A sales assessment test is an objective and standardized test that hiring managers can use to measure a candidate's sales skills. In these assessments, top candidates show sales skills such as discovery, negotiation, hustle, and adaptability.

To reduce poor hiring decisions, sales managers should use a sales assessment test in addition to auditions. The assessment results can reveal much about candidates. That objective data, combined with the results of an audition, can improve hiring outcomes.

Which Hiring Strategies Work Best?

Sales managers can use a number of different tools for screening and hiring candidates for open sales positions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these strategies? Let's take a look.

The Interview

Sales rep candidates who excel during interviews are more common than you think. They dazzle prospective managers with their quick answers to tough questions. And in some cases, the bigger the interview panel, the better the performance.

These kinds of performances can easily influence interviewers who hold biases. Marcel Schwantes explains that some candidates will connect with an interviewer who possesses biases they aren’t aware of. Data shows that candidates who are attractive, taller and possess lower-​pitched voices tend to be hired over individuals who don’t possess these qualities. 

The same situation holds true for managers who to hire a candidate because they both went to the same college or university. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a company much good if the tall attractive sales rep who went to “SameAsYou University” isn’t out meeting with prospects.

The Audition

You’ll get a better sense of how an individual approaches work challenges by asking them to audition. For example, you might give them information on one of your products and tell them to prepare a presentation. 

Pay attention to how the candidate proceeds. Do they ask questions before they put together their presentation? If they ask how many decision-​makers they’ll be presenting to, or if you’re unhappy with your current solution, they show promise in the area of discovery.

Some managers will deliberately give candidates vague or incorrect information in an audition assignment. This strategy helps managers determine whether candidates will go the extra mile to clear up any confusion. A candidate who doesn’t call or email to verify details may not take that step with prospects or clients, either.

Assessments

Savvy candidates can also ace auditions. That’s why hiring managers should ask candidates to take a sales assessment test. The results of these kinds of assessments can reveal behavioral and work tendencies that the candidate is either hiding or may not know they possess.

For example, the TeamTrait™ assessment results could reveal that the candidate who interviews well also lacks hustle. When a candidate scores low in the work category that measures hustle, hiring managers may want to proceed cautiously.

Contract Work

Employers should also considering asking prospective employees to work on a project or part-​time basis before they extend an offer for a full-​time position. In these situations, managers can observe how well the individual will fit into the organization.

If they are hiring a customer service agent, they can measure the individual’s output. 

• Does the person seem able to meet productivity goals? 
• Is the person able to learn quickly on the job? 
• Will this prospective customer service agent reflect well on the company?

The answers to some of these questions will be obvious. The candidate may be unfailingly polite and positive with customers. And they may quickly scale up to answer questions like your best customer service agents. But, why are they consistently cutting off other co-​workers who are training them and providing feedback?

How Sales Assessment Tests Reveal Toxic Work Behavior

Many hiring tools will give insights into a candidate. And some assessments measure an individual’s sales skills or their motivational factors. 

But there is always the chance that a top candidate might exhibit toxic behavior on the job. Only one assessment platform analyzes candidates for this problem. TeamTrait™ will let managers know if an individual has a moderate or high risk for reacting to workplace situations in a way that will disrupt other team members or the culture.

The Troublemaker

An individual who appears to be inflexible and insists on doing things their own way could be a potential troublemaker. The style of toxicity, the troublemaker, is one of 13 toxic behavioral types identified by TeamTrait™. As we note in our e‑book, The 13 Types of Toxic Salespeople, “Troublemakers are not always focused on the same goals as the team. In fact, they don’t really want to be on the team. They just want the satisfaction of being right.”

Only the hiring manager can ultimately decide if they want to risk hiring an individual with this kind of profile. If the person will operate in an environment by themselves and has a moderate assessment score for becoming a troublemaker, it might be worth the risk. 

It might also be safer to continue using this candidate as a contractor. If the individual ratchets up the dispute level, it will not be costly to let them go. Most importantly, the manager should be paying attention to any discord the troublemaker is causing for other team members.

Conclusion

There are many ways to screen candidates for an open sales position. They will provide some of the needed insight. But the bottom line is that using a sales assessment test and sales hiring tests, in addition to auditions, will give you a complete profile of the candidates applying for your open positions.

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