Details on the Three Secrets to Hiring Top 5% Sales Talent

A lot of managers find it hard to hire good salespeople. Many of the people they bring into their ranks are not motivated, careless with customers, or otherwise liabilities. It is one of the biggest problems for any company and some of the top sales training programs can help.  So, is there a way to consistently pick top producers for a salesforce?

I think the following secrets can help.  I don’t mind if you get selfish and decide not to share them with your competitors, as long as you put them to good use!

Secret #1: You can test to find the best

Sales aptitude assessments are possibly the most important secret weapon in the hiring manager’s toolkit. It has been proven that the main factor for a salesperson’s success is natural ability. It might seem an unforgiving statement, but most good salespeople are indeed “born with it” and those who aren’t, fail to reach goals and produce so -so numbers.

Sales aptitude assessments, such as the APQ which we use at Asher Strategies, can help identify those who possess the innate traits which lead to success in sales. Developing a testing program in your company would be the first secret to hiring top 5% sales talent.

Secret #2: They might already be on your team

The second secret is that you probably have diamonds in the rough already in your employment.

Rather than waste dollars on advertising and headhunting fees, try to find salespeople among your current roster. Existing staff, check other departments, already know your product and culture better than anyone, and you would be surprised to discover how many think they could do a better job than your current sales and marketing team.

The way to find them is to run an internal campaign asking for those interested to apply, and then use sales aptitude assessments on every single applicant. You are likely to find some of your best long-term, loyal salespeople this way, and you can always sharpen their skills by choosing one of the top sales training programs for them to attend.

Secret #3: Training will make the good great

While sales aptitude assessments uncover native potential, getting maximum performance comes only with the top sales training programs. LeBron James is a large, athletic man, but he has put countless hours into developing his craft as a basketball player and did not just rely on his natural ability. The same goes for salespeople: they must be trained in the many aspects of selling before they reach the top 5%, elite salesperson status.

Training only those with high sales aptitude assessments scores will save you a fortune and greatly increase your ROI. As a sales trainer myself, I find that training these individuals is a pleasure, whereas training those without natural talent is often a hard slog.

Every sales manager and executive must choose his or her people wisely. That was much easier said and done before the advent of sales aptitude assessments. Avail yourself of these wonderful tools and you will make much better hiring decisions. To start a testing program in your company, please call or email us and we will gladly tailor a quote for you based on your specific needs.