7 years ago
February 21, 2017

Why Attitude is Important When Hiring a Sales Person‏

When you are hiring sales people, there are several characteristics that are key to finding the right person for the job.

Claire McConnachie Recruiter
Claire McConnachie
sales person attitude

When you are hiring sales people, there are several characteristics that are key to finding the right person for the job.

Typically, there are set qualities that are used to determine which candidate is the most qualified, such as past sales experience, drive and psychological aptitude for this position. One thing that is often overlooked is the attitude of the sales person. This is unfortunate since an attitude can be a make or break situation when it comes to hiring sales people.

If you don’t get someone who has the right kind of attitude for sales, you may end up turning that candidate over, instead of having them stay throughout the long term with your company. This in turn leads to higher turnover rates and lower productivity rates. Let’s take a look at why the attitude is so important when you are hiring sales people.

1. Staying motivated no matter what.

Sales can be a difficult business, particularly for those who do not have the right attitude. If you’ve got a candidate who is it in for the quick commissions and they think it’s going to be an easy road, this is definitely not the attitude you want. When you’re hiring sales people you want to look for the candidates who are in sales for the long haul, understand that you’re not going to make easy money right off the bat and who are willing to put in the time it takes to groom their leads into qualified prospects

2. The ability to overcome prospect objections.

Another attitude difference to look for when you are hiring sales people is how well they overcome objections. This definitely needs to be part of your hiring process, ideally as a scenario based situation during their interview. Ask the candidate how they handle objections or set up a situational exercise where they have to deal with someone who doesn’t want what they have to sell. The perfect sales person will listen to their objections, determine what they really need, and find a way to fine-tune their sales process to overcome those objections. A candidate who is not a good fit will give up and want to move on to the next lead. 

3. Setting the tone of the sales process.

Today’s sales processes are much different than they were in the past. Gone are the days of the high pressure push and bullying sales tactics. Today, when you’re hiring sales people, look for the candidates who understand the relationship building process and understand that today it’s going to take a little bit longer to make a sale than in the past. Grooming leads is an essential part of the sales process and you’re going to need candidates who are willing to put in that kind of work.

Hiring sales people doesn’t have to be a hit or miss situation. By looking for the right attitude when you’re hiring sales people, you’ll find that you get the best possible candidate for the job and your company will reap the benefits.

Claire McConnachie Recruiter

Claire McConnachie

Claire has 4+ years of experience in sales and recruitment. As a Director of Client Services, her main objective is to connect great people to great companies by building strong relationships with both top clients and candidates in the sales industry. She specializes in sales roles of all seniority levels for both enterprise and start-up clients North American wide. When Claire isn't networking with top talent, she enjoys being outdoors, traveling and spending time with friends & family.

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