Hiring a Top Salesperson – Use the Right Aptitude Assessment

The process of hiring new employees is complicated, time consuming, and expensive. This is especially true when hiring sales staff members, whose skills can make or break a company as they have the direct line to revenue.

Salesperson aptitude assessments have gained popularity in the recruitment and selection process for many reasons. If you are not using them, you should.  I will describe how important the use of aptitude tests is for selecting your next top salesperson.

Save Time

 The recruitment and evaluation process is time consuming for most firms. One must post job ads to various career websites or search for a headhunter, review an endless stream of resumes of dubious veracity, and court candidates with lunches and face-to-face interviews.

Aptitude tests save a company time because they assist companies in weaning out candidates who do not possess natural aptitude for sales in the first place. This will save you hours that would have been otherwise wasted on candidates who are not likely to succeed. The right salesperson aptitude assessment is able to predict which potential employees display an exceptional capacity for:

• sales achievement
• leadership and management skills
• resolving customer issues

…and more, all within 25 to 30 minutes.

Save Money

 A salesperson aptitude assessment is relatively inexpensive compared to hiring and training employees who do not possess natural abilities for sales. It has been estimated that businesses must hire and thoroughly train new employees for six months prior to effectively understanding their capacity for achievement, leadership, and comprehension. Economically it is more reasonable to pre-screen these potential employees to ensure company dollars are not wasted on incompetent hires or training.

The use of aptitude tests can dramatically reduce the costs of training programs and has proven to reduce turnover. This is the result of matching individuals with natural sales aptitudes to positions in which they will excel. The mistake of not using an aptitude test as a pre-screening tool may result in hiring employees that are

• incompetent
• unmotivated
• toxic

Save the Team

 Every successful team in the world exceeds expectations because of individual efforts that are made for the benefit of the group. One weak link in a sales team may cause numerous problems, as will placing the wrong salesperson type in a group — such as putting an outgoing outside sales “hunter” in a team of inside sales “farmers.”

Tests such as the Craft Personality Questionnaire will verify whether the candidate possesses personality traits that will blend well with the existing sales team. The CPQ continues to increase in popularity because of its ability to:

• promote sales team cohesiveness
• identify personality strengths and weaknesses of current employees
• directly influence revenue and growth

If not already doing so, it is time your company uses a salesperson aptitude assessment to save time, money, possibly your entire sales division. Stop being fooled by first impressions and appearances that result in faulty hires.

For more information about the CPQ please contact us.