By Shirleen Von Hoffmann,
Author of Top Producer Secrets for New Home Professionals Copyright © 2011
Hiring top sales people has long been through word of mouth or through recruiters. Many Sales Managers who are under the gun for hiring will hire and fire thousands of sales people hoping that some good ones will stick but that can be a very expensive way to do business. The long and short of it is, there are very few really great top producers out there and they are doing 90% of the business, how do you know who they are and how do you hire them.
Here are seven tips I use when helping my clients hire Top Producers…
- I ask people I know and respect in business and other Sales People, who is great out there?
- Once you have their buy in they want to interview, tell them you are going to consider giving them a certain community and would like to meet them there for the interview. Now if they arrive to the interview and have done all of their homework on that community and the surrounding competition, that would be someone I would take to the next level of the interview process. That tells me this person is coming to the game with a plan, as most Top Producers do.
- Second, during the interview ask them if it is okay to do some role play and video their performance to share with upper level management? If they agree, role play with them on a few great objections like, “ We are not sure if now is the time to buy” and when answered another good one is “We see pricing lowering everywhere, will your builder lower the price as well if we write and offer?” Those are two great scenarios to see how they handle common objections in this market. You can tell a lot about someone when you role play these objections.
- By filming the role play, you also see how they perform under pressure and on the spot, which is something Top Producers have to do every day. You can review the film later and compare it against other candidates and share the film with your Senior Management Team which will also help make the hiring decision easier.
- Another typical question I have for a Sales Agent is, “If we give you this community, what is your business plan to help us drive traffic and make sales?” You can tell a lot about an Agent with the answer to this question. Once you hire them, you hold them accountable to this plan. But if you have a REAL Top Producer, you won’t have it.
- Utilize personality assessments that can confirm behavior styles and personality types.
- Check Social Media like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Do they have professional profiles with any references or recommendation? You can tell if there profile reflects a top producer mentality.
Top Producers are worth the trouble, I know that because I was one and know I was harder on myself than anyone could be, I ran my business and didn’t ask for help very often. I also know I made all of the organizations I worked for a lot of money. They say 10% of the people do 90% of the business and that my friends is oh so true. So keep on looking until you find those Top Producers because they are well worth the wait and if treated well, will make you lot’s of sales with less supervision which will make your life easier. Happy Sales
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