I was talking with a friend of mine last week, and he shared an interviewing experience with me. Early in his career, he was being recruited by an office equipment company to be a local sales rep. During the interview process, they had him ride in the field with one of their reps to understand what they do on a day-to-day basis. That’s all it took. He saw many things that made him realize this wasn’t for him: their sales people had to use their own car to deliver copiers for sales demos, they were constantly getting asked to leave the premises while prospecting, and no one treated them with any respect. Nope – there was something else out there for him. This was a win-win for the company and my friend. It wasn’t a good fit, but no one knew until the field ride.
I have an entire program on how to interview, hire, and on-board sales people. However, for today I want to share one concept with you that could keep you from investing in someone who isn’t a good fit. When you perform interviews for your next sales person, have them ride in the field with one of your current sales people. This isn’t the first or second step, but maybe a third step in the interview process. Your candidate will understand what they’re getting into, and your sales rep will see clues to the candidate’s instincts and character while riding together. Even though you’re likely interviewing someone from your industry and they probably think they know it all, make sure they understand what it’s like working in the field for your company. One thing I’ve learned about security companies – both integrators and manufacturers – they’re each unique once you scrape the surface.
Keep reading – I’ll continue to share some sales interviewing strategies in the coming months. I’ve had some positive feedback on a few programs I’ve delivered and didn’t realize how much demand this topic had.
