Greenville Business Magazine 2010 February issue : Page 11
››columns Hire Hungry Salespeople BY BILL LEE “ ” A re you tired of the trial and error approach to hiring salespeople? Most managers are, but there is a more scientific approach that will work for you. The great majority of managers pay their salespeople straight commission or a salary plus commission. This type of compensation plan means that salespeople’s “raise becomes effective when they do.” No waiting for the boss to hand out raises. No complaints that the boss was unfair. And the sky is the limit on how much a “hungry” salesperson can earn. If all this is true – and it is – then why are so many salespeople practically starving to death? The answer, I believe, is because managers are far too focused on hiring experience and place too little emphasis on hiring salespeople that have the raw talent to sell and are hungry enough to be driven to optimize their income opportunities. When hiring, the following three characteristics yield the highest odds of success: ›› Talent:The candidate possesses the raw talent to sell. ›› Experience:The candidate has been successful as a salesperson for another company, perhaps in the same industry. The most productive salespeople are the ones whose psychological makeup adapts well to the requirements of the job. ›› Chemistry: The candidate has a personality and disposition to fit into the organization. For the second highest odds of success, which of the above characteristics would you eliminate? Most owners and managers will quickly answer experience. Why experience? Because experience is the only one of the three characteristics that you can teach; the other two are innate, inborn. To illustrate, allow me to pose this question – what has been your track record at changing salespeople? In the past when you have had a salesperson who didn’t have the raw talent or the persuasive personality to sell or the hunger to get charged up over unlimited income opportunities, how effective were you at changing that salesperson? The answer to this question is almost always the same. Managers say, “Not very good!” Others say, “You simply can’t change people.” This is so true. Anyone who has children knows that kids develop their personality traits early, perhaps at birth. And then over time, they don’t change much. Sure, they grow physically, they grow intellectually and they acquire skills, but as for their core behavior, they are pretty much what they are. When people try to be something they aren’t, they experience stress. So the most productive salespeople are the ones whose psychological makeup adapts well to the requirements of the job. I am confident that these statements are true because in my company, we have tested over 50,000 managers and salespeople. This puts us in a position to compare a person’s test results with their true behavior. Based on my experience, the tests don’t lie. While salespeople who posses relatively low economic values do like money, they are not driven by money. As a result, they are rarely willing to do the things necessary to earn high commissions. Commissioned salespeople perform best when money is a strong driving force in their lives. Salespeople with low economic values are often intimidated by a non-salaried, straight commission job. The best salespeople are outgoing, gregarious, persuasive and socially bold. They get pumped up over the opportunity of taking a customer away from a competitor. FEBRUARY 2010 | GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 11
>>columns - Hire Hungry Salespeople
Bill Lee
Are you tired of the trial and error approach to hiring salespeople? Most managers are, but there is a more scientific approach that will work for you.
The great majority of managers pay their salespeople straight commission or a salary plus commission. This type of compensation plan means that salespeople’s “raise becomes effective when they do.” No waiting for the boss to hand out raises. No complaints that the boss was unfair. And the sky is the limit on how much a “hungry” salesperson can earn.
If all this is true – and it is – then why are so many salespeople practically starving to death?
The answer, I believe, is because managers are far too focused on hiring experience and place too little emphasis on hiring salespeople that have the raw talent to sell and are hungry enough to be driven to optimize their income opportunities.
When hiring, the following three characteristics yield the highest odds of success:
››Talent: The candidate possesses the raw talent to sell.
››Experience: The candidate has been successful as a salesperson for another company, perhaps in the same industry.
››Chemistry: The candidate has a personality and disposition to fit into the organization.
For the second highest odds of success, which of the above characteristics would you eliminate? Most owners and managers will quickly answer experience. Why experience? Because experience is the only one of the three characteristics that you can teach; the other two are innate, inborn.
To illustrate, allow me to pose this question – what has been your track record at changing salespeople? In the past when you have had a salesperson who didn’t have the raw talent or the persuasive personality to sell or the hunger to get charged up over unlimited income opportunities, how effective were you at changing that salesperson?
The answer to this question is almost always the same. Managers say, “Not very good!” Others say, “You simply can’t change people.”
This is so true. Anyone who has children knows that kids develop their personality traits early, perhaps at birth. And then over time, they don’t change much. Sure, they grow physically, they grow intellectually and they acquire skills, but as for their core behavior, they are pretty much what they are.
When people try to be something they aren’t, they experience stress. So the most productive salespeople are the ones whose psychological makeup adapts well to the requirements of the job.
I am confident that these statements are true because in my company, we have tested over 50,000 managers and salespeople. This puts us in a position to compare a person’s test results with their true behavior. Based on my experience, the tests don’t lie.
While salespeople who posses relatively low economic values do like money, they are not driven by money. As a result, they are rarely willing to do the things necessary to earn high commissions. Commissioned salespeople perform best when money is a strong driving force in their lives. Salespeople with low economic values are often intimidated by a non-salaried, straight commission job.
The best salespeople are outgoing, gregarious, persuasive and socially bold. They get pumped up over the opportunity of taking a customer away from a competitor.
It has also been my experience that high-producing salespeople are highly competitive. They love a challenge – and the tougher the challenge, the better.
Biggest mistake
In an attempt to avoid having to teach salespeople new to their industry the product knowledge and the industry savvy necessary to do the job, managers often hire their competitors’ rejects.
While these candidates do possess product knowledge and knowledge of the industry, the odds are not good that they have the “hunger” or the personality to make it as top-notch salespeople.
I assure you that while it does take time to teach a green recruit the technical skills to be successful in a new industry, it is practically impossible to teach a person how to sell who does not have the “right stuff.”
How much money have you lost over the years hiring salespeople who didn’t survive? How much money have you lost in missed opportunities because the salespeople you put on the street blew sales that would have been sure things for a qualified salesperson?
Recommendation: There are many sources for psychological tests. Invest in screening techniques to raise your odds of success in hiring the talent that can take business away from the competition without using price as a weapon.
Bill Lee is president of Lee Resources, Inc., a Greenville-based consulting, training and publishing firm. For more information, see www.billleeonline.com or call 864-248-4048.
Previous Page Next Page
Publication List
