There <i>Will</i> Be a Test Reduce turnover--and heighten success--by measuring motivation <i>before</i> you hire.

If you were to ask most sales managers about the most importantattributes they look for in a candidate for a job, you'dprobably hear adjectives like motivated, disciplined, energetic orhard-working.

What's the central theme here? Effort! Most managers willhire a rep without experience or industry knowledge as long as thatcandidate is willing to give 110 percent effort. If we couldmeasure a sales rep's effort before he or she was hired, wewould have one very popular product on our hands. Although no onecan predict the future, there are several practical ideas that willdramatically increase your chances for success by measuringcandidates' effort, creativity and energy before you hire.

• The presentation. After the first or second interviewwith a candidate, hand that individual one of your productbrochures. Explain that you'd like him or her to return in afew days to sell you the product. Don't give out any moreinformation. You want to see how much effort the candidate putsinto finding out about your company, product, needs and so on.Then, in the next interview, evaluate the following:
  • Amount of research, time and effort put into thepresentation;
  • How creative the candidate got with his or her approach;and
  • His or her selling skills, from start to finish.

  If you're interviewing an experienced sales rep, you mightask that candidate to sell you the product he or she is currentlymarketing. You can still use your own product as part of thisexercise to measure preparation and effort prior to the nextinterview. The key in both situations is to measure communicationskills, sales skills and effort. Of course, if the candidatedoesn't come back to sell your product, you've got youranswer.

• 30-day action plan. For the next interview, have thecandidate bring back a detailed outline of what he or she would doto ensure success by the end of the first 30 days after his or hertraining. This will not only evaluate the effort spent thinking andwriting about activities and goals, but also illuminate his or herthoughts regarding what it takes to get the job done.
• Why them? Why us? Have your candidates list 10 reasonsthat make them feel qualified for the job and what they can offeryour company. Then have them list several reasons why they want towork for your company, why that specific industry, why sales andmore.
• Field trip. After the second or third interview, havethe candidate spend half a day in the field with one of yourexperienced sales reps. Select one of your better reps and makesure that person goes through a typical day of sales calls(canvassing, customer visits and appointments). This is a greatchance to expose the candidate to a realistic view of the job-whilesimultaneously recognizing your sales rep as a role model. Anotherbenefit: The candidate may open up to the sales rep, who'll beviewed as a peer, about questions and concerns that might nevercome up during the official interview. Involving a senior sales repin the employment process not only helps the candidate make abetter career decision, but also helps to reduce turnover.

• Nothing's worse than investing lots of time, energy andmoney on an employee-only to see your efforts go to wasteseveral months later because the person you hired lacks internalmotivation. But by employing these four methods in the hiringprocess, you'll be able to measure motivation from the start.Think about it: When a candidate puts a lot of energy and effortinto getting hired, you're likely to see those same attributesdemonstrated on the job.