How to Hire the Perfect Sales Reps for Your 2013 Sales Plan

Looking toward your plans for 2013, hopefully you see some growth in your company within your inside sales department. That seems to be the trend we’re seeing as more companies realize the monetary savings of moving their traditional sales departments into the high velocity, sales automation system that inside sales provides.

To help aid sales managers in knowing which applicants are best suited for a position in inside sales we went and talked to our HR department. In the last month alone, XANT HR has extended offers that were accepted to 19 applicants (nine of which were sales). I think it’s safe to say they know what they’re talking about when looking for qualified applicants. We’re always looking for the best people to come join our growing team.

The 5 Characteristics of Solid Sales Reps:

1. Use a personality assessment tool like Persogenics.

Obviously a personality assessment doesn’t disqualify a person for a position. However, there are some very interesting correlations between personality types and departments within a company.

Within the personality assessment tool used at XANT, every applicant is classified with a mix of two of the following characteristics: dominant, expressive, amiable and analytical. The majority of the sales reps at XANT have some mixture of dominant and expressive. While this doesn’t mean that someone with an amiable or analytical personality wouldn’t be successful in sales, they may not be totally comfortable in that environment.

2. Sales reps should thrive in a fast-paced environment.

In other words, our HR department looks for candidates that are “hungry, but not cocky.” This type of sales rep wants to do well and wants the company as a whole to succeed. Often, the best sales reps have a background in competitive sports or some other activity that has helped them to perform well under pressure.

3. It’s important to be able to respond quick and sharp.

A sales rep is on the phone talking to leads and prospects all day, every day. With that in mind, it’s important that these reps be able to respond articulately to whatever concerns that prospect may have. Every conversation is different and a good sales rep should be able to excel in whatever environment they may be faced with at that moment.

A quick way to judge if your candidate has this skill is to see how they respond to you reaching out to them about the job. Do they get back to you quickly? Do they engage and seem interested, or memorable? If you forget who they are by the time they respond, that might be a red flag.

4. Sales reps need to have a presence that can be showcased through the phone.

As alluded to earlier, most sales reps at XANT have an expressive personality. This should not only manifest itself in person, but also over the telephone. Because inside sales is professional sales done remotely, this is one of the most important characteristics to look for.

5. A good fit for your company culture.

At XANT, we look for someone that has an entrepreneurial spirit. That’s who we are and how this company was created. In fact, Ken Krogue, President and co-founder of XANT, has an entrepreneurial column on Forbes.com. At the end of the day, if your sales candidate isn’t a good fit for your culture, chances are they would be happier somewhere else. Look for someone who has an interest in the company, who asks questions and engages with current employees. This shows that they are trying to feel you out as well.

There you have it, the 5 Characteristics of Solid Sales Reps. If you’re interested in joining the XANT team, check out our open positions on the XANT career page.

What others have we missed? Have you seen a trend when looking at your sales reps? Let us know in the comment box, below.

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