Tip of the Month from Kevin Davis


Mistake #9 Inconsistent recruiting and selection program.

We have all hire somebody that didn’t work out the way we thought they would, so we all know the cost of a bad hiring decision….or do we? What about those candidates that we don’t hire? I learned this lesson years ago when I rejected on particular candidate who then continued to pursue a position with our company, was eventually hired by another region manager, and within 12 monthes was ranked in the top 5% of our 1,500-person sales organization. He re-introduced himself at our company’s Achiever’s Club trip with, “Hi remember me?” OUCH!!

Here are the most common mistakes sales managers make in the recruiting & selection process:

â–º Fail to try new methods of recruiting to increase applicant flow.

â–º Fail to identify hiring criteria (must-haves and nice-to-haves).

â–º Fail to develop targeted questions that uncover whether or not a candidate possesses the success charateristics.

â–º Fail to expose the applicant to the realities of the job before a hiring decision is made.

â–º Fail to identify indicators in past behavior that may indicate future success.

â–º Talk to much during the interview.

â–º Fail to poll others in the organization for their opinion on the candidate.

â–º Becoming distracted by daily pressures and short-circuiting the interview process.

Kevin Davis

Kevin F. Davis is the author of The Sales Manager’s Guide to Greatness”, which was named the 2018 Axiom Business Book Award Winner, Silver Medal. Kevin is also the author of Slow Down, Sell Faster!”.