When you’re choosing new members for any team, the hiring process is important. When that person is a sales team member, however, the decision is an especially crucial one. A sales team is only as effective as its weakest member, and poor sales mean poor profits.
For this reason, as a sales manager, choosing the people that will make up your sales team is something you should put a lot of thought into, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you’re currently in the process of choosing new team members for your sales team, then this just might be the guide for you. Read on to learn about the five traits you should look for when hiring new sales team members.
1. Someone Personable
Working in sales, a huge chunk of your job will be interacting with different people. Be that superiors, other team members, or, of course, leads and clients. No matter who they’re interacting with, they will need to be a good communicator capable of disarming and charming people when they talk to them.
2. A Competitive Nature
While you don’t want team members pushing each other down the stairs or slashing each other’s tires to win sales, you do need a healthy level of competition to push your team to do their best. This is why, when you’re interviewing candidates, you should try to determine whether they’re naturally competitive as people or not. You can do this by asking strategic questions about their interests outside work and what motivates them.
3. An Aptitude for Sales
Some people are natural salespeople and some are not. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it is something you will want to know about your candidates. Being a stellar salesperson can be taught, but only if the innate ability is there already.
For this reason, it’s not always enough to look to a person’s resume to determine their sales prowess. There are again questions you can ask. You can also employ tactics like having them take a sales assessment test.
4. A Desire for Self Improvement
Confidence is one trait that you will need any sales employee to have. However, cockiness is not a particularly helpful attribute for them to possess. Instead, they should be secure in the skills they do have, while still harboring a desire to improve themselves, learn, and grow professionally.
5. Industry Knowledge
This is something of a “nice to have” rather than a requirement. Still—a knowledge of or passion for your industry is always helpful for a salesperson to possess. These are things that can be taught or acquired over time, but all the better if a candidate has them to begin with.
Hire an Amazing Sales Team Member Today
When hiring your next sales team member, be sure to keep this guide in mind. You may never find someone that perfectly fits into the mold of a perfect salesperson, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. If you’re looking for more interview tips and tricks, see the rest of our content.
Also read about: How to Get online Sales- Best tips to Double Your Sales.
