How to Hire A-Players: Finding the Top People for ... - GIT home page

168 How to Hire A-Players
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During the presentation, the sales managers raise objections and
ask questions to see how candidates respond under pressure.
This exercise makes people put their sales skills on display.
Do they communicate with confidence? Do they know how to
sell value and results versus simply focusing on features and
price? Are they prepared to answer objections? Do they know
how to move the sales process forward and maintain momentum?
Do they close well and ask for the business? Hiring managers
can see all of these factors in action during this live-fire
exercise. In addition, fundamental skills such as the ability to
think logically and communicate concisely are also on display.
Experienced sales managers can tell a lot about a candidate after
just the first few slides of his or her presentation.
A subtle but important point here is that candidates are being
asked to pitch the last product or service that they sold. They
have no excuse for not being up to speed on what they are selling;
they should already know those things cold. This is a great
exercise that gives you another way to evaluate candidates beyond
sitting behind a desk and asking them questions.
A-Player Principle: Don’t just ask people if they can sell;
have them prove it by pitching for their last product or
service. Then pepper them with questions to see if they
know their stuff and can perform well under pressure.
Case Study: Are You an Effective Buyer?
In retail stores, the ability to manage inventory and make consistently
good buying decisions is critical to business success.
One retail chain that I work with looks for employees who are
effective with customers and can grow into a buyer role. To test