Put the Right People in the Right Sales Roles for Greater Success

Regular readers of this blog, as well as Asher Strategies’ clients, know that we take career assessment aptitude testing quite seriously. While training has a lot to do with sales success, it is nearly impossible to train someone who has little natural talent for the role they are in. They might make some improvement, but they will underperform and would probably be happier in another position.

So, what happens when you put people in the right roles?

Reduced HR Expenses

Many different figures get tossed about by sale trainers, but it is safe to say that the cost for a bad hire in a sales position will amount to well into the six figures in the first 12 months. Think about all of the advertising, lunch meetings, onboarding paperwork, training classes, draws against commission, and payroll taxes.  Add to that the sales lost due to incompetence as well as the resulting damage to your brand, and you can see that it adds up.

Hiring the right people and putting them into the right positions does away with all those wasted HR dollars and opportunity costs.

Greater Morale Among the Rest of the Team

No one wants to work with staff members who do not perform to the company standards, as they are generally of low morale. Often, they get in the way of others from doing their jobs with endless questions or gripes.

A career assessment aptitude test can illuminate whether a potential hire not only has the aptitude for the job you are considering her for, but whether she will fit in with your culture. A passive, “farmer” type of salesperson will not do well on a team full of “hunters,” for example.

Easier Recruitment

Which team do you think most ballplayers would prefer to be on: the powerhouse Yankees or the weaker Cubs, who haven’t won a World Series in over 100 years? Of course, most ballplayers would prefer to be on the Yankees, because they have a track record of winning.

The same goes for sales organizations. If you want to hire a top producer and get his book of business over to your firm, it is much easier to do if there are other top producers already on the team. If you don’t have top producers on your team, then it is time to put the entire sales staff through a career assessment aptitude test to find out who you should invest some training in, and who you might have to transfer or let go.

Sales teams can really soar when people are put into the right roles. Career assessment aptitude tests can help by identifying who should be your inside sales folks versus your outside sales rainmakers, as well as who shows potential for management. Don’t just “stick butts in chairs.” Instead, test your people and all potential hires and give them the best chance to succeed by putting them in the right positions.

For more reasons why the reckless “butts in chairs” hiring practice is a bad idea, read this article by Dr. John Sullivan, HR specialist.