Red Flags When Interviewing Sales Candidates

Think about all the stereotypes about salespeople. They’re pushy. They’re rude. They won’t take “no” for an answer. They never shut up.

The truth is, these stereotypes are mostly false. Rude, pushy sales reps don’t get very far in a world with millions of other choices. Nobody wants to interact with obnoxious people.

The best salespeople are friendly, personable, and great listeners - that’s why their clients love working with them. And if your company can attract superstar salespeople, your team will dominate the competition with good old-fashioned charm.

So how do you avoid hiring the wrong kind of salespeople? Watch out for these red flags.

Red Flag #1: They’re prickly or brash.

If a sales job candidate comes across as annoying during an interview, imagine how they’ll act during sales calls. You don’t want your clients to find them irritating.

Pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal personality clues. Does the person bristle when you ask questions about their background? Do they come across as open and friendly? Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and evaluate the candidate’s personality.

Red Flag #2: They have no sense of humor.

A sense of humor is important in sales. Salespeople encounter all kinds of unexpected and uncomfortable situations, and a dose of humor can smooth things over.

You don’t need someone who’s overly jokey - in fact, constant joke-telling can be off-putting - but they should be able to see the funny side of things. Ask job candidates to describe a sales situation that turned out to be humorous, or ask them why it’s important to have a sense of humor in sales.

Red Flag #3: They brag too much.

Here’s one you might not expect: Salespeople need to be humble. Bragging might feel good to the bragger, but too much boasting shows a level of psychological selfishness that makes other people uncomfortable.

Ask about the candidate’s accomplishments and pay close attention to how they answer. They should take pride in their achievements without being overly boastful. When appropriate, they should also share the spotlight with others, showing humility - for example, by saying something like, “I love being part of a great sales team.”

Red Flag #4: They’re uncomfortable talking numbers.

Does the candidate avoid talking about sales figures? Watch out. That’s a big red flag.

Salespeople work in a world of numbers: sales goals, contract amounts, month-over-month comparisons, year-end totals. If a job candidate seems uncomfortable talking about numbers, something is very wrong.

For privacy reasons, their current employer may forbid them from talking about exact sales figures. Still, it’s fair game for you to ask about percentage increases, how close they’ve come to their sales goals, and bonuses they may have earned. Ask for these facts, and see whether they can comfortably rattle off the numbers.

Red Flag #5: They hate technology.

It might seem a bit unfair to require salespeople to be tech-savvy. After all, they’re in sales, not IT. But in a fast-paced, tech-infused world, salespeople are expected to keep up.

Ask what kinds of devices, apps, software, and social media they use. Their exact responses aren’t as important as their flexibility and openness to new technology. If they express resentment or outright hatred toward technology, beware. Their skills are probably out of date.

Red Flag #6: They don’t know how to tell good stories.

Storytelling is important in sales. Your salespeople need to be able to share information in an engaging, entertaining way. Every client needs to know your brand story.

As you interview sales candidates, pay attention to what kinds of stories they tell. Do they use lots of interesting and descriptive words? Do they draw you into the story? If you feel that they have a flair for engaging conversation, your clients will feel it too.

Red Flag #7: All your candidates are [fill in the blank].

This is less about your individual candidates and more about the group of applicants you’re attracting. If they all seem too similar, you have a hiring process problem.

Men. Women. Native English speakers. Certain ethnicities. Younger people. Older people.

When your sales candidates are coming solely from one or two of these groups, it’s time to stop and rethink. Where’s the diversity? Do you need some fresh hiring sources?

Red Flag #8: None of your candidates get you excited.

If you’ve already interviewed a bunch of applicants and you’re not excited about any of them, it’s time to review your hiring process. Something is wrong. For some reason, your applicant pool isn’t full of great candidates.

Maybe it’s time take a new approach. Consider hiring for personality rather than educational background. Try connecting with a professional recruitment company that uses technology to facilitate hiring. By shaking things up, you could discover your next star salesperson.

To learn more about hiring and training salespeople, connect with SelectOne and download our free guides, True Match: Hiring For Personality and The Employer’s Guide to Hiring Salespeople. We’ll help you avoid red flags and make the right hire, every time.