• Sales Personality - Relatively stable characteristics that do not change easily over time. Eight of these predict sales performance, while three others will help you to manage the candidate. All are work-related and have direct applicability to sales positions

• Sales Knowledge - The candidate's understanding of effective behaviors and strategies at key stages of the sales cycle. The emphasis is on consultative and relationship-oriented sales.

• Sales Motivations - The relative strength of eight sources of personal motivation to help you to manage and motivate the candidate, if you hire her.

• Sales Personality

  We recommend you first consider the candidate's sales personality. Using the Standard Success Profile, look at the number of scores inside the success zones (shaded areas). At a minimum, try to hire candidates who have personality scores that fall somewhere inside most of these success zones. If possible, look for candidates who have scores in the higher end of these ranges. In general, higher potential candidates will have personality scores that will fall in all or almost all of the shaded ranges. Further, the best candidates will most often have scores that fall in the high ends of the shaded ranges.

  The Sales Personality Success Index is a weighted scoring of the strength of these desirable personality characteristics. Possible scores vary from 0 to 48. From our research using earned sales compensation as a criterion, we recommend you avoid candidates with index scores below 19 and recommend you pursue candidates with scores of 24 or higher.

• Sales Knowledge

  Next, we recommend you consider the candidate's knowledge of effective consultative sales strategies. Her scores in this section of SalesMax are an indication of how well she knows what to do in various selling situations. If she is an experienced salesperson, this may be very important information. However, if she has little or no experience and you expect to put her through a good sales training program, low scores in this area may not influence your decision to hire her but may help you to target areas for her training.

• Sales Motivations

  If you decide, based on her sales personality and knowledge results and your interview, that you want to hire the candidate, the results of this section may be helpful in deciding if her motivational needs are a good fit for the job and your supervisory style. Are the things most important to her available as rewards? Can you effectively manage her given her needs and the potential rewards you have under your control?

The candidate's Sales Personality Index score was 19 out of a possible score of 48. This score falls in the second range of possible scores (OK). Our research indicates that candidates with scores in this range have a moderate probability of becoming successful. (About 4 out of 10 salespeople with scores in this range earned sales compensation in the top half.)

Score	Range	Advice
---	00-18	Avoid
19	19-23	OK
---	24-26	Good
---	27-33	Better
---	34-48	Best

 
Personality Insights:

The following potential strengths (+) and potential weaknesses (-) may help you to understand how the candidate's personality may impact her sales performance.

+	She should have a confident sales presence.
+	She can be assertive and forceful when necessary. She should be able to deal with most difficult, challenging or powerful customers and should be capable of asking for the sale.
+	She should be a people person who will enjoy most of the social aspects of meeting new clients or prospects and working with them in a sales role.
+	She should be cooperative by nature and willing to accommodate others in order to get along and meet their needs.
-	Her energy level is substantially below that of typical salespeople and may be a significant shortcoming. She may lack a sense of urgency about getting things done quickly.
-	She may be somewhat less dependable about following through on her commitments than the best salespeople.
-	She appears to have a negative, pessimistic outlook and may be prone to moodiness and excessive worry.

The candidate appears to have a good understanding of effective consultative sales techniques in the following areas:

+	Identifying sales prospects and pre-qualifying them.
+	Developing a clear understanding of the customer's specific needs.
+	Problem solving and overcoming objections.
+	Negotiating and closing the sale.

 
SalesMax identified no strong sales training needs (on all of the scales she scored at least 40 percent correct).

The candidate appears to be most strongly motivated by:

• Increased opportunity to expand her network of contacts, help others, and generally socialize.

The following motivators do not appear to be important to the candidate:

• Security or job stability.

Very Low Energy

The candidate appears to have a much lower energy level than the typical sales professional. This may mean that she has difficulty handling a demanding work schedule or that she must "work smart" and concentrate her efforts to be effective.

Interview Probes:

• During the interview, ask her to describe a typical workweek. Ask how she sets her priorities and how she allocates her time. Probe for indications of effectiveness despite a lower than average energy level or work pace.

• Ask her to describe a situation in her work life where she had to complete a significant amount of work in a short period of time. What were the circumstances that led up to the event? What did she do to accomplish her objectives? How did she feel afterwards?

• Ask general interview questions about work such as: "In what types of situations are you at your best?" and "In what types of situations would you like to be more effective?" Listen for answers that suggest she does not do well when she must put in long hours, complete tasks quickly, handle multiple demands under time pressure, etc.

• Pay attention to her body language during the interview. Does she appear sluggish or lethargic, exceedingly relaxed, slow moving, -- or more energetic?

When talking with references ask the following types of questions.

• "How does she compare with other salespeople in her ability to complete tasks on time?"

• "How does she compare with others in her ability to maintain her effectiveness while working long hours?"

• "How does her overall productivity compare with that of her peers?"

Low Follow Through

The candidate scores somewhat low on the measure of follow through or dependability. People with low scores may not consistently follow through on their work responsibilities.

Interview Probes:

• During the interview, ask the candidate how she thinks a sales manager should handle an employee who misses deadlines or doesn't consistently follow through on her work. Listen for responses that indicate sympathy for the employee or unrealistic expectations from the manager.

• Ask the candidate to describe a time when she was unable to complete an assignment or couldn't follow through on what she promised she would do. Listen for responses that indicate that she didn't think too much of it, or is prone to making excuses. Ask if she would have handled the situation differently today.

When talking with her references ask the following types of questions.

• "How does she compare with other salespeople in her ability to follow through on tasks in a timely manner?"

• "Would her customers and peers say that she honors her commitments or does she tend to let things slip?"

Low Optimism

The candidate scored low on the measure of optimism. Many people who score in this range can be moody or pessimistic (i.e., "the glass is half empty"). For some, this pessimism will affect their sales productivity and job performance. However, others with this profile can exercise reasonable control over their emotions so that the impact upon their job performance is limited.

Interview Probes:

• During the interview, attempt to assess her ability to deal with pressure, stress, or disappointments. Ask her to describe what sorts of things irritate or annoy her. Ask her to tell you how her boss, a peer or a customer would describe her temperament, what she is like under pressure, etc.

• Ask how stress on the job affects her work. If the candidate travels in her current job (or would travel in this job), ask her what she thinks are the positives and the drawbacks about a job where part of her time is spent on the road. Listen for clues to the impact of loneliness, stress, and fatigue.

• Ask her to describe a time when she worked particularly hard to make a sale and the deal fell through. How did she react? What impact did it have on her?

• Ask her to describe how she copes with stress and frustration. Generally, positive responses would be answers such as: run, take a long walk, talk it over with a friend, try to think about positive things. Red flags would be responses that suggest inappropriate coping behavior, such as "having a few drinks" or responses that suggest denial (e.g., "I am never, ever, sad or in a bad mood.").

When talking with her references ask the following types of questions.

• "Compared to other salespeople you have known, how would you describe her attitude or mood? (e.g., was she consistent or did she tend to have up and down moods?)"

• "How well did she handle job related pressure and stress?"

• "Would you describe her as even tempered or moody? Why?"

• "Compared to her peers, did she show more or less sensitivity to stressful events in her environment (e.g., pressure, time deadlines)? How did this sensitivity affect her productivity and work relationships?"

• "To what extent did she display a 'can do' attitude versus being negative or easily discouraged?"

Handling A Demanding Work Pace:  Her slow work pace may not be adequate in a fast-paced, sales environment. She is likely to need specific work goals and to be held accountable to meet time deadlines in order to be effective. Initially, it may be helpful to set some interim deadlines (checkpoints) to ensure that she is making progress towards her goals. Further, time management courses or readings may also be helpful in coaching her to use her energies more effectively.

Improving Follow Through:  She should be encouraged to assume more responsibility to follow through on her responsibilities. In managing her, make sure that she has a clear understanding of that to which she has committed and by when. ("John, you said that you will have the sales projections for Company X to me by next Tuesday.") For long-range activities, suggest that she set interim deadlines to make sure that she is progressing toward her goals. If she falls behind, hold her accountable and help her to find strategies to avoid this shortcoming in the future.

Developing a More Positive Outlook (Becoming More Optimistic):  Her tendency towards a negative or pessimistic outlook could interfere with her sales effectiveness. She may require more time and attention than most sales people in order to keep her spirits up. If so, we recommend that she be recognized and rewarded for learning to keep her emotions in check and for avoiding displays of negativity.

Affiliation Motivation:  The opportunity to expand her network of contacts, help others and generally work with people is important to her. It may be helpful to encourage her to become involved in company, community, or professional organizations which will help her meet this need as well as expand her network.