How to Hire the Perfect Salesperson

How to Hire the Perfect Salesperson

By Steve Martinez, your sales magician for business development.

Wouldn’t it be great to find the perfect salesperson and hire them with a long term contract like a marriage? If you are like me, and I’m someone who has worked with a lot of salespeople over the years, you would have a list of qualifications before you hire anyone.

I compare the assignment of hiring a salesperson to looking for a wife. Since I’m a guy, there are certain characteristics that the ideal candidate must have and some of the items on the list are not as important. For example, a few decades ago, it was important for a prospective wife to know how to cook traditional Mexican food and clean and Iron. While this might have been high on the list, it isn’t important today given the amount of pre prepared food and house cleaning companies available. This is similar to how a salespersons criterion has changed and believe it or not, some selling skills are not as important as they were a few decades ago.

Over the years the importance of having a charming, handsome or attractive, sweet talking sales person representing you has lessened. The reason is that there are fewer opportunities for sales people to interact with clients both in person and over the telephone. Here are important trends to consider when hiring the perfect salesperson.

• The Internet has assumed the most important role of communicating new information to clients. When a prospect is interested in finding a solution to a problem, the client will Google search for it on-line and be pro-active instead of waiting for a salesperson to call. This means that the educational aspects of selling have diminished in many industries. 

• Consultative selling does not require a sweet talking person. What is required is a salesperson that can ask good questions, listen attentively and determine the best solution for a client and follow-up with the proposal in a timely manner. 

• Cold calling? Who does it anymore? One of the best ways to find new business is using information on-line and checking out your social network for recommendations. I’m seeing this more and more and if you aren’t using online information, you are missing opportunities. The goal is to increase your web foot print on line, so you get found.

The criteria that I forecast as important for a new generation or Web 2.0 salesperson is someone who understands the power of connections and can take advantage of sales automation. These qualifications would include how they are able to quickly articulate online with prospects and use social networking to build contacts. The ability to work like a detective, searching online, identifying and reaching target prospects is better than charm, good looks and a nice personality.

Well, that is my spin on hiring the perfect salesperson. Do you agree? Please share your comments and tell me what the biggest waste of time that salespeople do that can be done by technology or sales automation? Sellingmagic.com

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How to Develop Accounts - Learn to Listen

By Steve Martinez – Your Sales Magician for Business Development

Don’t tell my you don’t have time to learn more about your clients and develop accounts. You have the perfect tools for this in your office. You just have to know how to use them.

Today, I held an interview with a new client to learn more about them. The interview was performed over the telephone because we are three thousand miles apart. The goal of this interview was to learn as much as possible about my client. Whenever I do this, I have to bite my tongue and count in my head – one – two – three – four, before I allow myself to interrupt the conversation. The temptation to talk and share is very strong and I will want to interject comments as they open up. If I listen, really focused listening, I will gain valuable insight about them and what their goals are.

TIPS FOR A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

• Schedule a specific appointment time for the telephone interview.
• Be prepared with 30 open ended questions to start the conversation.
• Don’t interrupt the client and count 4 seconds before talking.
• Pretend you are a reporter who wants to know every detail with clarity.

Because I do these interviews over the telephone and not in person, I must listen to every word they use to describe themselves and their goals. I will usually lock my office door and make sure that I’m not disturbed and I ask them to do the same. I can be thousands of miles away and I will learn more about them in an hour than I can if I sat across from them at lunch.

I prepare for this telephone interview with about 30 open ended questions and I document the answers as clearly as I can. If I don’t understand something, I ask follow-up questions for clarity. The questions are just a guide for the conversation and it is ok if the conversation stray off subject. I try to balance the conversation so they talk 80% of the time. At the end of the hour, you will know more about the client and they will have enjoyed a unique experience. You will have demonstrated sincere interest and empathy by simply listening.

Try it, it works and you will be surprised at how much you can learn by just listening and how powerful a telephone interview can be to develop relationships with out leaving your office.

Steve Martinez

http://www.sellingmagic.com

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