Why You Should Never Use Your Gut to Hire Salespeople

What do you use your gut for other than eating and drinking?

Do you rely on it for buying a new car?  “I know it’s listed at the bottom of the safety ratings list, but I love the way it looks!”

Do you rely on it for choosing a mate? “I know he was in jail for ten years, but I love him!”

Do you rely on it when buying a home or renting an apartment? “I know it’s in a high crime area, but I’m sure we’ll be OK!”

Do you rely on it for making accounting decisions? “I know we’re losing money on this initiative, but I have a good feeling about it.”

Do you rely on it for making Legal decisions? “I know what we want to do is illegal, but I am pretty sure that we’ll get away with it.”

Do you rely on it for choosing software applications? “I know it’s the lowest rated application of its kind, but I like the salesperson.”

Of course you don’t rely on gut instinct for those decisions.  Your gut doesn’t know anything about those things.  Your gut is nothing more than your feelings and when you allow feelings to influence your decisions, you make bad decisions.

The same should apply to hiring salespeople except, for some reason, Sales Managers, Sales Leaders and Human Resource professionals believe their gut does tell them when they have a salesperson who is close to perfect for their team.  Are you kidding me?  When trusting their gut, they say things like the following ten examples:

1. She never sold before but I think she’ll be great!
2. He has worked for two of our competitors – he should get off to a great start!
3. He has been in our industry forever – we won’t have to train him.
4. She has had four jobs in the last eighteen months – she must be driven!
5. She said she was at 100% of quota in her last job as an account manager, so I’m sure she’ll be successful as a sales executive too.
6. He is so likeable and friendly, I’m sure our customers will love him and buy a lot from him.
7. We loved her resume.
8. He presented himself so well.
9. He’s willing to work for less than we expected.
10. He doesn’t need a commission – just a salary!

There is no place for gut instinct when hiring salespeople and if there were, companies wouldn’t be failing at a rate that would make them long for “hit or miss.”  More than half of salespeople don’t hit quota for crying out loud!  Some of the salespeople being hired don’t even show up for their first day of work.  Others take so long to ramp up that you lose money on them, even if they eventually succeed to some degree.  Some turn over within the first six months.  What percentage of salespeople that you hired have consistently met or exceeded quota?

That’s gut instinct for you.

What to do instead?

A sales-specific hiring process that uses objective sales capability metrics to qualify and rank your applicants is a good place to start.  Objective Management Group’s Sales Candidate Assessments measure sales candidates in 21 Sales Core Competencies and, depending on the type of selling role, will require minimum scores in certain competencies that are required for success in that role.

When a candidate is recommended by OMG, only then would you have a short phone conversation to hear how they sound and make sure they have the background that will lead to success in your business.  If they do, only then, would you interview them to make sure you like them.  If you like them, only then would you invite them back for a second interview where you can sell the opportunity,

But you don’t jump to the interviewing, liking, and selling until you know they have met the minimum scores required for success in the selling role you are hiring them for.

My gut instinct suggests that your gut instinct is not required.