4 Alternative Interview Qs for Hiring B2B Sales Winners

COVID-19 caused many companies to thrive and others to just merely survive, and with that inevitably sales reps in the surviving companies have been let go and are joining the thriving companies.

As an employer of a thriving company, it is a buyer’s market, so how are you selecting the best fit for your sales team?

Of course you have your standard interview questions, but here I offer 4 alternative interview Qs to make sure your next B2B sales hire is the standout candidate for all the right reasons.

These four alternative Qs are designed to reveal the essential qualities your B2B sales team’s newest member will need - incorporate the 4 Qs into your interview process and it will help make sure you get the ideal candidate you’re looking for.

Use them in your interview process – or, if you’re applying for a new sales position, determine your own answers and see how close you shine as the ideal B2B sales candidate.

1.   Winning, winners...and ‘reputation risks’

You want to hire a winner?

Someone who cares about the result?

Someone whose desire to win inspires their everyday actions?

Someone who is able to spot an opportunity and seize it?

An ethical outlook goes in tandem with a winning attitude.

As a hiring manager, you don’t want to be hiring a win-at-all-costs ‘maverick’ whose massive potential could end up ruining your company’s reputation, or even worse, burn your customers.

The perfect candidate comes with sound principles and values who knows instinctively that winning is everything – but not at all costs.

They will be someone who sees obstacles as opportunities – for new solutions to problems.

They see the ‘box’ from the outside and are not tethered by limited thinking or constrained by old beliefs.

Their potential is epitomised by a fluid and open mind’s ability to adapt and succeed rather than a typical off-the-shelf candidate who is tied to old thoughts and tired out practices.

ASK: Tell me about when you last used your initiative/creativity to get a project done.

What was the hold-up and how did you overcome it?

2.   Enthusiasm – it’s beautifully contagious!

Enthusiasm is one of the most beautiful words in the English language – unsurprisingly it’s derived from Greek ;) - and it’s also one of the most important traits to look out for in any candidate.

An enthusiastic employee won’t just be up for the task, they’ll be preparing themselves for the next one, and the one after that. They will be honing their skills, learning new techniques, sharpening sales strategies and enhancing their interpersonal abilities.

They know the value of continued training for achieving, maintaining and building success. They don’t reject coaching or react badly to feedback – they want to be told because they want to improve.

And, as everyone knows... enthusiasm is contagious.

Find the right candidate and their enthusiasm will infect the rest of your team to the extent that everyone will be returning positive results.

ASK: What’s the best idea you’ve adopted or the skill you’ve learned most recently?

and What impact has had it on your life?

3.   Perfection is different

You’re looking for the perfect candidate - so what criteria, along with these 4 alternative Qs, are you using to help you choose?

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, who in this case happens to be your next hire.

You want a creative thinker not an over-thinker, someone who is tuned into the detail but also sees the bigger picture.

They strive for perfection but not at the cost of missing other opportunities. Their decision making is measured for optimum outcomes and based not a ‘hunch’ or a ‘feeling’ but proper research and analysis. It links their solutions to problems and ensures a proper action and response to issues well before they become bigger concerns.

They are prepped, poised and prepared to seize the chance in what others may see as an obstacle.

In short, they are the kind of person trusted to make the right decision because it’s not enough knowing only when to act, your perfect B2B sales candidate will also know how to act.

ASK: The deadline’s approaching but you’re not quite 100% ready to present/pitch/sell/close so do you ask to postpone so you can be fully prepped; or, do you go with what you’ve got, even though you know it’s not yet perfect and that there’s still something missing?

4.   Team player

The best candidate will, by definition, be the one that brings the most to -- and helps to bring the most out of – the sales teams they are joining.

This concept is the most crucial of all 4 alternative Qs to finding the perfect sales candidate.

How will the ‘newbie’ fit in and work alongside new colleagues as part of your B2B sales team?

Teamwork is about playing a role to help the team hit its targets, achieve its objectives and your perfect candidate will know their own personal goals and ambitions will be achieved in tandem with the team attaining theirs.

As such, they will be a go-getter whose first priority is the team’s success ahead of their own personal advancement. They will be a collaborator and highly supportive of colleagues, contributing positively to the team’s collective culture and philosophy – and they will be able to seek assistance from their colleagues when they need to.

Of course, they will be a standout candidate.

But be careful making your selection because a ‘standout’ can literally become just that – one that stands out so much that they end up isolating from the team, affecting performance by negatively impacting on relationships and overall morale.

You want enthusiasm not narcissism, and this question can help make the difference clear.

ASK: What role or position do you play on a team and how does it impact on the performance?

Make sure you’re in prime position to take advantage of the countless opportunities emerging in the New Normal.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your recruiting!