Did you know that a sales hiring mistake can be to the tune of six to 10 times that person’s base salary? It’s safe to say that it’s important to hire right the first time. The interview process is a cost in itself, and you don’t want to hire on seemingly promising individuals only to find out a month later that your decision to ask them to be a team member was probably a poor one. Here are three key things you should pay attention to when you are looking to hire successful and longterm sales people who will provide your company a positive ROI.

1. Understand How to Assess Candidates

According to Roberta Matuson, a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine, many companies need to get better at assessing their candidates during the interview session. There are many employers who have a list of questions they’re supposed to ask, and they go through these questions without really being aware of what would be a red flag for their business. You need to develop the ability to know when candidates are just telling a hiring manager what they want to hear. Sometimes, going back to a question for further clarification can illuminate many points that would otherwise be jumped over.

2. The Empathetic Consultant

Did you know that many clients expect high level presentations from the sales representatives that come to see them? The Young Entrepreneur Council identified several important characteristics that start up founders have looked for in their new sales hires. One quality that sticks out in their cover of this is the need for a salesperson to be like a consultant, understanding the needs of the client and figuring out the best product or service fit that will help them. Empathy is an often underrated aspect of conversation, but if you think to successful calls you’ve received from companies, often the ability of a sales person to really listen and seem to actually care about how their client will experience the product is important.

3. Executive Recruiting Firm

No matter what you do, the reality is often a grim one for hiring. An estimated 40% of sales professionals in the U.S. will miss their quota, while another 22% are untrainable. Just 10% will provide ROI. Executive recruiting firms can often be an effective and cost reducing middle man between employers and sales employees. They can check references and have established, proven methods for judging the likely future success of potential candidates. Instead of having to wade through giant pools of applicants, employers have a pick of top recruits that are already vetted by sales recruitment experts.

have you received applicants from an executive recruiting firm? Let us know in the comments More on this topic: salesforcesearch.com Continue reading here.