Besides making sure these KPI's align with the position at hand- the most important intangible is whether the sales candidate has the internal "drive" for success.
CEO's, VP's Sales, Hiring Managers- Is Drive Testing part of your selection process when assessing sales execs? When I say drive testing I am not talking about testing someone's automobile skills- I am referring to a sales candidate assessment test that actually tests for drive- the most critical personality trait for success in sales- the toughest trait to measure and the easiest for candidate's to fake.
How many times have you hired a sales exec that either stopped delivering when the rolodex ran dry, or simply did not achieve the number of meetings to fill the pipeline, and ultimately came up way short on their revenue goal at plan? Why is this? They may have not been the right candidate for the job to begin with.
For true success to happen- you need the right racehorses in place for starters.
How do you know who the right racehorses are just? You need to do more than just look at who has the prettiest mane.
Time and time again I have seen companies, and VP's Sales hire too fast because they are under pressure to produce number's- bringing in "bodies"- only to have to let them go after 6-8 months when they don't produce.
The costs of bringing on the wrong sales hires are exorbitant- from wasted time on training, compensation, recruiter fees, internal company drainage and external reputation/credibility, and most importantly lost sales.
Drive testing typically scores on 3 elements: 1) Need for Achievement 2) Competitiveness 3) Optimism The Drive Test should be a critical tool in the hiring selection process for all companies, ensuring that you are hiring driven top producing sales people that have the internal traits for success.
I recommend SalesDrive to my clients, believe in it so much that I deduct the cost from my fee.
You should also read the book Never Hire a Bad SalesPerson Again.