Hiring Managers: Sales has changed, how do you know you’re hiring the right candidates?
Siva Devaki, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Mass Mailer, is quoted as saying, “Sales is not about selling anymore, but about building trust and educating.” The term “used-car salesman” has been around for the entirety of my adult life and we all know what it means. I won’t name the store, but many national home-furniture retail outlets treat you the same way: buy something, buy something, buy something! You’re pounced on the moment you walk in the door and they do not relent. I was interviewing candidates for a consultant sales position with a large furniture manufacturer and I asked a candidate how they pursue customers who are resistant to engaging. This candidate proceeded to tell me that they will continue to show up at their work and try to track them down face to face if calls and emails aren’t working, that they won’t stop until they get the business. This was the opposite of the sales approach taken by my client, as they also felt that sales is no longer about selling, but rather being a resource for their customers.
So, what does this really mean and how do you find someone with experience building trust and educating their customers? Interview questions can often times focus on sales numbers, meeting/exceeding goals, etc., to get a sense of the success that someone has had. Candidates are deemed more desirable if they have experience in the same product category and have been top achievers in their company. I won’t deny that previous success is a positive, I like to hear my candidates tell me about their success stories as well. However, when posing the above question to candidates, the more attractive response can be one where the story may end without getting the business from every customer, but they educated the customer and built trust with them.
A candidate once shared that hearing “no” is just as good as hearing “yes.” The idea being communicated was that either way you are getting to a resolution, but the important part is that the customer has made an educated decision. This story continued to the point where the candidate told me about all the subsequent business that they were awarded because this customer, who didn’t buy, recommended this person to everyone that they knew. They also partnered together when hosting events, as they operate in the same industry. This candidate saw the opportunity beyond just the sale, put the effort in to develop the relationship by educating them and developing trust, and both sides profited. Recommendations are made when a person feels confident that who they recommend will make them look good. After the experience this customer had, they knew this was a sales rep they could trust and learn something from, so they shared that person with colleagues who would benefit from the products that candidate was selling.
When I interview candidates I often ask behaviorally based questions such as, “Tell me about a time you failed with a customer,” or, “Tell me about your best year, what did you do differently?” I’m not necessarily concerned about the fact that they failed or what their sales were in their best year, but I am very concerned as to if they can recognize why they failed and why they had their most successful year. These questions demonstrate a candidate’s ability to learn and then take that knowledge and apply it to the job. If you just keep up the relentless pressure, you aren’t going to educate and you aren’t going to build trust. Many of the best reps I’ve worked with have shared some iteration of the above story: I called on a customer, I took the time to ask questions and understand their situation, I educated them on what I could do for them, and whether they bought from me or not, I gained a connection in the industry. How many opportunities are missed because a sales rep is just simply focused on money? How many referrals for business have been missed because the only perceived value inherent in the potential customer was money?
Sales is evolving quicker and quicker. While the end game is always to increase sales, the path to that outcome can look very different. Asking the right questions is important, but are you sure of what you are listening for in those answers? How have you evolved to lead your sales team to success?
