In this issue:

Experience vs. Talent

In last month’s newsletter, we outlined the first step in an effective sales hiring process–Profiling the Sale.  This critical step provides the blueprint that defines the ideal salesperson.  In the second step-Attracting the Right Candidates, that information is translated into specific successes that the ideal candidate is able to complete.

The format of an effective sales ad is concise, measurable and focused. We track online sales postings on a daily basis and continually see the same stereotypical ads.  “Must have 5 years industry experience, must have a Bachelors of Science degree, must live within 10 miles of Minnetonka.”  These qualifications would have no place if the position were to be filled by an internal candidate.  Can you imagine the headaches that would occur if one employee was promoted over a similarly qualified employee based on their home’s proximity to the office?

Certainly experience is an important aspect to successful hiring.  Ideally, companies are able to hire salespeople that have the right blend of aptitudes, skills, style and extensive industry experience.  However, writing ads that use experience as an absolute filter overemphasizes tenure over talent.

Experience is far from a solid predictor of future success.  Product or service knowledge does not equate to guaranteed sales.  Just think, at some point the current sales team had to learn the products or services.  If they can learn it, a new person can learn it also.  We have always contended it takes far longer to teach a salesperson how to sell than it takes to teach them the intricacies of your product or service.

Talent, on the other hand, is intrinsic and a far better predictor of success.  Certain capacities cannot be taught, trained or created within a salesperson.  An old basketball axiom states, “You cannot coach height.  They either have it or they don’t.”  The same is true with salespeople.  There are certain innate capacities they either have or they don’t.  This fact creates a dilemma for companies that do not identify those capacities in relation to the position before they author their ad.  This oversight often leads to companies relying solely on industry experience as the primary filter when attracting external sales candidates.

This month’s articles illustrate a different approach.  The emphasis is on skills and talent as opposed to experience and degrees.  If you are not netting the strongest possible candidates with your current ads, a complete overhaul of your ad may be in order.  Remember Albert Einstein's famous quote, "Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  The following articles lay the groundwork for attracting candidates that have the right mix of skills, aptitudes, style and transferable experience to become sales superstars in your organization.

Click here for the next article - Attracting the Right Candidates

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