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April 4, 2005
Guide to Hiring an Inside Sales Rep
by Sridhar Ramanathan
A good inside rep is literally worth their weight in gold. Why? They fuel the whole lead generation process which results in sales downstream. That means a 10% improvement in productivity means 10% more pipeline and 10% more revenue. Simple as that. It’s worth paying a little extra to hire a talented, experienced inside sales rep. Our definition of “inside sales” is a role that is responsible for:
- Proactively contacting prospective customers on a target list
- Responding to inbound inquiries coming from the website, telephone, events, etc.
- Qualifying prospects against clear criteria
- Pitching the solution to verify interest and quality
- Pass qualified leads to Sales to close (some Inside reps may do this too depending on average product selling price).
- Provide reporting of progress against daily, weekly, quarterly goals
Should what should you look for in an Inside Rep meeting this description? Here is a cheat sheet for screening candidates:
Discipline
- How many calls per day do you make?
- Give examples of your having done this
- What would former supervisors say about your work? (crosscheck with references)?
Motivation/work style
- How have you handled rejection? (a big part of cold calling…is it a game for him?)
- What works best for you to keep motivated? (look for internal vs. external source of motivation)
- Describe in great detail exactly what you do in a typical day (tests process orientation, attention to detail)
Skills:
- How do you go about getting a live conversation overcoming admins and voicemail?
- What do you do engage in a conversation versus a telemarketing style pitch?
- How do you gain product knowledge?
- How do you deal with objections?
- What specific tasks have you done in inside sales (e.g. cold calling, script, qualifying, update db, pitch, etc.)
Metrics:
- How do you define success?
- How do you like to be measured on a daily, weekly, quarterly basis?
Finally, I recommend a role play exercise to see if what they said matches their behavior. For example, ask them to recall their last position and engage in role play for three scenarios by getting on the phone in a different room and having them call you:
- Play “negative” prospect by hanging up on them
- Play “receptive” prospect by listening and letting them lead
- Play “tough” prospect by aggressive questions and taking the lead
If you apply these techniques, I assure you that you’ll have a better sense of the skills, motivation, and fit with your needs.
Posted April 4, 2005 | Permalink
Posted to Leadership
, Sales Effectiveness