Why Performance-Based Recruiting Produces Top Sales Performers

Many recruiting ads and job descriptions include "knockout factors" that can actually screen out qualified sales candidates. One example is a requirement that candidates have an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree, or a degree in a specialized field of study such as Engineering. Another example is a requirement that candidates have a minimum number of years of sales experience.

When my customers' recruiting ads and job descriptions include these types of knockout factors, I like to have a little fun with them. I say something like: "(Name), imagine that I have two candidates for your sales job opening. One of them has both the college degree and the five years of sales experience that are listed as minimum requirements in your recruiting ad. The other candidate doesn't have a college degree, and she only has two years of sales experience. But, she has relationships with dozens of C-level executives that are good prospects for your company's products and services. She could easily book fifteen appointments during her first week on the job. Which candidate would you prefer?" As you might expect, my customers always choose the candidate with the relationships. That is when I have to deliver the bad news: "(Name), unfortunately you will never see this candidate, because she is being screened out by your knockout factors!" If you want to improve the overall quality of your sales candidate pool, shift your focus away from education and experience and toward performance-based measures. How will you measure your new salespeople's performance during their first thirty, sixty, ninety, and 180 days? What activities will you expect them to perform? What results will you expect these activities to produce, and in what time frame?

Here is an outline for a recruiting process that focuses on performance-based factors:

  • Write a Performance-Based Recruiting Ad: As you construct your ad, consider the following questions:

    • What kinds of companies or organizations are good prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.

    • Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.

    • What specific sales production (such as pipeline dollar volume, sales dollar volume, etc.) do you expect your new salespeople to produce during their first 90 days? Make this expectation crystal clear in your recruiting ad!

  • Scrutinize Resumes for Accomplishments: Smart salespeople know that results sell. When these salespeople prospect, they talk to potential prospects about the results their companies have produced for customers. When they write resumes, they write about the results they have produced and their other accomplishments (awards, recognition, etc.).

  • Conduct Telephone Screening Calls: For candidates that have interesting resumes, schedule a 20-30 minute telephone screening call. This will give you an opportunity to ask performance-based questions related to two critical performance factors: the candidate's relationships and their prospecting activities. Here are sample screening call questions:

    • Who do you know that might be a prospect for our company's products and services?

    • What relationships do you have that could be leveraged for appointments during your first few weeks on the job?

    • What activities do you typically include in your prospecting plan?

    • What percentage of your time do you spend on each activity?

    • What results have these activities produced for you in the past?

    • How long did it take before you started making quota consistently in your current job?

  • Assess Qualified Candidates: For candidates that pass the telephone screen, gather objective information about their talents via specialized sales assessment tests. The most effective sales assessment tests go beyond personality and behavioral traits and examine attributes such as Learning Rate and Reasoning Ability.

  • Conduct In-Person Interviews: Now you are prepared to conduct thorough, performance-based interviews. Why? Look at the information you have collected! For each candidate that you are going to interview, you should have in your hands:

    • A resume that lists key accomplishments

    • Performance-based information collected during a telephone screening call

    • Objective information about talents critical to sales success

    If you ask performance-based questions and clearly outline your expectations for new hire sales performance, you will attract fewer poor candidates, as some will de-select themselves. You will also attract more strong candidates, as they will no longer be screened out by invalid "knockout factors". The end result will be a steady improvement in the overall quality of your sales organization.

    Copyright 2005 -- Alan Rigg

    Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform and What to Do About It. To learn more about his book and sign up for more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020performance.com.

    In The News:

    pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Determining Sales Fit; the Key Growth Process for Your Business

    Help your organization grow by assessing the right indicators in... Read More

    Are Your Sales Meetings Boring?

    Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More

    Accepting Responsibility for Your Sales Success

    That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive... Read More

    How To Have A Successful Retail Sales Event

    In the 30-plus years I spent working in advertising and... Read More

    Snuff Out the Competition Without Leaving a Mark!

    Does the competition drive you crazy? Are they relentless about... Read More

    Sales Coaching... Fact or Fiction?

    The old adage in selling has always been, "Find out... Read More

    How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Performance -- Part 1

    Business executives and sales managers frequently bemoan "80/20" performance on... Read More

    The Differences Between A Commercial Collections Agency & Lawyer

    If your letter writing and phone calls have all failed... Read More

    The Art of Sales (And Tips On How To Manage Your Sales Team)

    Selling. Cold calls, introductions, interviews, appointments, proposals, referrals, call cycles,... Read More

    Retail Operations - Effective Branch Manager Support and Guidance

    Performance and behaviour management is by far the most difficult... Read More

    We Will Make It Back----- A Fictional Story Based on Fact About Sales Management Success

    Bill Borders stepped up onto the podium. He had just... Read More

    How to Keep Projects From Spinning Out Of Control

    Are you involved in projects that seem to go nowhere... Read More

    Book of Lists Marketing for Pressure Washing Companies

    The American Business Journals produces a Book of Lists each... Read More

    Poor Performance - Fix it by Coaching

    Coaching is about finding out the cause of poor performance... Read More

    How to Improve Your Management Procedures Usability

    Are your people consistently following your procedures? Each year, organizations... Read More

    The Top 5 Issues Facing VPs of Sales

    A recent study of 2,663 sales organizations by Think Training,... Read More

    Effective Sales Territory Management

    How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon... Read More

    Hiring--A Vital Key In Sales Management Success

    Recently, I was asked to spend some time on the... Read More

    Shorten Sales Cycles in Complex Sales Environments

    Help buyers discover the answers they need to understand and... Read More

    The Achilles Heel of Management Coaching

    While heading home at day's end, you begin reflecting on... Read More

    A Fracas in the Franchise - Keep Your Customers by Keeping Your Workers

    As a previous owner of a Franchise I know the... Read More

    Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Turning Strangers to Friends with Power of Freebies

    In the last issue I shared with you a technique... Read More

    Finding A Sales Force That Pays For Itself

    The elements involved in building a sales force, especially one... Read More

    6 Common Mistakes in the Sales Hiring Process

    Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months... Read More

    Never Trust a Silent Customer

    Imagine you run a pizza parlour. You have all these... Read More

    Sacking Clients: Brand Power Wheel

    Remember in the last message we talked about your directional... Read More

    How Many Salespeople Should I Hire?

    One of the most asked questions I get is how... Read More

    5 Secrets to Managing Your Sales Manager Productively

    Many people believe that the main reason for representatives leaving... Read More

    Getting Off The Advertising And Sales Rollercoaster

    Seeing the results of advertising your business can be like... Read More

    Sales Pipeline Forecasting Is There A Better Way?

    To put it mildly most companies sales forecasting just isn't... Read More

    100% Commission Equals Zero Percent Control

    The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes... Read More

    Baditude!

    As a group of sales trainees took a break from... Read More

    Hire A Six, To Consistently Produce Sales Success

    For many years as a sales manager, I would only... Read More