Why Doesn’t My New Salesperson Get It?

We frequently see sales managers frustrated with how long it takes to get new salespeople up to speed and producing results. Often, the managers invest a lot of time in helping new salespeople with product knowledge and organizational nuances, but wonder later why this new salesperson just isn’t “getting it.”

One reason salespeople may struggle to “get it” and fail to generate quick results is because the manager didn’t hire well. We have learned that alignment around the selection and hiring criteria is critical to successfully collapsing the time period between start date and results.

Managers typically select salespeople based on things such as: experience and education, technical skills, soft skills (e.g., questioning skills, closing skills) or knowledge of industry, product, and customers. The fact is that managers often don’t define the criteria well. Look again at the common criteria referenced above and think about it in the context of this model:

There is nothing inherently wrong with the criteria related to experience, knowledge and skills. However, it may not truly define the right salesperson for the job. So, what is the right criterion?

Think about your most productive salespeople. Consider their values, motives, and traits. They may be things like customer curiosity, integrity, interpersonal relationships, high customer experience standards, a strong work ethic, the will to win, personal accountability, and tenacity. The fact is managers often don’t adequately define the criteria.

Skills and knowledge are trainable. Values, motives, and traits are not. Interviewing for the values, motives, and traits the job requires is critical. Because they can’t be trained, this is even more important than interviewing for the job’s required skills and knowledge. 
Weighing this criteria and interviewing accordingly can position the manager to hire the right salesperson for the job, and reduce costly errors and wasted time.

So, what can you ask to uncover values, motives, and traits when looking to hire the right salesperson? Here are a few questions to consider. Tailor the following to the job’s specific requirements:

"Tell me about a time when you won a deal despite not being the low-cost provider. How did that make you feel? What did you learn that caused you to do something different in your next deal?"

"When you have provided great service to a customer or prospect, what did that look like? What did you most enjoy about delighting the customer?"

"When you’ve encountered a significant roadblock in your organization to win the business, what have you done? What are two or three characteristics you believe make you good at working with internal partners?"

We are frequently asked whether this analysis of selection and hiring criteria applies when hiring employees from Generation X (people born in the 1960s and 1970s) and Generation Y/Millennials (people born in the 1980s and 1990s). The short answer is yes.

These generations are already playing a significant role—one that will only grow in the future. They present unique challenges to traditional leadership and management teams. Since these generations are more likely to have developed broader skills and knowledge than the Baby Boomers, perhaps it’s even more important to use values, motives and traits as the critical criteria in the selection process. It’s a myth that today’s managers can’t find the right people from Generations X or Y and get exceptional results from them.

Managers remain the key. Managers who interview and hire based on values, motives and traits can be effective at getting significant results regardless of the salesperson’s age. Moreover, a manager’s ability to do a few key things well can open the door to increased learning by the salesperson, improved effectiveness on the job, and incremental and sustainable loyalty.