How are you evaluating the creativity, presentation skills, and ability to think on your feet of the next sales candidate you hire? A great way to improve how you evaluate sales candidates is by challenging them during your interviewing process.
I was impressed when a friend interviewed for a sales job with CBS Radio in Chicago. After completing several remote and face to face interviews, they gave my friend one final challenge. The candidate had to give a sales presentation to their managers.
The company gave candidates fake data on a Chicago-area customer. They were told they could not contact the client for any reason. They were also told they were to create an ad campaign to present why this prospect would want to advertise on CBS Radio. They told her not to worry about the technical accuracy of the presentation, they were more concerned about the person’s style and ability to present creative ideas using PowerPoint.
What a brilliant way to make sure the people you hire have all the skills you need by putting them through some drills or tests! You could have a manager do a practice sales call with a candidate to see how they handle themselves in front of a customer. These types of simple tests can help you determine if this is a person you really want on your team and if you are wanting to invest training and coaching to help them be more successful.
Join me as I share how CBS Radio in Chicago evaluates their applicant’s skills…and how it can help you decide which candidate will be the best to join your team!