The best talent doesn’t always fit into that box that our clients have in mind. Often times the requirements on the job description are not going to match up perfectly with the applicant’s background and experience. At A Sales Guy Recruiting we understand that, and we spend more time finding the right candidate who can do the job. We want to find that candidate who is excited about winning a meaningless bowling game last week, because that is a competitor. Or the one who wins a $10 gift card for setting the most appointments in a day for the account executives, because that shows drive and persistence. There are only so many qualified people in your talent pool, and you are always competing with somebody for that talent. So what do you do? How do you find the characteristics that will indicate an individual will be successful? We dealt with the same issues when I was a football coach at University of Colorado. But beyond the measurable skills on the “resume” we had a list of other criteria that we used to determine who the A players were.
Take Nate Solder for example. Nate came to CU-Boulder as a 6’8” 240 lbs. tight end and left as a 6’8” 315 lbs. man and a 1st round draft choice for the New England Patriots. How did this happen? During the recruiting and evaluation process we spend a lot of time on the success factors. What will make this person excel on our team? For us, some of the things were: Can he learn fast? Can he figure things out without help or supervision? Is he driven? Is he competitive? Is he a good leader and a good teammate? Will he raise the bar? Will he excel when things get hard? Does he have tough skin or is he sensitive? How did this happen? During the recruiting and evaluation process we spend a lot of time on the success factors. What will make this person excel on our team? For us, some of the things were: Can he learn fast? Can he figure things out without help or supervision? Is he driven? Is he competitive? Is he a good leader and a good teammate? Will he raise the bar? Will he excel when things get hard? Does he have tough skin or is he sensitive? Just like amongst sales reps, the best talent that can do the job isn’t always easily identified. So recruiters, challenge your clients to get out of that check box. What are the critical factors that make the top sales reps on their current sales team successful? Why does your client have requirements on the job description when they are not critical to the success of the top producers on your current sales team? You are an expert at what you do, bring that expertise to your client.
Why Should You Challenge Your Clients?
