While I don’t do this often (I did it constantly when I was in management), I recently hired a salesperson for a local company and I am now involved with the training of that individual.
I’m not sure why companies want me to be involved in the hiring process. Well, yes I do. It’s PAINFUL and it’s a GRIND! I also secretly suspect that, if this salesperson fails, they can blame me instead of themselves. If the person is successful, they can take credit for hiring me. It’s a win win:)
First, I never use any assessment to determine whether or not to hire any individual. It is just one aspect of getting to know the applicant. And, I only administer assessments to position finalists.
The assessments that I used are based on DISC which is certainly one of the best known and most used standards. I have use the DISC method for over 30 years. Here are some key aspects …
- DISC measures behaviors. While it is commonly referred to as a “personality test”, a personality is far more complex than just behaviors.
- The report that is generated is based on answers provided by the candidate. This is an important part of the process.
- The report reflects how the candidate perceives themselves. In sales, how we are perceived by others is more critical so I always suggest that they share the report with another person who knows them well.
Even then, it is not unusual to have a candidate say that they hated the results. When I ask what they disagree with, their response is generally one of two things …
- “No. The report is accurate and I hate those things about myself!”
- “I asked my spouse and they said, yeah that’s you”
I always share the report with the candidate, at least 24 hours, before we will review it together. What I find is that it will raise questions regarding areas that I would never think of exploring. I’m also curious about how they will respond to those spots which may not be so complimentary.
And … here’s the biggest reason why I use these assessments. I can train sales skills. Myself or the company can provide product knowledge. I can’t train characteristics, attitudes, or behaviors and these are all a part of the assessment.
Since I can’t train these, having a DISC assessment becomes an invaluable component of the salesperson hiring process.
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