This morning, I read an interesting post by SalesDrive on persistent candidates in which the article makes the following observation:
Hiring managers occasionally encounter sales candidates who are especially persistent . . . calling or emailing them frequently to get an update on their status. Of course, persistence is a very important trait for success in sales. So, it can be tempting to conclude that a persistent candidate will be high in Drive, tirelessly tracking down new leads.
We agree that it is easy to assume that a persistent candidate will be a persistent and high achieving sales person and they may in fact be just that, however it wouldn’t be a sure bet to conclude that the candidate be able to consistently close sales. There are a couple of reasons why this may be the case:
- Pressure – People often behave differently under pressure. Sometimes a candidate who is desperate to secure an income will display all the qualities of a proactive sales person with a high sense of urgency, but later reverts to their normal behavioral style once they have found income.
- Skills Gap – Persistence is merely one trait required to be consistently successful in sales. A candidate that is persistent may or may not possess the other critical skills that will make them successful.
- Interview Savviness – Some sales people excel at interviewing because they attend a lot of job interviews. A candidate who is not otherwise persistent, may act persistent if they know that persistence in the interviewing process sends a positive sign to the hiring manager.
It is the minority of candidates that don’t show some degree of persistence during the interview process so persistence on its own, is not an overly useful measure of a candidate’s usefulness and the savvy hiring manager thoroughly tests to ensure that potential candidates possess all the traits that are required for success in a certain sales role.
To your success!
See the rest of the article here.
image courtesy of ddpavumba | freedigitalphotos.net
Eliot Burdett
Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.
He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.
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