddenly those "hiring horror stories" make absolute sense to me.

The funny thing is, that of all job titles, I firmly believe that a sales manager, if they were successful as a sales person, should be a FANTASTIC interviewer.

Think about it...
  • they would be skilled at asking questions and listening

  • they would understand how to dig in to any area that didn't make sense or where information was lacking

  • they could piece together all the elements of the hiring process so they could make a well informed decision without sacrificing their gut instinct

  • they would have set questions they would ask of every candidate and not "wing it" or "shoot from the hip"

  • and most importantly they would know what makes a "qualified" candidate based on an established list of requirements
Well, we just named our poison didn't we? Over the course of the next couple of posts we will examine the intricacies of interviewing and what every sales manager needs to do to minimize mistakes and make sure their next hire is a Sales Superstar!

First up, we will be discussing "what" we are looking for in a sales candidate. Let's begin by distinguishing between skill sets (SS) and talent/traits (TT). Skill sets are learned behavior that we have mastered to one level or another based on repetition, ability and success. Talent and traits are things we are born with like being tall or running fast. Both SS's and TT's are important but TT's are the determining factor of a successful superstar or an also-ran. This is because either you have these things or you don't and if you have the right TT's you can master EVERY skill set needed to be a success in sales.

The most important TT to have is DRIVE, the need to achieve something that nobody else can. Believe me, some people just don't have this trait. You know these folks, they are likable enough people but many times will not push that extra inch to win.

A person with DRIVE wants to win at virtually everything they do. Video games, being the most well read, making more calls than their teammates you name it they want to be the best or as Anne Elbery, a friend of mine, says "why play it unless you are in it to win it". That, in a nutshell, is how somebody with DRIVE thinks. Be the best at everything and if you come in second there are no moral victories only winners and losers. Isn't this EXACTLY how you want a salesperson to think and act, always optimistic of a positive result and willing to work as hard as needed to make winning happen?

Next you should be looking for INTELLIGENCE. You can't fake smart and there is no work around to stupid. This trait allows for the sales person to be an idea generator and to be astute enough to understand complicated concepts that could effect their success. It also gives them the ability to create and use a large word inventory and, as noted in Forbes Magazine, business executives possess one of the largest vocabularies in all professions. Sales people need to be able to learn and adapt in a verbal environment. The lack of this trait would hamper their efforts at basic communication much less closing the sale.

Being NATURALLY CURIOUS is the next trait they need. A sales person must absolutely HUNGER for information. They should always wonder how thnks work, why prospects do certain things and they should always be asking another question. Sales people who don't ask questions are called order takers or worse... unemployable. Asking questions has got to be akin to breathing for sales people.
Questions like "why would you want that" or "what does that mean" or "how does that happen" should be asked by EVERY sales person on every sales call. Being NATURALLY CURIOUS means asking the needed questions that you have not even thought of yet because these are based on the situation you are in at the time.
And one more thing, if the person you are interviewing does not avail themselves of the opportunity to ask questions and learn everything they can about your company when you give them the chance... be afraid, be very afraid and don't invite them back to continue the hiring process.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS is next on the list. Without this, no ideas are transferred to the customer and if they were it was probably done just bad enough to ensure a missed sale. People with good COMMUNICATION SKILLS are generally great influencers of opinion, a needed ability in sales wouldn't you agree? They also rank very high in expressive spontaneity, the ability to think on one's feet. This very important trait allows you to capitalize on all the time, work and money put into finding prospects if on no other level than making sure their first opinion of your company is a positive one.

The final trait you absolutely need to have in a candidate is GUTS. Your sales person has got to take chances to go for the brass ring and sometimes that means pushing past their comfort zone and that takes GUTS! This trait also helps a sales person to develop their emotional intelligence (thick skin). Most, if not all, average to bad sales people take rejection personally allowing a few bad calls or appointments to keep them down while providing a near endless supply of excuses. Sales people with GUTS simply dust themselves off and start over, then DRIVE kicks in and they don't stop until they succeed.

That's it for today! Look for these 5 traits in ALL your candidates. The ones who have them will be a source of pride and sales for years to come. Also look for these things in your existing staff and if you weren't hiring maybe it is time to start...




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