Why should you conduct a sales assessment?

Strong sales generate the revenue your organization needs to cover operating expenses and earn a profit. Hiring a sales team can help you meet quotas and reach goals efficiently. Sales assessment tests during the hiring process may support your hiring decisions in building a successful team.

Specific reasons to incorporate testing during hiring can include:

• Sales proficiency: Testing often focuses on the skills that help people succeed in selling. Assessments may help you predict a candidate’s job performance and identify individuals who can boost your company’s sales.
• Potentially less biased hiring: Unconscious bias during interviewing could impact your decision and cause you to overlook quality candidates. Assessments can help you focus on objective skills without being influenced by similarities with a candidate, first impressions or other potential biases.
• Reduced training time: Hiring a candidate proficient in sales skills could reduce the new employee training time. A new hire who needs less training can potentially make sales sooner and reach full productivity faster.
• Addressed skills gaps: You can use sales assessments to identify applicants who fill skills gaps in your team. For instance, testing might help you find a candidate proficient with sales software, outside sales or connecting with leads.

Which sales skills to test

There are several key skills that might help candidates improve sales for your organization. These traits can be the focus of your assessments. Common sales skills to evaluate may include:

• Verbal and written communication
• Presentation and public speaking
• Negotiation
• Relationship building
• Sales software use
• Analytical thinking
• Emotional intelligence
• Sales process knowledge
• Problem-solving
• Prospecting

Types of sales skills assessments

You can choose one or multiple assessment types based on what you want to evaluate. The following options are typically suitable for assessing sales skills:

• Mock sales call: Role-playing provides candidates with the chance to demonstrate their sales skills in a realistic scenario. You might set up a mock sales call over the phone or in person with another employee playing the role of the client.
• Sample pitch: Another way to assess a candidate’s skills is by asking interview finalists to prepare a sample sales pitch for a product. Inform them of this assignment several days in advance or when you schedule the interview. They can present the pitch as part of the interview process.
• Written assessments: Computer-based assessments can evaluate various sales-specific skills and soft skills. You can often customize online assessments to align with your company’s priorities. Testing programs often assign scores to candidates’ answers, providing you with an objective comparison method.

Sales skills assessment best practices

The following best practices can help improve the effectiveness of your sales assessment when hiring a sales representative:

• Choose an assessment that targets your priorities: Reviewing the job description and considering the skills gaps in your team can help identify your priorities. Use that information to choose a pre-made online assessment that evaluates those traits and determine what type of evaluation to use.
• Tailor the test to your organization and the position: Online tests are available, but you might need to customize them to fit your needs. This can help you target specific needs or preferences for your organization. You can also create different assessments for various roles on the sales team. For example, an assessment for a sales manager might focus on budgeting, sales data analysis, sales goals and managerial skills, while an outside sales representative position may be better suited for a role-play scenario to assess interpersonal skills.
• Standardize your hiring process: Applying your assessments to sales candidates consistently can help you standardize your selection process and evaluate all interviewees fairly. It may also provide consistent data about the effectiveness of your assessments.
• Evaluate the effectiveness: After implementing sales assessments, monitor the quality of your new hires. You can review their sales results and how satisfied the hiring manager is with the decision at certain intervals. Analyzing this information over time can help you determine if the assessments improve your hiring decisions.
• Consider all qualifications: Assessments can help determine a candidate’s ability to handle the job. However, looking at all the information you have about each candidate can help you make a well-informed decision. This may include their resume, interview responses, interactions with staff and certifications. Considering how they could add to the culture can also help you decide.
• Look for potential: Any evaluations you conduct with applicants can demonstrate their current skill level and knowledge. However, you might interview a candidate who has strong potential to excel in sales despite not being proficient in all areas. Using skills-first hiring, you might instead consider their transferable skills and potential for success to make a well-rounded decision.

FAQs about sales assessment tests

What should you look for in a strong sales representative candidate?

Prioritizing your requirements for candidates can help you identify who best aligns with your needs. A job seeker with prior sales experience, particularly in a similar industry, may be better prepared to handle the job duties independently.

Candidates without sales experience may excel if they can build relationships easily, have strong communication skills and can make decisions quickly using critical thinking skills.

Should all applicants complete a sales assessment?

Some companies may ask all interested job seekers to complete an assessment when submitting their applications, as it can help screen applicants. However, you may decide to wait until you’ve identified a smaller pool of candidates that you’re considering for an interview. You might also ask only the selected interviewees to complete the sales assessment tests.