SalesScore

A recent Harvard Business study revealed that the long used criteria of college degree, experience, age, will not appropriately depict the future success of a sales professional.

The better option is to make a better match between the individual and the position itself. There are certain things that will make a person successful in a particular role within a particular company. Management’s responsibility is to figure out what these are. What are the requirements in doing the job? Does a sales person have to management their time well? Is there a great amount of detail required in a sales presentation? Is there a lot of cold calling and is that person comfortable on the phone for extended periods? Or, how important is closing at first contact?

The second part of evaluation should focus on the individual’s traits and how it pertains to the type of sales role they are hiring for. Such traits might include; ego, drive, empathy, forceful, decisiveness and communication. Assessments are a good tool to use to test the natural behaviors of an individual. During an interview the hiring manager should honestly and clearly lay out everything he or she knows about the work the job will actually entail.

If the candidate possesses the appropriate behavior qualities that are in alignment with the behaviors of the job, then the employer can provide the needed product knowledge and functional skills. But when the individual lacks the essential dynamics, training alone just cannot fill the gap. Although, error-free personnel selection still remains a dream, the study does point out what businesses can do to start moving in the right direction.