The Top 3 Characteristics of Underrated Rock Star Sales Candidates
Your top sales employees have sales goal numbers to prove their worth. Some may even have awards, or they regularly land new major accounts. These are obvious signs that a sales rep is successful, but they aren’t the only characteristics that define leading pros in the field.
Unfortunately, recruiters typically look only for the obvious signs of success in sales candidates. This leaves numerous underrated rock star candidates available for your competition to scoop up. Understanding the less noticeable traits and skills that define top-tier sales candidates will help you recruit top talent before your competitors do.
When hunting for underrated rock star sales reps, look for the following signs:
1. They Stay Calm, Cool, and Collected
Top sales reps are slow to anger, and they speak mindfully. They keep their cool, no matter what customers or leaders throw their way, which gives them credibility both inside and outside of the office.
Top sales reps are able to easily roll with the punches while remaining reasonable. Consider your existing high-performing sales pros. They rarely if ever get caught up in the excitement of a moment. They know doing so could result in making promises they can’t keep or losing the ability to think strategically.
Look for candidates in the job market who have experienced changes throughout their lives but remain diligent in their journeys. Can they smoothly and calmly transfer from one job to other? Do they remain composed during stressful situations, such as interviews? Then they’re probably the calm and collected type.
2. They Always Want to Know More
New products, new sales techniques, new technologies — the sales industry is constantly changing. Some sales reps aren’t fazed by these changes. Why should they be when they’re hitting sales quotas?
Top sales reps are always on the lookout for what’s new. Understanding new products on the market better equips them to sell more of their own products. Learning new sales techniques keeps them humble and modest when considering their own successes. Updated technology is a powerful tool that offers them and their customers faster, more reliable processes.
Look for candidates who have a strong desire to learn. Whether they’re taking free classes on their own time or continuing education courses with former employers, find signs that a candidate is always looking to improve.
3. They Have a Strong Sense of Duty
Sales pros are passionate people — not just about their products, but about the impact those products have on their customers’ lives. According to Steve W. Martin, a professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, “85 percent of top salespeople have high levels of conscientiousness, whereby they could be described as having a strong sense of duty and being responsible and reliable.”
In other words, top sales reps feel obligated to others, and they have a concurrent strong desire to do their tasks well.
Rock star candidates aren’t concerned about selling a product, they’re concerned about how that product will positively impact consumers. Look for candidates who exude passion and a sense of duty in their careers. These are candidates who have been dedicated to every job, coworker, and consumer they’ve encountered along their career path.
Karyn Mullins is president of MedReps.com. Connect with Karyn on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Get all things recruiting in medical sales delivered to your inbox! Sign-up for the MedReps newsletter today!