Underperforming salespeople are perhaps the greatest cause of frustration to sales executives and financial loss to business owners. The cost of hiring and keeping a bad salesperson can range from six to seven figures annually. To make matters worse, many companies waste money by trying to train sales skills in people who will never improve.
Research shows that the most important factor for success is a salesperson's Drive – the inner fire that ultimately determines if he or she will thrive or fail. This critical trait is hardwired by adulthood, and cannot be improved with sales training. The job interview process must accurately evaluate Drive to identify future superstars and avoid underperformers.
Research shows that Drive is one of the toughest traits for interviewers to rate, and one of the easiest traits for candidates to fake. To make matters worse, many sales managers hire based on gut instinct. Thus, they are severely disappointed later. This book provides:
- Psychological research behind the three elements of Drive
- A valid hiring process for selecting top performers
- Interview questions to accurately determine whether a candidate is Driven
When it comes to hiring salespeople, the cost of failure is simply unforgivable. There's no one better to provide direction on reducing that risk than Dr. Croner. Buy this book. Read it. Use it.
– Tammy Bitterman, Founder and Managing Partner, The Acceleration Group
Improving sales force productivity is one of the most powerful drivers of organic growth and share gain. This book provides managers with valuable tools to impact this issue early – at the time of hiring.
– Ross Rosenberg, Vice President, Business Development & Marketing, Danaher Corporation
Salespeople have tremendous impact on the fortunes of an enterprise. Croner and Abraham have provided an eminently practical guide that will prove invaluable to anyone looking to build top-performing sales staff.
– Thomas Gruenwald, Vice President, Strategic Resources for Tellabs