Hiring for sales positions requires a different strategy than hiring for regular positions. You need a specific kind of person who has the qualities that separate decent sales people from amazing sales people. Many companies make the mistake of generalizing when hiring sales executive positions, without realizing that these positions require even more specialization and extra skills.

Before you begin the interview process for hiring sales executive candidates, it helps to know exactly what qualities and skills you should be looking for. Let’s take a look at what your ideal candidate will have.

1. The ability to motivate correctly.

If you’re hiring sales executive candidates, one of the most important traits you should be looking for is natural positivity and the ability to motivate others in the right way. A sales executive needs to understand that not all sales people are motivated identically and that they may need to practice individualized motivation to get the best results out of their team. Candidates with positive attitudes should be given preference over other candidates simply because a positive workplace culture increases productivity and helps cut down on high turnover rates.

2. Strong empathetic qualities.

Your sales people need to be empathetic and you should be looking for these same qualities when hiring sales executive positions as well. Strong levels of empathy make for a better sales manager and executive. They understand naturally how to make a sale and how to manage a sales team. The days of hiring bullies to keep a sales team in line are long gone. Today’s employees need a different style of management. Focusing on positivity, self-motivation and self accountability produces better results in the long haul and you need sales executives that believe in that credo.

 3. Understanding of today’s new sales process.

The sales process has evolved a great deal over the past decade. The old style of pushing to get sales and badgering prospects is done and chances are, it won’t be back any time soon. When you’re hiring sales executive candidates, you need to look for people who understand this shift and who know how to sell in today’s environment. Today, the focus is on relationship building and grooming leads to make the sale later. The economy has made sales a challenge, but with the right approach and using a needs based analysis style of selling, the process can be successful.

Hiring sales executive candidates doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark. If you’re targeting the right kind of qualities and skill sets, you’ll be able to find the perfect person for the job — the one who knows how to get your team motivated and producing and the person who can help take your company to the next level. Integrate questions in your process for hiring sales executive positions that target these skills and qualities and you’ll be much more successful.