Written by Ray Reed & Kelly Johnson
In my previous article, I laid out my proven strategy for sourcing quality candidates for your federal sales team. So, now that you’ve found said candidates… how do you know which ones will be a good fit for your team? Interviewing like every other sales team leader will get you the same results as any other team – but I want to help you build a rockstar team.
Here, I share my secret to great interviews: the process I used as a team leader and regional VP who took a team of 30 people from $5M - $40M in only five years.
Let's get into it.
1. A successful interview begins with clear communication. Your pool of candidates should understand each step of the interview process, starting with meeting the hiring leader/co-leaders to the discovery panel, which assesses their ability to ask insightful questions. It is critical to ensure that candidates both understand and agree to the process before you start interviewing.
2. Conduct your interviews face-to-face. This approach underscores the importance of the position in question and shows that you care about them as individuals.
This is how I did it:
a) I would arrange to meet the candidate at their hotel for a 7 am breakfast interview. I, however, arrived at 6:30 AM to observe the candidate’s punctuality. Being on time was essential—arriving late was a deal-breaker. Over breakfast, I inquired about their professional background, and I shared my vision for the team and their place within it. Crucially, I also surreptitiously assessed how the candidate treated the waitstaff.
b) After breakfast, I took them to the office, where, once again, I observed how they interacted with the receptionist. I introduced them to various team members, paying close attention to whether they treated everyone with respect. All these observations gave me insight into their character and mannerisms. As you’ve heard me say, I firmly believe that good people make great salespeople!
c) Next came a discovery call, a portion of which was dedicated to role-play that would give me a better feel for how they would (or wouldn’t) operate within my team and would respond in a wide variety of scenarios.
d) After the call, I would finally ask the hiring leader, “How well do you like this person?”. If the leader’s response was lukewarm, I would advise against hiring them. The hiring leader needs to genuinely like the candidate enough to invest time in their growth. If, however, they responded very positively, I’d ask them, “Do you have enough bandwidth to make this person a rockstar seller?”; and if the answer was yes, I would tell them that the hiring decision was theirs to make.
3. Train your team: the one you have or the one you’re building. A team is only as strong as its leadership, which is why so much of my work focuses on coaching team leaders. When I conduct a multi-day team training session, I help them establish a hierarchy of roles that will transform the way they sell – leading to unprecedented exponential growth.
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