“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” is what many think. “Anyone can sell,” is a common belief. But, unfortunately, both are untrue.
Hiring a salesperson that will be a success is no easy task. According to many reliable studies, over 60 percent of “sales failures” are so tagged, because the candidate attributes, did not match the needs of the job. The organization that hired them may have had the best training and support system but if they were not clear on the needs of the job (which most aren’t) and the capacity of the candidate (which almost none are), both the organization and the candidate are headed on a “downhill path” to failure. And, I add, defining the needs of a sales role is one of the most difficult tasks there are, but finding the candidate with skills matching the needs of the job is even more so.
Unlike engineering or accounting where a degree in Civil Engineering pretty much guarantees the candidate can do the engineering work, a degree in sales (if there was one) does not guarantee the ability to sell. Just because you know the product and the process does not mean you can sell the same to someone else. To be successful in sales, many skills unnecessary in other roles are essential.
Sales success is far more complex than most believe and requires a deep understanding of the sales process, innate qualities and developed skills. But
possibly, the most important, a clear understanding of human behavior. In almost all cases it is the keystone that frames sales success.
In 1985, we were struggling to hire people that could be successful in the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry. One would think that it should not be too hard to sell something that people had to buy. If you owned a car or a home that was not paid for, the people who loaned you the money to buy the home or car wanted to make sure the asset they owned, jointly with you was protected against unexpected loss and before they loaned you the money they required you to insure it, naming them as a ‘loss payee.”
But, as things often go, what appeared to be a “slam dunk” was harder than most people realized. That being the case, and reeling from several mistakes I had made, I decided to do something about it and developed what we now call the Strategic Hiring System (SHS). The success of the SHS had multiple steps but was dependent upon being able to see what you couldn’t see, in a candidate.
I discovered there were three (3) bedrock areas that Hiring Managers had to see and understand before they could make a good hiring decision:
Understanding the Needs of the Job – Many organizations fail “big time,” in this area, because they take too many things for granted. First, they often believe that the sales job is easy. Second, they fail to investigate and understand the “soft skills” necessary to excel in this sales role (I emphasis the word “this” because every sales role is different). and Third, they do not have a system or track for sales people to follow or run on.
Understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Candidate – Possibly the most challenging requirement for hiring superior sales people is matching candidate attributes with job needs. There are only two ways that can be achieved: 1.) Observe the candidate in action (seldom do we have that opportunity) or 2.) Use an assessment to identify the strengths of the candidate.
Different sales jobs require different Personal Attributes. Some of the attributes that are most likely in the “can’t do without” category are:
* Motivation – Understanding what motivates a candidate to act is a “sweet tool.” Two of the most common motivators in a sales role are Money, and Independence. Put in other terms, people who value money and believe they have the ability and desire to create it are often successful in a sales role.
* Initiative – When one is motivated they frequently have the initiative necessary to succeed. They are motivated to act. Point them in the right directions and success will likely follow.
* Emotional Intelligence – selling is an emotional event and understanding one’s own emotions and the emotions of others is critical to sales success.
* Self Management – being able to manage every aspect of one’s life effectively is a foundation on which many other skills and talents are built.
* Empathy – being able to see things through the customer’s eyes provides a distinct advantage to those who possess empathetic skills.
* Goal Orientation – all successful sales people are goal setters.
* Results Orientation – the great sales people are goal getters. They are driven to achieve their goals.
The Impact of a Positive Organization Culture – The number one responsibility of organization leadership is find the very best people, hire them and then create an environment (organization culture) where people can be the best they can. That job is much more complex than it sounds.
Leaders, for instance often have a different view of the organization culture than do employees. We have always believed that if you want to know the “real corporate culture,” ask the employee.
People and culture are like trees and water. The put down deep roots where they find water. People grow deep roots where they are watered as well. If you want your people to grow you must add value. Value comes in the way of making an effort to understand what is important to the employee. A positive culture stimulates productivity and tenure. Leaders would do well to begin with the culture, follow with a clear understanding of the outcomes expected and knowing the strengths of their workforce.
Everything is first hard then easy, such is the case with hiring and maintain an exceptions sales team. If you or your organization did nothing new other than review and make adjustments in these three critical areas, sales performance would significantly improve.
