How to Assess Sales Skills – A Quick Guide

From sales development reps at the entry level to account executives, who often have more years of experience, the duties and responsibilities of salespeople vary. However, regardless of their position, all salespeople have the same objective: to create new business and revenue possibilities that support company growth.

Suitable applicants for sales representative positions have strong time management skills, outstanding phone skills, and an internal drive to close deals. They will also understand how to end the interview by politely expressing their interest in the next steps of the hiring procedure for the position and asking follow-up questions.

In this blog post, we’ll take you through the process of assessing your candidate’s sales skills before you make a hire. 

What is a Sales Assessment?

Evaluating a candidate’s sales competency is extremely important for HR hiring for the sales department. Tests for sales roles combine aptitude, domain, and personality questions to assess a candidate’s suitability for the position. Sales assessment tests are used during the hiring process to screen and narrow the field of prospects. Roleplays, situation judgment exams, case studies, and other methods for sales assessment are some of the ones that firms frequently utilize.

What Are The Necessary Skills Required To Be A Good Salesperson? 

Assessments for sales hiring evaluate aptitude, attitude, conduct, values, and abilities to assist your company in selecting the best salespeople.

Salesperson Skills 

Each salesperson uniquely approaches a sales call. Individual methods are crucial because they enable you to connect with customers on a human level. However, as demonstrated by studies, the seven essential selling talents that any salesperson should possess are those that all sales representatives share.

Product Knowledge 

You must thoroughly understand how a product or service functions and alleviates problems for potential clients before you can market it. Without such in-depth product knowledge, persuading potential customers to buy can be challenging.

You should have the opportunity to use the product personally or, at the very least, receive a thorough explanation of how the product appears to customers.

Communication Skills

This ability may come naturally to a salesperson. Still, far too many rely on a script to get them through conversations instead of investing the time to improve their communication abilities. The ability to deviate from the script and interact with the consumer effectively is crucial, even if a hand can be a beneficial tool during a sales call. Because each consumer is unique, the same script won’t always work for them, and you occasionally might need to use your communication skills to complete a purchase.

Time Management 

The practice of planning how to split your time between different activities is known as time management. Instead of selling a product, the salesperson typically deals with something more priceless. i.e., time, they should possess practical time management abilities, including

• Planning.
• Making choices and setting priorities.
• Establishing limits and refusing.
• Task delegation and outsourcing.
• Establishing a system and carefully adhering to it.

These abilities may increase production and cost-efficiency, fostering the conditions necessary for excellent performance.

Research Skills 

And lastly, excellent salespeople are skilled at everything from market trend analysis to making sales presentations.

Finding good-fit customers and getting rid of bad-fit ones requires strategic prospecting and company study. Strong research abilities allow you to identify consumers whose problems your solution addresses and to discover enough about their requirements to close the transaction eventually.

Even a sales pitch over the phone counts as a presentation in this industry, even though not every organization mandates sales presentations to individuals or groups. You’re describing the advantages a good or service has and urging everyone listening to pick yours over rivals. You can substantiate your points with the help of your research.

What Are The Different Types Of Screening Tests Available To Assess Sales Skills During Recruitment? 

Pre-Sales Testing 

A range of sales-related activities known as pre-sales occurs either before or throughout the sales cycle. The procedures you carry out to turn leads or prospects into paying clients may be included in these activities. This comprises prospect evaluation, data analysis, customer research, and sales prospect research. Presales tests can aid companies to determine a candidate’s potential in streamlining sales and enhancing connections with current and potential clients.

Sales Aptitude Tests 

There are many tools available to assess a fresher’s employability. The sales aptitude test is one such valuable tool. The sales aptitude test evaluates a candidate’s capacity for connecting with potential customers and upholding cordial business partnerships. This also depends on how a candidate responds to criticism and settles disputes. In addition to the aptitude exam, a psychometric test essentially characterizes a person.

Communication Tests 

Using communication tests, you can tell which of your candidates is most capable of expressing themselves clearly, efficiently, and professionally. More than simply writing, communication abilities should be tested on a good communication test. Find a choice that evaluates verbal communication, attentive listening, and visual cue interpretation as well.

Negotiation Skill Tests 

Candidates are assessed on their ability to negotiate skillfully in a professional setting to close deals. A negotiation skill test will also demonstrate to you which of your prospects can:

• Use emotional intelligence 
• Influence others 
• Drive dialogue and conversations between parties

Cognitive Ability Tests 

A cognitive ability test identifies the candidates most qualified to define potential clients’ issues and solve them to increase sales. It will gauge each applicant’s aptitude to:

• Establish priorities and follow an established system of rules.
• To arrive at decisions, analyze the data and use reasoning.
• Draw inferences from textual and numerical analysis 

Time Management Tests

A successful sales representative needs to manage their time well because there are constantly multiple demands on their time from different persons and tasks. To know whether a candidate can prioritize their duties and juggle various responsibilities, you should administer a time management test.

The following abilities of your candidates will be evaluated:

• Prioritization
• Execution\sPlanning
• Communication and introspection

How To Test Sales Skills With Pre-Employment Assessment Tools? 

To evaluate sales skills, first, select a platform for skill testing and create an evaluation.

You can create a single self-assessment and include soft skills tests and the other sales talents you’ve already selected in the evaluation.

If you wish to evaluate a candidate’s communication skills, add a communication skills test to examine sales skills.

Then you may invite prospects to take your assessment to see if they possess the best sales skills. Quality skills-testing platforms like Testlify will rank sales assessment test results so you can evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of each of your candidates.

Final Thoughts

You will save time and hire more effectively using an online skills assessment. If you don’t employ a skills test, you’ll be stuck sorting through a thick stack of resumes and won’t know if a candidate has the necessary skills required by the company until a few months after you’ve recruited them.
Assessment platforms like Testlify will speed up the screening process and aid in correctly identifying the best sales prospect.