Measuring Drive and Character Above All Other Sales Traits

One of the questions that we often get at SalesFirst Recruiting is about how we evaluate talent. The easy part of the job is finding sales reps. They are great at making themselves accessible and they love to talk to us! The hard part of the job is finding THE BEST sales reps.

Sales is a challenging and rewarding profession that requires a combination of skills, personality and motivation. But what are the most important traits to look for when hiring sales professionals? According to Patrick Ortman, our partner who runs the SalesFirst Recruiting Arizona Office, the answer is drive and character.

Drive and Character

“Drive and character are the two qualities that we value the most when we interview candidates for sales positions,” Ortman says. “Drive is the ability to set goals, pursue them relentlessly, overcome whatever obstacles exist and simply achieve results. Character is the integrity, honesty, courage and resilience that define who you are as a person and how you treat others.”

Ortman has had these beliefs for the better part of two decades and significantly influenced how SalesFirst Recruiting evaluated talent nationwide. Drive and Character are essential for sales success because they determine how a salesperson will perform under pressure, handle rejection, deal with customers and colleagues, and represent the company and its products or services. “I’ve yet to spot an easy sales job. You have to deal with a lot of challenges, competition and uncertainty. You have to be self-motivated, disciplined and adaptable. You have to be able to communicate effectively, build rapport and trust, and close deals. And you also have to be able to learn from your mistakes, improve your skills and grow your career. All of these things require drive and character,” he says.

Ortman’s favorite quote on character? “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Uncovering Traits

So how does SalesFirst Recruiting measure drive and character when interviewing sales professionals? SalesFirst Recruiting uses combination of behavioral questions, situational scenarios, role plays and assessments to evaluate how candidates demonstrate these traits in their past experiences, current actions and future plans.

“We ask candidates to tell us about their achievements, challenges, failures and learnings in sales. We ask them how they set goals, plan their activities, manage their time, cope with stress, handle objections, negotiate deals and follow up with customers. We ask them how they collaborate with their peers, managers and other departments. We ask them how they deal with ethical dilemmas, difficult situations and feedback. And we also try to figure out how they learn new skills, adapt to changes and seek opportunities for growth,” Ortman says.

“We observe how they prepare, research, communicate, listen, ask questions, present solutions, overcome resistance and close sales. In a lot of cases we give them feedback to see how they respond and improve,” he added.

“Finally, we use assessments to measure candidates’ personality traits, cognitive abilities, sales skills and motivations. We compare their results with our benchmarks and expectations for the role. We look for alignment between their strengths, values and goals and our culture, vision and mission,” he says.

Ortman says that by using these methods, SalesFirst Recruiting can identify the best sales professionals who have both drive and character. He says that these are the people who will not only deliver results for their clients but also contribute positively to their team and company.

“What makes this job so tough, Adam, as you well know- is that Drive and character are not easy to find or develop. They are rare, super valuable qualities that make a difference in both sales and in life. That’s why we measure them above all other traits when we interview sales professionals,” Ortman says.

Ask SalesFirst Recruiting for Help

For help finding and uncovering the right sales talent, please visit www.salesfirstrecruiting.com!