Recruiting Top Sales Reps - Part 2 of 4: Telephone Interview

Once your candidate has passed the initial screen for ‘likeability’ and fundamental sales skills, it’s time to get really tough. The recruiting phase is when you need to scrutinize your candidates with vigor. This article addresses phase 2, the “Telephone Interview”, of the four phases of hiring peak performing sales reps:

1. Preliminary Phone Screen
2. Telephone Interview
3. Personality Profiling
4. Face-to-Face Group Interviews with Your Peer/Superior Advisor Group

Primary Objectives of theTelephone Interview

1. Validate resume accomplishments
2. Test candidate’s ability to effectively research and prepare relevant value creating solution approaches

• Use this second, more formal telephone interview to test and challenge the candidate’s ability to identify, follow up, research, and address the needs (s)he should have discovered during the first call. You should prepare very specific questions in advance of the call.
• If you ‘planted’ some key issues during the first call, ask specific questions on how the candidate would address and solve the issues.
• Observe your candidate’s ability to continue with relevant high-impact questioning to get at the root of your challenges.
• Ask specific questions on what exactly the candidate did to achieve the accomplishments listed on his/her resume. Many candidates answer with “In that situation, I would do…” don’t accept generalizations. If the candidate was actually instrumental in the accomplishments, then insist that (s)he explain the process in detail with specifics.
• Continue to observe whether the candidate is actively seeking commitment to continue the process. Moving every opportunity to the next step should be automatic and natural for every peak performing sales rep.

Knockout Criteria

1. If the candidate seems to just “pick up where we left off,” during the last call, with no new insight into your key issues, then do not pursue. Customers don’t have the time or patience for ‘serial’ conversations that add no value. Pursue only candidates who care enough to think ahead, prepare, and continually seek to add value.
2. If the candidate does not seek commitment for the next step in the process (generally, at this point, a face to face interview), then do not pursue.
3. If the candidate waffles around when asked about his/her accomplishments, and is unable to provide details, then do not pursue.

Check back to this blog later for a discussion on Phase 3, “Personality Profiling”

Read Part 1 of 4: Initial Phone Screen - Sales Leaders Increase Sales Success by Recruiting Only Top Sales Reps