How To Hire A Sales Representative

A sales representative is responsible for selling a company's products or services to potential customers. They are the face of the company and work to build relationships with customers, identify their needs and ultimately close deals.

The primary role of a sales representative is to generate revenue for the organization by increasing sales of products or services. They do this by identifying potential customers, contacting them to promote the products or services and building relationships to close sales.

Sales representatives also play a vital role in gathering customer feedback and relay it to their organization. They act as a bridge between the customer and the company, providing valuable insights into customer preferences, buying patterns and market trends. This information is used to improve products or services and to develop new ones that better meet customer needs.

This article will outline key skills and abilities to look for in a sales representative, including communication, negotiation and relationship-building. It will also provide suggestions on how to test for these skills with the appropriate skills tests.

What should a sales representative be able to do?

The main tasks of a sales representative are to generate revenue and increase sales of products or services for their organization. They do this by building relationships with potential customers and identifying their needs. To do that, they need to be able to complete specific tasks such as:

• Negotiating prices and terms of sales or service agreements.

• Preparing and submitting sales contracts for orders.

• Visiting establishments to evaluate needs.

• Promoting product or service sales.

• Maintaining customer records using automated systems.

There are many more tasks a sales representative should be able to do, however, all of the tasks above will be completed daily within the role.

Skills to look for in a sales representative

A sales representative needs a range of skills to be able to complete their job efficiently including active listening, problem solving, coordination and technical skills.

Active listening is an essential skill for sales representatives because it helps them understand their customer's needs and concerns. By paying attention to what the customer is saying, sales representatives can identify their audience and tailor their pitch to better meet the customer's needs.

Problem solving is another important skill for sales reps because they often encounter objections or obstacles during the sales process. Being able to think on their feet and come up with creative solutions to address these challenges is key to closing the deal.

Finally, coordination is critical because sales representatives need to work closely with other departments such as marketing, customer service and product development to ensure that they are promoting the right products to the right customers.

Effective coordination ensures that the sales rep has the right resources and support to deliver on their sales targets.

As well as generic skills, they also need some technical skills including the ability to access the following:

• Accounting software to generate quotes and invoices.

• Calendar software to schedule appointments and manage their time effectively.

• Publishing software to create sales materials such as presentations or proposals.

These tools help streamline the sales process, ensure accurate record-keeping and enhance the quality of their sales materials.

Useful abilities for a sales representative

As well as skills, a sales representative should have specific abilities that will be useful in their job. These abilities could include expression, comprehension, clarity and recognition.

Expression helps them communicate with customers and their colleagues. This could be focused on formality, wording or tone.

Comprehension supports their understanding of different tasks and information presented. This could be from a manager or a customer who is unhappy with their purchase and needs support to move forward.

Clarity is an important ability as it is about speaking clearly. This reduces any issues arising with customers which produce confusion and complaints. It is also helpful for being concise and time efficient.

Finally, situational recognition improves a sales representative's ability to recognize situations that need extra support from either themself or a supervisor. This will reduce negative interactions within the company and with customers.

Which soft skills tests could I use to hire a sales representative?

There are lots of soft skills tests that could be used when hiring a sales representative, including communication skills, interpersonal skills and problem solving skills.

• Communication Skills: crucial for sales representatives because they need to effectively convey product information, negotiate deals and build relationships with clients. Clear and persuasive communication helps sales reps connect with customers, understand their needs and ultimately close the deal.

• Interpersonal Skills: interpersonal skills enable sales representatives to build strong relationships with clients based on trust and rapport. By being able to connect with customers on a personal level, sales reps can better understand their needs and tailor their approach to meet those needs. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

• Problem Solving Skills: these skills are crucial for sales representatives because they encounter obstacles or objections during the sales process that require creative solutions. By being able to identify and address customer concerns, sales reps can build trust and confidence in the product or service being sold. Effective problem solving skills also allow sales reps to think on their feet, adapt to changing situations and develop strategies to close deals.

Which technical or aptitude tests could I use to hire a sales representative?

Just like soft skills, there are many technical and aptitude tests that could be used, below are just a few you could use.

• Emotional Intelligence: measures a candidate's emotional intelligence, which refers to their ability to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as understand and relate to the emotions of others. This is useful for a sales representative because understanding and responding appropriately to the emotions of others is crucial for building rapport and establishing long-term customer relationships

• Situational Judgment: evaluates a candidate's decision-making ability in real-world situations they may encounter as a sales representative. It assesses their problem solving skills, strategic thinking and ability to handle difficult situations.

• Verbal Reasoning: measures a candidate's ability to comprehend, analyze and draw logical conclusions from written or verbal information. Verbal reasoning abilities are important for sales reps as they need to understand and interpret information from clients and communicate information about products or services in a clear and concise manner. Strong verbal reasoning can enable sales reps to effectively communicate with clients, build rapport and close deals.

• Microsoft Excel: it can be valuable for assessing a sales representative's ability to use spreadsheets for tracking sales leads, analyzing data and creating reports. Sales reps need to be able to manage data effectively and create reports that provide valuable insights into their performance. Proficiency in spreadsheets can help sales reps to make data-driven decisions and optimize their sales strategies to achieve better results.

Our recommended test battery for a sales representative

Our recommended test batter for a sales representative includes:

• Communication: the ability to interact with other people effectively in various contexts, including verbal and written communication. This test measures proficiency in conveying information, expressing ideas clearly and persuasively and responding appropriately to different communication styles and situations.

• Microsoft Excel: a popular spreadsheet software created by Microsoft. It has features and functions to organize, analyze and manipulate data, as well as create charts, tables and other visual representations of data. It assesses the test-taker's ability to perform various tasks such as data entry, formula creation and data manipulation.

• Interpersonal Skills: the ability to interact and build relationships with other people. Many companies focus on and evaluate the ability individuals have to demonstrate empathy, active listening and conflict resolution skills, as well as their ability to adapt to different communication styles and work collaboratively with others.

Check out our sales test and our sales associate test to discover how pre-employment assessments can help you recruit top talent.