Would you hire a ghost?

Would you hire a sales ghost?

Objective Assessment has been involved in training and recruiting sales teams for over two decades, working with thousands of companies of all sizes to revolutionise their sales performance and recruit the most effective salespeople into their teams. 

One of the most common problems we have helped businesses of all sizes overcome is the recruitment of sales people. The question we hear most often is “why do recruiters get it so wrong when finding sales people?” Recruiters typically use the same criteria when looking to hire salespeople as they do when searching for factory workers, managers or cleaners. The recruiters’ number one priority is to find someone you like who will stay for their guaranteed period, usually three months. We have never seen a company who can tell in three months is a sales person will be successful based on their previous experience. Most sales people look the part and start positively but it is unlikely they can sell well. Objective Assessment has evidence that general recruiters have the same rate of sales person recruitment success as their clients.

One of the biggest difficulties when recruiting salespeople occurs during the interview process. Sales people are typically good at interviews because they are likeable people. Unfortunately this is because they have a high need for approval. A high need for approval is a barrier to sales success as the sales person will struggle to do the hard tasks due to a fear of being rejected. The reason you and the recruiter like them in the interview is the reason they will not do well in a sales role.

Research suggests recruiters have a 70% failure rate when recruiting sales people. Out of 1.8 million Objective Management Group evaluations on sales people, it was discovered that just 7% of employed sales people were elite, with 22% achieving a “competent” status in sales. The remaining 71% of evaluated sales people should not have been working in sales and are often referred to as sales ghosts. These employees work in sales roles, come across effectively but rarely hit targets. The vast majority of new sales hires fall into this category as these are the people always looking for a job. They will stay with a company for 2-4 years, promising to improve until they are let go.

Objective Assessment use STAR, the Sales Talent Acquisition Routine to recruit outstanding sales people.

Look at sales team recruitment as a long term investment rather than short term. Use a recruiter that specialises in sales recruitment and uses a sales specific approach. By the time you find out that a sales person is not successful, they will have cost you a fortune in recruitment fees, wages and lost opportunities. In fact, the cost of lost opportunities is the biggest cost when hiring the wrong sales person.

You only get one shot and sales hiring mistakes are most expensive you will make, don’t make them in future.

Get in touch with Objective Assessment here to discuss our specialist sales recruitment.