Why Aptitude Assessment is Critical to Hiring Salespeople
I think it is fair to say that all of us in sales management or sales executive positions have made at least one hiring mistake in our careers.
It is hard to admit because most of us like to think we are good judges of character and have enough experience and perception to pick winners. However, when ego is put aside, it is plain that we could all use a bit of help in learning more about our prospective hires to avoid making a big mistake.
How big? Try a minimum of $150,000 for each outside salesperson hired that isn’t a good match for the position.
The $150,000 Mistake
This might seem like an outlandish figure. But, even if you pay no signing bonuses or draws against commission, consider these typical costly items:
- Headhunting and advertising fees
- Time spent by sales managers conducting interviews instead of selling themselves or working with existing team members
- Money spent schmoozing prospects with lunches and dinners
- Onboarding costs once hired
- Social security taxes for W2 salespeople
- Benefits
- Training expense
- Depreciation on computers, tablets, smartphones, furniture, etc.
- Utilities and kitchen expense (coffee adds up!)
- Stationery and business cards
- Marketing items, such as brochures
- Expense accounts and per diems
- And, possibly the biggest cost of all: the dollars wasted through blown sales and future lost opportunities by the unqualified hire. For firms selling complex, B2B solutions, this can add up to much more than $150,000
We get caught up in the resume, the looks, and the shining personality. We want to believe that the person in front of us wants to do well, will be a match for the role we are hiring them for and fit with our company culture.
But without aptitude testing, we are flying blind.
How Aptitude Assessments Help
For sales jobs, over 600 correlation studies show natural aptitude is the most significant factor for predicting sales success.
The CPQ Assessment is, in my opinion, the best way to determine whether that aptitude exists in prospects. It takes less than 30 minutes, is affordable, and gives a highly accurate picture of where each applicant would best fit within any sales organization — or not at all.
