Salespeople (especially those who are of the “seller” type) are often the revenue drivers of organizations, both large and small. A strong sales
force has the potential to grow a business in tremendous ways. Actually achieving this goal has proven to be difficult for most companies. The overarching reason for this is that it is much more difficult to measure the ‘soft skills’ of individuals. Studies have shown that in a sales role, the human element (EQ) is the primary driver. For more mechanical roles, applying a simple IQ/aptitude tests are much simpler and more effective in gauging one’s fit for a role. There are three other sub-reasons that companies fail to bring in top talent.
First, companies are generally less concerned about interpersonal ability and past successes and more concerned about whether or not the person is interested in the job. This is in part because sales is not always the most favored career path and can be daunting for a lot of people. Evaluating sales ability is much more important than merely analyzing interest.
Second, the tests that are often given to prospective candidates are not thorough enough. People are able to put on a show and tell the interviewer exactly what they want to hear. This can be true for any company/industry, but it is especially prevalent in sales related roles.
Lastly, when companies do apply the tests they are normally set up in a way that limits creativity. Many creative, potentially successful salespeople fall through the cracks during these tests because they don’t fit the mold — and have no desire to. We’ve talked about this several times in class. It’s important to not be robotic in sales. Release the inner-creativity and allow for natural, free flowing dialogue with prospective clients.
Companies must sell in order to survive. These are just some areas that companies can look to improve. As a result, they will have acquired a more diverse and productive sales force.
BoweryJE22
I think another reason that companies fail to select top salespeople may be because the position they are looking to fill is no longer a typical sales position. In the Clarity chapter of Pink, and in class as we discussed clarity in sales, it became apparent that people need curators of information instead of just access to information. Pink used the example of a specific Mentos salesperson. Salespeople are no longer able to simply push their own specific products, they need to find the best solution to the correct and true problem that the customer is facing.
I most like your point about creativity. As we have discussed, sales people are mini entrepreneurs. They NEED to be creative in finding solutions to client’s needs or else they will fail!