For small business owners, a good sales team is essential
to continued sales and revenue growth. Unfortunately, sales
positions are the most difficult to recruit, hire and
retain. Relying on industry experience as the key hiring
factor is one of the most common errors in filling sales
positions. If the candidate left your competitor, how do
you know he’ll succeed at your company?
Many hiring mistakes could be avoided by observing the
candidate’s selling skills during the job interview.
Since an interview is basically a sales presentation,
it’s easy to test the candidate’s selling
skills if you know what to look for. Watch for these three
essential sales skills and you’ll find the right
sales professional for your company.
1. Prospect qualifying
During the interview a good sales candidate will ask you
qualifying questions, like:
What are the greatest challenges your salespeople face?
What do you see as the most important qualities in sales
staff?
If he doesn’t ask these types of questions, he is
probably the type of salesperson who wastes a lot of time
with unqualified buyers.
2. Pre-sales preparation
Just as a good salesperson knows his prospect’s
business before making a sales call, an excellent candidate
will come to the interview prepared by knowing about your
business. If he doesn’t, then that’s a big red
flag against his selling skills. You’ll know if he
did his homework by the quality of questions he asks you
about your business. He should be prepared with at least
one question that is specific to your business.
A good question would sound like:
I read from your website that you service most of the
tri-county hospitals. Do your future plans include
extending your market statewide?
A canned question would sound like:
How do you see your company growing in the next five years?
If he can’t ask questions that impress you with his
intelligence and curiosity, he won’t impress your
prospective clients either.
3. Closing the sale
A great sales candidate will ask closing questions to move
you toward a hiring decision. In the interview listen for
closing questions like:
When would you like me to come back for the next interview?
When do you expect to make a hiring decision?
What concerns do you have that would prevent you from
extending me the job offer?
The hallmark of a great salesperson is his ability to close
the sale. If the candidate doesn’t try to close you
on hiring him, he’ll lose a lot of your business as
well.
No matter the current size of your company, the sales
function has the biggest impact on your revenue growth.
Your company’s revenue will increase steadily over
time with a reliable sales team. You owe it to your
company’s future to choose your sales team with great
care. In your next sales interview, ask the right
questions and watch for the right skills and you’ll
be on your way to building a sales force that outsells your
competition.
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Deborah Walker, Small Business Coach, helps entrepreneurs,
small business owners and the self-employed to avoid costly
hiring mistakes. Her expertise covers all aspects of
attracting, interviewing and hiring the right employees.
Learn more at:
http://www.RevenueQueen.com
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