Your sales department is mission critical to your company’s success. After all, without an effective one, you’re not going to have enough cash flow to operate your business. That’s why when you’re hiring for a sales position, you need to find talented individuals who can contribute to the team – and the bottom line. How can you do that? Start with these interview tips from our experienced sales recruiters in Houston:

Ask good questions.

When it comes to interviewing sales candidates, you can’t walk into the room, wing it and expect to get the information you need. That’s because you need to dig deep to get specific details that will help you hire the right person for the role.

Not only should you ask about their sales track record and biggest accomplishments in past position, but other essentials that are important to the position. For example, if 50% of the job requires travel, then you need to discuss what that entails and ask questions that will help you get a sense of whether candidates are comfortable with that type of demand.

Role play with the candidate.

Beyond interview questions, it’s also important for you to get a sense of each candidate’s style and tactics when it comes to selling. After all, if they can’t sell while role playing, how can you expect them to be a top performer in other high-pressure situations? Role playing doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be as simple as asking the candidate to sell you the tie they’re wearing or purse they’re carrying.

Assess their personality.

Skills and track record are critically important, but so too is personality. That’s why it’s important to assess each candidate’s personality while you’re interviewing them, as well as through a personality test. There are endless options online, or you can hire a testing company to conduct the assessment for you. Either way, you can ensure you’re hiring someone with the right personality for the job – and your culture.

Give them an assignment.

Once you have a short list of candidates narrowed down, give them an assignment or ask them to come back and make a sales presentation so you can assess their performance. That way, you can evaluate their skills and abilities in a real-life scenario and ensure you’re hiring the best-fit person for the job.

One hiring mistake on your sales team can cost your company big time. Why not outsource the recruiting and screening process to top sales recruiters in Houston?

At Murray Resources, our experienced sales recruiters can help you locate leading sales talent across a broad range of industries and job levels. From VP of sales to account executives, we’ve helped many of Houston’s top companies build their sales teams with A-level talent. And we can help yours too. Contact us today to learn more.