Strengthening your sales team? Use an online sales assessment to choose the best candidate

Some people think anyone can be successful in sales. They have the idea that you just need little more than a good product and some smooth talk to turn every prospect into a loyal customer. As an HR professional, you know better. A candidate must bring a solid set of competencies and talents to strengthen the organization's sales performance.

Many competencies are required for success in sales

Of course, the ideal sales candidate must have a solid dose of product knowledge. But more important are social competencies. Your sales professional should not provide an endless enumeration of product features, he or she (or them) should discover what the customer needs and respond accordingly.

This means the ideal candidate must be a good listener. Real listening. Your next sales champion needs to hear not only what is being said, but also what is not being said. Reading between the lines, having empathy, and making a real connection are indispensable. In addition, the sales professional must not sell hot air. Being able to offer a realistic solution and managing expectations are important to build a long-term relationship with the customer.

Don't get overwhelmed

Finding that one sales riser is a real challenge. Especially now, as the job market is tight. Nevertheless, it is still important to be selective. Even if you only have one candidate, selection is necessary. After all, a bad hire costs the organization a lot more than keeping the position vacant a little longer.

After a few interviews, you should already know a lot more about the candidate. During the first round you get a gut feeling, while the second round (with future colleagues) gives a deeper insight. Still....

Someone who is good at job interviews is not necessarily the best sales professional. Only when you spend more time with someone can you really get a good picture of their personality. Especially when someone is smooth-talking and confident, it is easy to get a little overwhelmed.

But is this person really as well organized as he or she (or them) claims? Is creating a fine working relationship really an innate natural talent, or has the candidate exaggerated this a bit? Can the candidate really deliver on the promises?

Quick insight into sales competencies

How nice it would be if there was a tool that allowed you to test someone on the competencies, talents, and skills essential for success within sales. A number of HR professionals thought so, too. They sought collaboration with scientists and experts in the field of online testing.

The result is TestGroup's online sales assessment. The online sales assessment can draw on a rich scientific foundation, but is based on practice in the workplace. The online assessment is based on the six steps of the sales process:

• Planning and preparation: How good is the candidate at analyzing the market and formulating SMART goals? Can the candidate prepare a plan based on their product knowledge and market analysis?
• Making Contact: Does the candidate know how to really make contact? Does he or she (or them) break the ice? Does the candidate proactively dare to network?
• Building Desire: Does the candidate know how to highlight the unique selling points of the product? Does he or she succeed in linking the customer's needs to the solutions the product can provide?
• Presenting the Options: Does the candidate succeed in presenting the solution briefly, engagingly, and concisely? Does the candidate come across as enthusiastic?
• Closing the Deal: Is the candidate good at negotiating the price? Does he or she (or them) know how to overcome any objections and actually close the deal?
• Relationship Management: Does the candidate know how to keep the relationship warm, even when no transaction is expected to occur for a while? Does the sales professional have the competencies necessary to identify new business leads?

Quick answers to your questions about your sales team

TestGroup's The Bridge sales assessment is an online test. This means that the candidate can answer the questions at a time and place of his or her choosing. Moreover, this scientifically-developed online sales assessment contains some of the most modern techniques that allow you to really build on the results. Thanks to smart algorithms, the answers are translated into a personality report immediately after submission. This sales assessment report clearly shows how the candidate performs in each phase of the sales process. The online assessment also tells you something about the personality. Is this sales professional a hunter or consultant? A farmer or a negotiator?

With The Bridge online sales assessment you get reliable answers to all your questions about your applicants. You know exactly who you are hiring and what your new sales professional will add to your team. Fast, easy, and at a surprisingly low rate!