Successful selection methods
April 5, 2009Recruiting & selecting salespeople is expensive, poor selection is even more expensive (see my previous blog). The quality of your sales force has a high impact on the performance of your company so finding the right people is extremely important.
6 months ago, it was a hell of a job to find a candidate for a function but one of the very few advantages of today’s crisis is that there is an increasing number of applicants for your vacancies. So how do you select the best one out of this group of applicants?
In my previous blog I mentioned that the typical unstructured job interview has a low predictive value when it comes to sales functions. But there are other methods for selecting the right candidate as well such as:
1: General Mental Ability (GMA) tests
2: Work sample tests / job try-out procedure
3: Assessment centres
4: Integrity tests
5: Conscientiousness tests
6: Job knowledge tests
7: Job experience (years)
8: Peer ratings
9: Reference checks
10: Emotional intelligence tests
Each of the above have their own predictive validity (see also: “The validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology” from Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).
So what is the best method? The answer is: a combination of methods which are best suitable for the job position you’re offering. The above mentioned research found that GMA tests, work sample tests and structured interviews have the highest predictive validity, but the highest scores could be achieved by combining various methods. Translating this to sales, we know that even the worst salespeople are at least capable of selling themselves when you interview them. So here are three tips to prevent you’re being fooled by a smooth talker and to increase your chances of selecting the right salesperson:
1: Apply structured interviewing techniques like “behaviour description interview” and make sure that besides the line manager, also a HR professional will attend the interview.
2: Ask the candidate to take part in a role play. Prepare a case that will reflect the type of sales job you’re selecting for and allow the candidate to prepare himself.
3: Do not only assess on GMA but also test the candidates emotional intelligence and communication skills. Highly intelligent salespeople who are incapable of communicating with the customer and cannot put themselves in the shoes of the customer will be your worst performers.
For recent college grads and interviewers as well, see unusual book with sound counter-conventional wisdom) titled “Beat-the-Odds Interviews, by Melvin Sorcher, PhD. This small book assumes (with accuracy) that most interviewers do not know how to evaluate a candidate’s answers to interview questions or how to assess their potential for success. This is a problem that is not talked about in interviewing guides and instruction, but it is a major source of candidate frustration and disappointment. It also prevents interviewers from getting the best candidates.
or recent college grads and interviewers as well, see unusual book with sound counter-conventional wisdom) titled “Beat-the-Odds Interviews, by Melvin Sorcher, PhD. This small book assumes (with accuracy) that most interviewers do not know how to evaluate a candidate’s answers to interview questions or how to assess their potential for success. This is a problem that is not talked about in interviewing guides and instruction, but it is a major source of candidate frustration and disappointment. It also prevents interviewers from getting the best candidates.