BY Kathy Crosett
Our research shows that the cost of a bad B2B sales hire now exceeds $177,000. For sales managers, talent acquisition teams, and other hiring professionals recruiting sales talent, one of the most effective ways to prevent bad hires using behavioral assessments is to add objective scoring of candidates’ likely workplace behavior, work styles, and job fit to the hiring process. It’s no longer sufficient to hire based on resumes and interviews alone. This article examines where traditional hiring methods fall short, how behavioral assessments work, the hiring risks they can reveal, best practices for using them, and how TeamTraitTM supports better hiring decisions, stronger fit, and lower turnover.
What Is a Bad Sales Hire and Why Does It Matter?
Sales managers work hard with their talent acquisition teams to hire the best sales reps. They invest in training resources and coaching time to be sure their new hire is equipped with everything they need to do the job. Some new hires start closing deals quickly. Other new hires take longer.
And then there are the new hires who don’t produce at a level that’s acceptable. As time goes on, managers invest more time and resources into helping their new hire. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is watching. If the new hire is not held accountable for results, other team members begin to question why they are working so hard. Some individuals, often the best reps, will leave. And business performance begins to suffer.
Resumes Highlight Experience, Not Workplace Behavior
Resumes can serve as a great tool to show a candidate’s creativity in terms of how they lay out their education and experience. Many candidates now use AI to generate a resume to match exactly what the job description requires. Resumes also show the hiring team only what the candidate wants to share and some job seekers tailor or exaggerate details.
But they don’t reveal important details such as a candidate’s communication style or adaptability or whether someone is the ideal candidate beyond experience that matches the job description.
Interviews Can Be Influenced by Bias
Interviews and the interview process often result in bad hiring decisions. Every interviewer may ask unique questions. And they may not ask candidates the same questions. If one of the candidates attended the same college as the interviewer, the conversation could drift into friendly memories and away from the job discussion. That makes interviewer bias and unconscious bias more likely when interviewers improvise or compare candidates inconsistently.
Inconsistent interview methods mean that not every candidate is asked the same questions. Standardized evaluation reduces bias and supports accurate hiring decisions.
Candidates Often Perform Differently After Hiring
Most interview questions focus on a candidate’s previous experience and accomplishments. If candidates are asked to describe their response to various “what-
However, they will not necessarily reveal that they don’t enjoy working as part of a team. They may also know that they are not a natural business hunter but will present themselves that way to get the job. Because for many candidates, landing any job is the goal and interview performance does not reliably predict job performance once someone is hired. Validated assessments more reliably predict job-
Technical Skills Alone Don't Guarantee Success
Sales managers want to hire candidates with strong sales skills but technical skills alone do not identify the right candidate.
They know that their team will close more deals if their new hire excels at discovery and handling objections. But a good sales hire also possesses outstanding soft skills. Our Voice of the Sales Manager survey indicates that sales managers prize confidence, problem-
What Are Behavioral Assessments?
The best way for the hiring team to find a quality candidate for an open position is to use a behavioral assessment. These assessments help sales managers and talent acquisition professionals evaluate candidates based on factors that matter. Specifically, assessments yield objective scores for on-
How Behavioral Assessments Work
The best behavioral assessment platforms use structured questions. These questions are developed by industry experts as part of a standardized evaluation process and designed through knowledge of behavioral science. Behavioral assessments support more accurate hiring decisions by scoring candidates’ likely workplace behavior and soft skills consistently.
What Workplace Traits They Measure
Behavioral assessments score key workplace behavior traits. Working with others on the team is critical in most sales situations. Managers should look for candidates who score well for traits such as collaboration, empathy and emotional control. When working with prospects and clients, managers also need to consider a candidate’s score for initiative, resilience and follow-through.
Behavioral Assessments vs. Personality Tests
Businesses have long used personality assessments to measure sales candidates. These tests measure the innate traits of an individual. Over time, experts realized that assessments designed to measure behavior in specific setting give a more accurate profile for hiring purposes. And while traits generally don’t change, behavior in the workplace can change with sufficient training and coaching. The best behavioral assessments also include a personality assessment.
How Behavioral Assessments Help Prevent Bad Hires
Behavioral assessments help employers make informed hiring decisions. The standardized questions level the field for candidates and help teams avoid bad hires by replacing assumptions with scored evidence.
When they all answer the same questions and are scored based on their motivations and likely workplace behavior, hiring teams see which candidates are the best fit for the position.
Identifying Role Fit Before Hiring
Some assessment platforms, like TeamTraitTM, allow users to request the creation of a custom job description that includes duties and describes company values. The candidates are then scored based on that job description. This process ensures that a candidate’s strengths match the demands of the position. Poor cultural fit is often a bigger cause of bad hires than missing skills, so the role profile should reflect both job demands and organizational principles.
Measuring Communication and Collaboration Styles
In addition to job fit, the hiring team should consider the Four FitsTM tool available in TeamTrait. Specifically, a prospective hire should be a good fit with the manager when it comes to openness regarding coaching. The manager will want to review assessment scores for company fit, especially around communication and collaboration expectations, and whether the candidate works well as part of a team. In addition, scoring well for empathy and responsiveness suggests the candidate possesses the right communication style for prospects and customers, while strong communication scores also help identify the right hire for customer- and team-
Evaluating Adaptability and Problem-
While a candidate needs empathy when working with prospects and customers, managers need to review other scores as well. In most cases, managers need sales reps who adapt well to change. And a good sales rep must be able to hustle — to close deals.
Key Hiring Risks Behavioral Assessments Can Reveal
The sales hiring team risks the chance of missing key problem behaviors when they rely solely on resumes and interviews during the hiring process. Candidates will naturally emphasize their strengths and sell themselves through their resume and during interviews, which is how teams end up hiring the wrong person despite a strong interview impression.
Low Accountability Tendencies
Sales managers rely on their team members to own their work and move a prospect to the next step in the pipeline. Staying focused on results and following through are critical traits. While these traits don’t always surface in a resume, assessments will score these traits.
Poor Team Compatibility
When reps prefer a different communication style than the one followed by most of their team members, conflict can surface because those mismatches often reflect a broader disconnect with company culture, not just style preferences. These differences may center on clear handoff of tasks and respectful interactions. Behavioral assessments highlight these differences. When sales managers are aware of these differences, they may choose to hire the candidate and then coach them to change their behavior.
Resistance to Feedback and Change
When reps are not mixing easily with the team, managers must provide feedback and encourage change. Not every individual accepts feedback well. They may argue that the manager is biased. Or they may try to shift blame to another team member. Managers will know how well a candidate accepts feedback by reviewing behavioral assessment scores, which can also flag resistance as an early warning sign before hiring.
Behavioral Assessments vs. Traditional Hiring Methods (Quick Comparison)
Traditional hiring methods provide valuable background information while behavioral assessments offer deeper insights into future workplace performance and job fit. The table below compares both approaches across key hiring factors.
| Factor | Traditional Hiring | Behavioral Assessments |
| Decision Basis | Limited subjective decision-making | Objective data yields better decision-making |
| Predictive Accuracy | Lower | Higher |
| Bias Risk | Higher based on limited information | Lower based on scored data |
| Role Fit Evaluation | Highly subjective based on hiring team opinions | Required job traits are matched with candidate traits |
| Soft Skill Visibility | Hiring team must rely on what candidates say | Hiring team can review objective scores |
| Team Compatibility Insights | Candidates will claim they work well in a team environment | Assessments show how well candidates will work on a team |
| Retention Potential | Higher risk of turnover due to poor fit | Higher risk of retention due to better fit |
| Hiring Confidence | Lower hiring confidence | Higher hiring confidence |
When Should Companies Use Behavioral Assessments
Behavioral assessments provide the most value during the prescreening process. After the initial review of applications and resumes, the hiring team should ask their top candidates to take assessments.
During Candidate Pre-Screening
Before the interview rounds begin, the hiring team should review assessments to see which candidates have the best fit for the open position. Pre-
Before Final Hiring Decisions
As the hiring team prepares to make their final decision, they will be able to access objective data. And with a tool like TeamTrait they can quickly compare their top candidates in an easy-
For Leadership and Management Hiring
When the hiring team is looking for new sales management talent, additional factors come into play because leadership roles require stronger decision-
Top sales reps are not naturally great sales managers. In reviewing assessments, the hiring team should consider traits such as the ability to motivate others, delegate effectively, and gain commitment from team members. The best behavioral assessment tools score these traits and help identify top talent for management positions.
For High-
With the average sales team experiencing over 30% in annual turnover, based on our research, hiring teams must improve their outcomes. They can do so by ensuring that they hire candidates who are the best fit for roles such as customer service. Some individuals possess far more empathy and are likely to thrive in these roles, despite sometimes rude treatment by customers.
Best Practices for Using Behavioral Assessments Effectively
The best practices for hiring top sales professionals require incorporating traditional screening methods with behavioral assessments to avoid hiring mistakes. Research shows that work style and cultural fit matter alongside technical qualifications. This comprehensive strategy combines candidate-
Combine Assessments With Structured Interviews
When the interview team has access to the candidate’s assessment scores, they benefit from the additional objective information. The assessment platform will suggest questions to ask during interviews. The candidate’s answers give interviewers a more complete picture of their work style and their ability to do the job.
Align Assessments With Role Requirements
Using assessment data that comes from a customized job description allows the hiring team to find the best candidate for the role. The resulting scores show whether a candidate is likely to excel as a customer service agent versus a new business hunter.
Use Behavioral Data to Reduce Bias
Objective insights also reduce bias when hiring. When each candidate is scored and considered on the same set of questions, there is less chance of interviewers being able to sway the decision to be more in line with their personal preferences alone, making red flags easier to compare across candidates with data analytics.
Treat Assessments as One Part of the Hiring Process
For the best possible outcomes, the hiring team should use a full set of tools when looking for top sales candidates. This strategy should include sales skills assessments, behavioral assessments, structured interviews and reference checks.
How TeamTrait Helps Companies Reduce Bad Hires
Hiring managers use TeamTrait to identify the right hire more confidently. With this tool, hiring managers ask candidates to take a 20-
The Future of Hiring: Why Behavioral Data Matters More Than Ever
As more organizations seek ways to improve their hiring outcomes, most companies are looking for better results, but many still miss behavior-
Final Thoughts: Better Hiring Starts With Better Behavioral Insights
At one time, resumes served as the best way to review candidates for all positions, including sales. As psychologists, data scientists and other professionals studied the factors that comprise the best outcomes in sales jobs, the assessment field developed. Unbiased, validated assessments have become popular hiring tools as more businesses look for ways to make more accurate hiring decisions, reduce the money spent on bad sales hires, and help prevent the direct and indirect costs tied to those mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do behavioral assessments help prevent bad hires?
Because behavioral assessments give objective scores, they are not influenced by specific preferences of the hiring team. Instead, scores are based on how well suited a candidate is for a position.
Are behavioral assessments more effective than interviews?
Behavioral assessments offer an objective perspective on the candidate while interviews often generate more subjective perspectives.
What traits do behavioral assessments measure?
Behavioral assessments measure traits such as motivation, soft skills such as empathy, resilience, and the ability to work well with a team.
When should employers use behavioral assessments during hiring?
Behavioral assessments should be given before candidates are granted an interview. The hiring team can use assessment data to explore areas of concern during the interview.
Can behavioral assessments reduce employee turnover?
Yes. Employee turnover is lower because behavioral assessments show which candidates are the best fit for the position, reducing chances that they do not like the work.
Do behavioral assessments eliminate hiring bias?
These assessments eliminate hiring bias because they offer objective data points based on the way candidates answered a standard set of questions.
Are behavioral assessments suitable for small businesses?
Behavioral assessments are suitable for all business sizes.
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