Salespeople don't speak HR, and YES - it matters!

Every HR leader I’ve worked with is an expert in people, culture, and process. But when it comes to hiring sales talent, even the best teams face an invisible challenge:

Sales candidates are trained to “sell” themselves just like they would to a buyer. Without the right interview lens, top-performing candidates can blend in with average ones - until it’s too late.

In my work with Talent Acquisition Managers and VPs of HR, one pattern stands out:

Hiring salespeople without applying a sales-oriented interview approach is like hiring a chef without ever tasting their food.

The strongest hires emerge when HR teams blend behavioral interview skills with a few proven sales evaluation techniques -

techniques that don’t replace HR expertise, but amplify it.

To truly see who can perform in the field, try adding these sales-specific questions to your next interview: 

• “What's your secret sauce to success? What makes you a top performer?"

• “Give me an example of a time you turned a ‘no’ into a sale - what exactly did you say or do?”

• “If I were a skeptical buyer, how would you earn my trust in the first five minutes?” 

99% of sales recruiters don’t ask these questions - either because they’re not sure how to handle the answers, or they’ve been told not to ask them.

The 1% who do? They’re at the very top of their game.

If you feel like it’s not your job to be asking these kinds of questions, feel free to ignore this opportunity.

But if you’re ready to take your role to the next level and hire sales talent with more confidence, this might be the best opportunity you’ll have this year.