7 Tips for Interviewing Sales Reps

Hiring new sales reps is a perennially difficult task. After all, salespeople are people people, good at making others feel engaged and energized. None of this means the candidate whos just schmoozed you has the drive, grit, tact, intelligence, or discipline to be a top producer for your company in the long term. Nor does it mean that he or she is right for your team.

How can you make sure youre picking the right team members before investing in them?
How do you make your selection process really count?

Weve developed tips for successfully interviewing sales reps:

1. Dont just glance at the candidates resume. Prepare. Read the materials, and plan what to ask.
2. Probe. Dont just ask about work history, experience, and performanceitems that are right on the resume. If the candidate reports he met quota, find out how much of that was a result of his direct efforts. Ask about a top deal. What obstacles did he need to overcome? What made it a successful sale?
3. Dont stop with successes. Ask about regrets, too. What does he feel like he could have done better? Ask about a lost sale and lessons learned. You will learn about the quality of his characterand the refinement of his internal thought process.
4. Dont get carried away talking. Listen.
5. Get the candidate to discuss non-monetary motivators. Youll need to evaluate whether your companys role will be conducive to their success.
6. Consider testing. Sales involves emailing, letter writing, and thinking quickly on your feet. (We will elaborate on writing tests in a future blog post!)
7. Be a skeptic. Dont take anything material at face value. If your candidates bragging about her contact list, get the names and numbers for five of his strongest contacts. One time, I walked a company through several rounds with a candidate who seemed great, and bragged about his contact list (a selling point for that job). Then I called. The first three people didnt know him. The fourth said hed never do business with him. When in doubt, strike them out, I say.

Hire the right sales reps and increase sales!

Sign up for our weekly sales tips, advice, and knowledge delivered to your inbox each week. You can also share this article by clicking the links below.