How to Hire the Best Direct Sales Associates

You’ve hired a direct sales recruiting firm to seek out candidates for your sales team. Your direct sales recruiter has already gone through the process of sourcing, interviewing, and conducting background checks on a select few candidates. Now it’s up to you to interview the top candidates for your sales position. How should you conduct the interview? And what kinds of questions should you ask the candidate?

Here are a few tips to keep you on track to finding the best associate for your sales team:

  • Don’t ask the same tired questions like, “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” or, “Tell me about a time when you had to work as part of a team.” Instead, ask them to be prepared to sell you a product. This way, you can evaluate the candidate’s performance in the type of role they will potentially fill. You’ll be able to evaluate whether the candidate is a good listener, if he or she asks the right questions, and if he or she anticipates a customer’s potential objections. Most of all, you’ll be able to see if they can close a sale. These are the most important qualities of a direct sales staff, and interviewing candidates effectively will help you find the best sales associates with these qualities.

  • Other essential questions to tackle:

    • Tell me about your proudest accomplishment from your last job.

    • What strategies can your former company employ to increase their sales?

    • Describe your ideal manager.

    • What motivates you to accomplish your goals, both personal and professional?

    • Tell me about a time that you failed, and what you learned from that experience.

  • Be aggressive. Successful salespeople, by nature, are very aggressive. So don’t hesitate to be aggressive when asking candidates about their track records, whether they’ve been able to meet their past sales quotas, and why (or why not) they were able to do so. These are questions they should be able to answer without reservation, and could be crucial to determining their future success at your company

  • Verify that they’ve done their research. Ask the candidates why they would like to join your sales team in particular. From their answer, you should be able to tell whether they took the time to research your company and your team or if their answer is a canned response that can be thrown out to any company.

  • Allow other team members to interview the prospective candidates. One of the most important factors to consider when hiring a new employee is whether they are a good fit for the company, the company culture, and your team specifically. Inviting other team members to interview prospective candidates and give you their feedback will help direct you toward the best associate for your team.

Keep these tips handy next time you’re hiring for your sales team, and you’ll be sure to find the best candidate for the job!

Direct Sales Recruiting