So, before you start the hiring process, ask yourself these four questions to avoid costly mistakes and mis-hires.

1. Did I Create a Good Candidate Profile?

Create a profile that outlines all the skills and experiences you require from your sales talent. An ideal sales candidate should have an affinity with your products or services. For example, if your company sells aeronautical parts, you’ll need a candidate with a background in the industry.

In general, the right sales candidate should have the following qualities:

• Results-driven: Your ideal sales candidate must have a passion for their vocation and be goal-oriented.
• Open-minded: Good sales employees are always in a state of self-improvement. Your candidate should be able to constructively process feedback.
• Charismatic: Sales is all about building relationships. Your potential hire should enjoy developing connections with the rest of the team and your leads.
• Creative: Your sales employee should be able to think on their feet to help resolve issues.
• Good Listener: Your candidate should be a good listener because a considerable part of the sales job is to absorb information from many sources and use it effectively.

Once you’ve crafted a fair and realistic candidate profile, create a detailed job description. Remember, you’ll attract the most experienced and qualified candidates with clearly stated requirements, objectives, a competitive salary, and the right perks.

2. Do I Know What Questions to Ask?

Don’t volunteer too much information on your own. Check your potential hire’s ability to collect information. Try to focus your initial questions on the position. For example, ask entry-level sales candidates about your company and your product to gauge their interest. For more senior roles, ask hypothetical decision-making questions.

Creative questions are also a good idea. Pretend to be a customer and ask your candidate to teach you something you don’t know. Ask how they turn around a day of disappointments. Be wary of candidates that don’t show enthusiasm or interest and get frustrated too quickly.

3. Did I Involve My Sales Team?

Your sales team should be an essential part of the hiring process. After all, they’ll be working with the new hire closely. It’s advisable to let the hiring manager conduct the first round of interviews alone and include senior sales team members in the second round — senior sales employees can ask the candidate technical questions and later share critical insight with the hiring team.

4. Should We Outsource the Hiring Process?

Today, many organizations turn to experienced and reputable sales recruiters to find the right candidate in the space of a few days. With a top recruitment agency, you don’t have to waste valuable time and resources on the hiring process, nor do you have to invest money training the wrong candidate. Remember, the sales game is an art and a science, and only experts have in-depth knowledge to hire the best sales candidate for you every time. 

It’s essential to be honest with yourself before you start the hiring process. If you’re tired of hiring the wrong candidates every year, then turn to a firm that does it for a living.