From the Desk of Robin Robins
5 Telltale Signs You ’ ve Got A Top Sales Performer
1 .
They Have A History Of Being A Top Performer , Ranking First Or Second For Sales In Their Organization , And They ’ ve Done That In Every Job .
I want someone who ’ s been in sales for their life , not somebody who is in sales for a little bit like worked in retail , then took a job as an operations person , then was in inside sales . You know , I want someone who ’ s been in sales and is a top performer .
One of my interview questions is how many other sales reps were there in the organization ? They say five . Did they rank you ? They usually say no , although they probably did , right ? So , I ask , “ Well , if they were to rank you , where would you rank ? Were you always No . 1 in sales , or were you No . 2 ? No . 4 ? Where were you ?” Now , they might say , “ I was between No . 1 and No . 3 . It floated .”
And the next question is , " Why weren ’ t you always No . 1 ?" And see what they say , and it ’ ll tell you a lot about whether they blame their circumstances , blame their territory , blame their boss . Now , sometimes that is legit , and that ’ s where you ’ ve got to go a little deeper . But I want to see consistent sales performance .
2 .
They Were Successful In A Similar Type Of Sales Role And Sold To Similar Clients .
I have found it ’ s tough for someone in retail to come in and start booking appointments because someone who ’ s worked in a car dealership has an entirely different experience than on the phone . So , they typically don ’ t work out because it ’ s a different sales environment .
So , for you guys , you want to see that they were maybe talking to CEOs . They were selling to your type of customer , even if it wasn ’ t the same product . If they were selling to a similar customer , what ’ s most important is the customer and the type of sale .
3 .
They Had A Long Tenure In A Role .
I do not want to see someone job-hopping every 1 – 2 years . Now , for an appointment setter , you ’ re going to see more of it because it ’ s more of an entry-level role . And so , I ’ m a little more forgiving . But if you are trying to hire a top salesperson , you don ’ t want to see them every year , two years , or every few months switching jobs . I mean , that ’ s not a good sign . And if I even see that on a resume , I don ’ t interview them . I don ’ t even bother because I don ’ t want to see someone who ’ s jumping around all the time .
4 .
They Have A History Of Career Advancement .
So , I recommend top grading . Give them a career history form , and then you ask them to detail every job . What was their starting salary ? What was their ending salary ? And again , I don ’ t know if this is legal in your state . It is legal in Tennessee , where we are , and they fill it out .
And what I look for is someone consistently earning more at every job because that shows they are advancing . If they are flat and they ’ ve earned about the same amount of money for the last 10 years , do you know what that tells you ? Their internal temperature of how much money they make is set at that amount . We all have an internal thermostat . If things cool off , meaning you start making less money , man , you kick into high gear . I ’ ve got to do marketing . I ’ ve got to make sales . I ’ ve got to do something . It ’ s just like the heaters kick on , and it brings you back up .
But it works the same way in the other direction . The air conditioning kicks in when
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