Some of the most critical people to hire in any organization are the salespeople. Unfortunately, one of the biggest places where small business owners consistently hire the wrong people is in the sales department. How do you find the best salesperson that gets results before you hire them?
On the Small Business Radio Show this week, Dr. Christopher Croner is a Principal with SalesDrive, LLC, a firm that specializes in the selection and deployment of high performing salespeople. Dr. Croner is co-author of the book,” Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again”. It details his research and practice in identifying the non-teachable personality traits common to top producers. Dr. Croner developed the proprietary DriveTest® assessment and the Drive Interview for salesperson selection. Using this system, he has helped over 1,500 companies to hire and develop top-performing salespeople.
Here is what I discussed with Dr. Croner:
Why do small business owners consistently hire bad salespeople? Dr. Croner describes the mistakes that are most often made: hiring someone like the interviewer or not identifying whether the salesperson’s success is really part of their effort (or they were just at the company when it happened).
What 3 non-teachable traits that determine a salesperson’s potential in any small business no matter what the economy is. Dr. Croner says they are the need for achievement, competitiveness, and optimism.
Why this “Drive” according to Dr. Croner cannot be taught and is solidified by the age of 21 or 22.
Dr. Croner believes that most resumes lie and describe the real “tells” for sales potential.
He outlines his online assessment that can be used to test sales candidates for this Drive and other key skills.
Dr. Croner gives examples of behavioral interview questions that can assess the three elements of this Drive in sales candidates.
Listen to the entire episode and get a free DriveTest sales person candidate assessment.
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Image: Christopher Croner
