Whether hiring for the position of selling in an outside capacity, bringing on new accounts for your barter trade exchange, or hiring a trade broker to service the needs of your existing clientele, it is imperative for you as a manager to identify the top performers in a pool of sales job applicants. Learn the following six common traits of successful salespeople and make sound hiring choices for your exchange.
Desire to Serve. Super salespeople take a sincere interest in serving as well as selling. The salesperson’s degree of caring and commitment may be what gives them the competitive edge in the prospect’s eye. A pleasant attitude and enthusiasm indicates their desire to serve. Ask a candidate how they typically follow up with a client to ensure satisfaction. Learn how they may have gone above and beyond the call of the customer’s need. Listen to how they refer to customers – do they call them accounts or customers? Do they boast of selling customers products or additional services that they didn’t necessarily need?
Good Work Ethic. As we all know, selling is a numbers game and there is no way around this fact. Super salespeople don’t mind working the hours needed to make extra calls, win extra customers, and close extra sales. These factors all contribute to improving their long-term sales success. Find out if the salesperson simply met or consistently exceeded the goals set for them. Did they ever win any sales awards or contests? How many hours did they typically work? Check their attendance records. Remember that it’s easier to teach selling skills than it is to instill a new work ethic.
Integrity. Trust is a necessity in the barter sales field; salespeople without integrity will fail. To earn their customer’s trust, your salespeople must always have the customer’s best interest in mind, and establish a pattern of honesty and reliability. Say what you’ll do – then do what you say is a mindset we use at Barter Trainer. Before hiring a candidate, be certain to verify that the application information they have provided to you is correct and accurate. Listen for possible contradictions when you meet with them. Keep an eye out for physical signals of deception — a hand held in front of their mouth while speaking, hesitation before answering a question, a stiff posture. If they will lie to get the job, chances are they will lie to get a sale.
Likable. Good salespeople know that customers prefer salespeople who are like them, and adjust their approach accordingly. A customer will likely listen to what the salesperson has to say if they like them. Does the candidate appear to be relaxed and comfortable? Nervousness is understandable during an interview, however a candidate must be able to overcome such nervousness in a sales situation.
Effective communication skills. The ability to articulate and speak clearly are two traits that can make a salesperson sound more convincing than one with a meek, mild voice. A job interview is a sales presentation ñ so get an idea of how well candidates will sell your exchange by how well they can sell themselves to you.
Willingness to Listen. Every salesperson can learn more from listening than talking. If your candidate has a tendency to interrupt you, or finishes your sentences for you, during the interview – they probably will do the same thing with customers. To help you to determine how well an applicant pays attention, listen for them to make references — or use phrases you mentioned earlier in the interview – to help demonstrate an understanding of the principle of barter. When you talk, listen and look for indications that they are following and showing an interest in what you are saying. A nod of the head or an occasional, “I understand” or”Yes,” is an indication that the applicant is listening.
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