I thought I hired a Sales Closer!

Sales managers and sales hiring managers are sometimes surprised to find that a previous top-performing sales person fails to meet expectations or even struggles or fails in their system. What causes this? There are a number of factors such as culture, systems, managers, tools and support which could be involved. However, more times than not, there simply isn’t a good fit between the sale type and the natural traits and characteristics of the sales person. They might very well have succeeded in a past role.

Talent-based sales hiring involves identifying and recruiting top sales talent who possess a specific array of traits and characteristics. These traits and characteristics vary from company to company based on the specific product, service, or solution being sold.

Fractional Chief Revenue Officers help companies build sales hiring talent models to effectively evaluate fit and avoid costly missteps. In doing so, fractional CROs build intentionality into the sales interview process starting with the questions asked of each sales candidate. Questions about prior performance matter only if they elicit information which enables assessment of fit moving forward.

• Step 1: Define your Sale Type.
• Step 2: Define the prerequisite sales candidate traits and characteristics.
• Step 3: Define interview questions relative to the required sales traits and characteristics.

These are the typical traits and characteristics which define fit.

Sales Cycle Duration: Short versus Long
Defined by the average sales process duration from the point of active engagement to close. A “Long” sales cycle is defined as taking 3 or more months.

Inspiration: Value versus Volume
Defined by the conditions that enable productivity and performance; i.e. the things on which your sales people thrive and focus. “Volume” involves smaller but more frequent wins, and increased risk aversion together with less patience.

Nature: Transactional versus Strategic
Defined by the degree of complexion in terms of buyers and buyer influences, buyer decision process, criteria to advance from one sales process stage to the next, resource investment, and collaboration between members of a sales/deal team versus more individual effort.

Audience: General Decision Maker versus Senior and C-Level Executive
Defined by the organizational level at which your sales people are comfortable communicating.

Degree of Need: Unrecognized versus Recognized
Defined by the degree to which the buyer or buyers of your solution recognize the need for your product or service prior to actively engaging with your sales people.

Sales Approach: Hunter versus Farmer
Defined by the degree to which your sales people are expected to develop new prospects and clients or upsell/expand existing client relationships.

Solution Exceptionality: Known versus New/Unique
Certain sales people are more comfortable selling standard/known products and services whereby the sale is mostly driven by relationship, price, and tactics. Conversely, new and unique products and solutions involve more explanation and solution selling.

Explanation Complexity: Concept versus Non-Conceptual
Certain sales people have the talent necessary to sell a solution in which the explanation of features and benefits is conceptual and requires alignment, often real-time, with each specific prospect’s needs and the opportunity drivers. With concept sales, each sales call has the potential to be unique and requires the sales person to make spot decisions about the best information to share to articulate relevant value.

Empathy: Low, Moderate, or High
Sales people vary in their ability to close business at the natural conclusion of a sales process. While many can bring the process to a near conclusion, the perceived relationship makes it difficult to “ask for the order”. These sales people often make better account managers, or sales people within a softer close type of sale, or customer service representatives where the focus is problem solving. Sales people that can close business are able to comfortably lead the prospect to the conclusion of the sales process and close at the appropriate time.

Inside/Outside: Inside versus Outside
Defined by the degree to which your sales people engage and interact with prospects beyond the phone and Internet.

Location/Remote: Office Environment, Remote, Either
Defined by the office environment in which a sales person is comfortable and can be most productive.

By leveraging Treeline’s fractional CRO services, companies gain access to industry-leading sales expertise that can drive success and position them for a strong 2025.

For more about Treeline CRO services, please visit https://www.treelineinc.com/sales-recruiting/fractional-cro-service/