How to evaluate skills from a sales assessment and test

When screening applicants for sales positions, you must determine if they have the necessary skills, traits, and mindset. You can learn much about candidates during the interview by asking the right questions and listening actively to responses. 

However, your first impression of candidates doesn’t always reflect their ability to do the job. A candidate might be friendly and a good communicator, but how do you know if they can sell your product or service? 

One way to ascertain their fit for the position is to implement a sales assessment focusing on sales-specific skills, such as the Outside Sales B2B test. That way, you can make a more informed decision when shortlisting candidates for the available spot on your sales team. 

What is a sales skills assessment? 

A sales skills assessment tests candidates on specific skills to see if they have the ability to be successful salespeople. It assesses their prowess in the following soft and hard skills:

• Market research

• Negotiation ability

• Problem-solving skills

• Strategic thinking

• Active listening

• Verbal communication

• Creativity

• Leadership

With TestGorilla, you can assess your candidates’ sales skills using several tests from the test library. When considering the hard and soft skills to measure, such as negotiation and lead generation, you should review the best personality tests for sales teams to ensure you're getting a full picture of your applicants. 

Tests such as the Culture-Add test or the 16 personalities test reveal a lot about your candidates' personalities, helping you predict their behavior in the workplace and how they will enhance and add to the dynamic of your sales team.

Why are sales skills important?

Only some candidates have the ideal skills for sales work. The profession can be rewarding with opportunities like financial incentives and personal growth. It’s also a challenging career because it’s fast-paced, intense, and competitive. Individuals who excel in this field need to have the right mix of capabilities and characteristics to succeed.

Here’s why sales skills are essential when hiring the right candidate.

Builds good relationships with customers

Building a rapport with customers is a critical ability to look for in salespeople candidates because it contributes to customer satisfaction, loyalty, and increased sales. 

A positive relationship builds trust and generates a positive perception of your company. Customers who connect with a salesperson are likelier to feel at ease and buy a product or service. 

To achieve this goal, sales representatives require sales skills like verbal communication to convey product information and its value, engage customers, and persuade them to buy your product without being overly pushy or putting them under pressure. 

Active listening and empathy are also necessary to encourage honesty from customers, so salespeople can understand their needs, address concerns, form strategies to ease doubts and, ultimately, secure a sale that satisfies both parties. 

Drives business growth 

Salespeople aim to generate revenue, which they achieve by promoting and selling products or services to customers. However, this is only possible with strong communication skills to ensure customer engagement and negotiation to close deals.

Revenue generation directly affects the business’s bottom line by increasing profit potential. Research from McKinsey & Company shows that revenue growth is a crucial driver of company performance, revealing the link between an extra five percentage points of revenue and three to four percentage points of total shareholder returns. 

Good sales skills mean businesses can maintain consistent revenue, which can help forecast their financial health in the future, enabling them to make critical decisions, such as expanding teams, resources, and locations.

Strengthens company image

Salespeople are the face of your company because they communicate directly with the outside world, including existing and potential customers. Since customer loyalty is essential for success, you need people on your team who can build trust and credibility.

A positive company image can drive success because customers take your products and services more seriously. They’re also more likely to buy products or services repeatedly, write positive reviews online, and give word-of-mouth referrals, increasing your customer base.

It can also attract top talent to your company since passionate salespeople will want to join forces and work with you.

Secures more deals by overcoming objections

Salespeople regularly face rejection because customers don’t always want the product or service on offer. There are many barriers to securing a sale, including:

• Lack of need: The customer thinks they do not need the product or service

• Lack of trust: The customer feels skeptical, either about the product, the salesperson, or the company as a whole

• Lack of understanding: The customer doesn’t understand what the salesperson is selling

• Price: The customer believes the price is too high or they can’t afford to buy now

• Procrastination: The customer is not yet ready to commit to purchasing a product

Excellent sales skills will equip candidates to handle objections in the most appropriate way. For example, they may use their communication skills to explain the product or service in more detail, convincing the customer of its value. The ability to convey these benefits in a relatable way increases the likelihood of turning a prospect into a paying customer.

Fosters a positive sales culture 

Filling your sales team with skilled salespeople can foster a positive work environment. For example, experienced employees are more capable of meeting or exceeding targets, boosting motivation in a sales team, and collectively contributing to better performance. It’s also the case that engaged salespeople can make an 18% difference in sales.

Onboarding candidates with sales skills also brings valuable expertise to the team. Employees can learn from each other, inspire, share their top sales tactics, and work together to combat challenges.

What skills and traits are important for sales employees?

As you refine the hiring process and hone in on sales candidates' skills and traits, ensure you know what you’re looking for. From retail and wholesale to finance and pharmaceutical sales, the right employees will bring a diverse skill set to your company. 

Product knowledge

Salespeople need to understand the product or service they’re selling very well. Whether it’s a car or a skincare range, your candidates should fully understand what it is, how it works, its features, and its competitive advantages. 

With product knowledge, your salesperson can:

• Deliver an engaging sales pitch

• Answer consumer questions

• Secure orders

An ideal candidate will go above and beyond the basics to educate consumers about your product or service. 

For example, they might share their experience of using the product themselves, communicate extra details, and compare it to competing brands. If they are selling a cooking appliance, they may offer a presentation of the product in use, which proves how the item has solved their complex cooking need.

Market research

One way to strengthen product knowledge is to engage in market research. Salespeople must perform thorough market research to understand the current market conditions and industry trends and to familiarize themselves with competitors' goods.

Doing so gives salespeople an edge because understanding the market helps them:

• Position your products more effectively

• Provide relevant information to sway consumers

• Pinpoint what consumers want 

Depending on where the research goes, it can also help your company discover new consumers to attract and tap into niche markets. These actions result in increased revenue and enhanced brand awareness for your company.

Data analysis 

With analytical skills, sales employees can conduct market research more efficiently because they’ll be able to interpret data, identify trends, draw conclusions, and tailor pitches to match these findings.

Sales data analysis is a handy tool that can influence an entire sales team's performance. It provides insights that team members can use to drive decisions, improving the overall strategy for attracting customers and getting sales.

Networking 

Building your brand reputation relies on good connections with existing customers, potential customers, business partners, investors, and other industry professionals. Candidates need strong networking skills to maintain professional relationships with these groups, meet new people, and drive new business.

Networking is crucial for sales because it enables companies to connect with potential customers and deliver information.

For example, the team at Toshiba America Business Solutions decided to go beyond traditional communication methods, such as email and voicemail, to streamline communications across sales channels and broadcast information more easily. 

Using Jive’s Social Business Software, the company implemented a platform to improve communications and collaboration among Toshiba team members.

Communication

Communication is the cornerstone of being a good salesperson because interacting with people directly, either in person or over the phone, is a key part of the job. It’s not just about articulating the details of products or services – they must use their words to persuade customers to buy them and address customer needs and concerns.

Written communication skills are also necessary when sending emails, creating presentations, and making reports after collecting market data. Therefore, ensure your candidates are proficient in writing, including spelling and grammar.

Salespeople require a few other communication skills: listening to others, interpreting the information, and responding accordingly. Candidates with active listening skills will manage to understand customer needs and resolve issues, for example, if the customer had tried a similar product before and didn’t get results.

Presentation skills

A candidate might be good at selling products, but can they deliver engaging presentations to represent the company, showcase products, and leave a winning first impression? 

Assessing presentation skills in sales candidates is crucial because a successful presentation can attract new clients and customers, impress investors, and convey important information about your company. For example, it’s an excellent opportunity to educate people about the business and show why you’re the best business.

Time management

Since the sales sector is usually target-driven, picking out candidates who can manage their time, hit targets, and meet deadlines is integral. It requires a high level of organization to meet monthly, quarterly, or yearly sales quotas. Salespeople must dedicate themselves to prospecting and closing deals promptly, prioritizing these tasks above all else.

Candidates with excellent time management skills can better manage their time in high-pressure environments, and often, these skills may result in exceeding targets. The result is revenue generation, which means more profits for your business.

Patience

With looming deadlines to meet sales targets, desperate salespeople might pressure customers to buy a product. But if customers feel they need to rush into making a decision, they might lose trust and interest in buying from your company. 

So, it’s imperative to look for candidates with patience who can remain professional throughout the customer’s decision-making. Finding a balance between patience and persistence can be tricky, but the right candidate will show they have a mix of these traits.

Problem-solving

Problem solvers can handle the complexities that come with working in sales. For instance, a typical day might include problems such as objecting customers, rejection, unique customer requirements, and difficulties reaching an agreement when negotiating.

Sourcing applicants who can remain calm and collected when facing challenges, use logic to resolve challenges, and make decisions quickly will bode well for your company.

Creativity 

Creativity is important for sales employees because it helps solve problems, form strategies, overcome obstacles, and improve negotiation tactics. It’s also advantageous to have creative individuals on your team who can generate ideas to keep up with market changes. 

For example, you might need to reconsider your strategies to better align with digital commerce. Since 68% of B2B buyers prefer doing business online rather than with a salesperson, selling firms must modernize their practices to remain relevant and secure trade.

Multilingual skills

Proficiency in one or more languages is a bonus if your company is global, as your new hire can communicate with different markets, connect with more people, build a rapport with customers, and overcome language barriers. 

Skills and traits tests 

Should you use TestGorilla to streamline your pre-hire process, you can use many tests targeting sales skills. The following tests will help you hire a natural talent with strong selling skills to generate revenue and boost business growth. Consider them when creating your sales skills assessment test. 

Retail sales test 

If you’re looking for a sales consultant to work in a retail environment, the Retail Sales test can help. It focuses on the core relationship between the customer and the salesperson, evaluating candidates’ ability to connect meaningfully, listen actively, and understand customers' unique needs. 

For example, the ideal candidate will talk about products in a way that engages their customer, providing details such as sizing information or matching products to help the customer visualize how the product will work for them.

You can expect those who do well on this test to show genuine interest in your customers because it shows a firm grasp of what it means to build relationships. With candidates like this, you can ensure a loyal customer base and increased revenue.

B2C telesales test

The B2C Telesales test is ideal when recruiting telesales representatives because it studies if candidates can set targets, build customer trust, pitch products and services, and maintain professionalism when facing conflict, stressful situations, and rejection. 

Market research test

Use the Market Research test to see if your candidates can show their practical experience in market research. It will help you understand if they can navigate the business landscape and delve deep into consumer needs to outperform the competition.

The questions center on research initiation and planning, applying methodologies, and handling data to draw conclusions and recommend actions.

Microsoft PowerPoint test

Can your candidates create compelling presentations to showcase your goods or services? Test their proficiency using the Microsoft PowerPoint test, a valuable tool to reveal candidates’ grasp of the program’s technical aspects, including slides, slide layouts, and themes.

You can expect candidates who perform well in this test to make aesthetically pleasing and convincing presentations to drive your company’s message and promote your brand image.

Communication test

Hire effective communicators with assistance from the Communication test. This test examines oral communication, verbal communication, active listening skills, and the candidate’s ability to interpret messages and maintain professional etiquette. 

Communication is non-negotiable for salespeople, so prioritize this test in your assessment. 

Customer service test

Sales is a customer-led career that revolves around customer satisfaction and loyalty. Use our Customer Service test to find experts who will deliver an exceptional experience to your customers, securing new and repeat customers and surpassing the competition. 

The Customer Service test will tell if candidates can handle basic and complex inquiries, identify the root cause of problems, connect to people with genuine care and empathy, maintain a positive attitude, and ensure a positive impression of the company.  

Problem-solving 

The Problem-Solving test can help you discover applicants who can defeat problems, think logically, act quickly, and keep calm under pressure. To succeed in this test, candidates must answer questions correctly, fast, and without errors. 

Sales skills assessment FAQs

If you’re still curious about using a sales assessment, the following frequently asked questions might help.

At which point should I use a sales skills assessment in the hiring process? 

We recommend you use a sales skills assessment test early in the hiring process. When candidates apply for the open position, you can ask them to complete the assessment before moving to the following stages. That way, you only invite those to interview who can already show that they can communicate, research, network, and fulfill other sales-specific requirements to shine as a salesperson.

What are common mistakes to avoid when assessing sales skills in candidates?

To ensure you hire the best salespeople, avoid common mistakes during the hiring process, such as relying solely on resumes or answers to interview questions. It’s better to take a comprehensive approach to cover all bases, including reading resumes, interviewing, and skills-based hiring. 

With skills-based hiring, you can discover salespeople with the ability to succeed in sales.

How important is experience when evaluating a candidate’s sales capabilities?

Experience can significantly influence a candidate's capabilities when beginning a new sales role. With experience, candidates will better understand the sales process, how to interact with customers, and overcome common challenges. 

However, those new to sales can still be an excellent investment if they have personality traits like confidence, empathy, resilience, and excellent communication.

How TestGorilla can help you find the right skilled salesperson 

At TestGorilla, we can help you discover your next professional salesperson. Our skills and personality tests provide:

• A more thorough assessment: Checking resumes and conversing in an interview doesn’t always give a complete overview of the applicant. These hiring processes only show some of the applicant’s worth, whereas skills assessments point directly to the applicant’s ability to do the job.

• Data to drive your decisions: We provide analytics, rankings, and reports to give you clear insights into who will most likely perform well in the role. This data is instrumental if you can’t decide between two candidates. You can review their performance in the assessment and make a choice based on the results.

• A faster way to shortlist candidates: Sales positions tend to attract a high volume of applicants, which can put time and strain on you and your recruitment team. With screening tests, you can quickly rule out candidates without the essential skills you’re looking for and make a shortlist of those candidates with the best talents.

All you need to do is create your assessment by selecting tests from the TestGorilla library and await the results after candidates complete them. When the results are in, you can see which applicants have the skills and traits to bring to your company. There is no hassle – only data-driven results to inform your decisions.

Find your next salesperson with TestGorilla

Sharpen your recruitment process using TestGorilla and find your next professional salesperson promptly. Suppose you aspire to have confident, charming, and sales-orientated employees working at your company with a genuine incentive to satisfy customers and exceed expectations. In that case, we can help you find them.

TestGorilla has already helped thousands of companies to find their dream sales team, with employees who can secure customer satisfaction and loyalty, business partnerships, and a strong company image. 

We can help you discover these candidates through specialist tests that reveal hard and transferable skills.

Sign up today for free and begin building your sales assessment with access to 10 free tests and the option to include custom essay questions or multiple choice. Remember to incorporate some of the tests above for a deep insight into candidate suitability.