Hire Better! 4 Qualities your Next Sales Candidate Must Have

 As a hiring manager, you’re probably faced with an array of challenges when recruiting sales candidates. It makes sense—they are a particularly hard group to acquire. First, you have to ensure the candidate is actually suited for your organization, which includes company culture and alignment of values. Additionally, you want to be sure your new hire will stick around long enough to produce results, amp up your brand, and take your operations to the next level.

It’s tough work, right?

Fortunately, there are some fundamental things to look for when evaluating sales candidates. So next time you’re seeking to add sales professionals to your team, be sure they possess the following:

Solid Sales Experience

You need to find candidates who have a strong record of success in sales. Regardless of industry, candidates who consistently exceed their quotas likely possess the unique sales skill set that so many employers have a hard time finding. Successful salespeople have what’s often called a “hunter mentality,” an eagerness to identify new leads and turn them into customers.  They also demonstrate a desire to continually improve their skills.
While it’s important to find the right personality to join your team, it’s equally important to review the numbers on your candidate’s resume. What percentage of quota did they make last quarter, last year, and in the last three years? How did they rank against the rest of the sales team? Now beyond the numbers, you can see for yourself if you’re dealing with a “closer” by evaluating how the candidate handles him/herself at the end of the interview. Does he/she close the sale by asking for the job? You’ll find that most candidates with a solid background in sales will try to “close” the interviewer.

Product knowledge

With some exceptions, most hiring managers want a sales candidate who has experience selling products in their specific niche. Whether you’re in technology, healthcare, or retail, taking on an employee who understands the ins and outs of your niche or product can significantly reduce the learning curve. This is, of course, assuming that the candidate not only has experience with your products but has a history of success selling that product.
So, let’s say you’re going through a stack of resumes. After initially screening a candidate’s quotas and rankings, your next move should be to review the types of products this person has sold. Even within a given industry like medical sales, the rep might have really strong numbers selling medical devices, but if your company specializes in biopharma, how can you be sure that success will transfer to the new niche? In the end, you may have to determine if it’s more important for you to have off-the-charts numbers selling a different type of product, or average numbers selling a product in your niche.

Flexibility

The sales cycle can be like a roller coaster. The highs and lows can be insane while other times things flow more smoothly. That’s why you need a sales candidate who can quickly adapt to fast pace and changing circumstances.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that about 849,000 sales professionals work out of office. Sub-sectors, like medical sales, report spending an average of 20 percent of their time traveling overnight. These professionals probably have a routine down in terms of how they meet with clients or negotiate deals on the road, but they are flexible when it comes to the changing demands and hectic schedules of their profession. Be sure to find professionals who showcase this flexibility.

Awards

Performance-based awards are a good indication that a candidate has a history of success, and they can be particularly helpful if you’re choosing from a few candidates with similar qualifications. Whether it’s the President’s Club, President’s Circle, Rookie of the Year, etc. most companies will have some way of recognizing their top performers, and smart candidates know to list these types of awards on their resumes.

However, when evaluating awards, try to find out what the criteria was for winning the award. Did everyone who achieved quota get the President’s Club award or was it reserved for the top three percent? Was the candidate ranked in the top five out of a team of 10 or a team of 100? These details matter, so before you let awards impact your decision, ask questions.

While it may be difficult to find the right sales candidate for the job, you should definitely keep the above qualities in mind in your hiring strategy. Doing so will make it a bit easier to fill those tough-to-fill sales positions.

What do you think?What are some other qualities a sales candidate must have?