How to find a salesperson who actually delivers
Sales recruitment may well be the trickiest form of hiring. It’s precisely with commercial profiles that the temptation is strong to go by a good first impression, and that’s exactly where it often goes wrong. Because someone who sells themselves smoothly in an interview isn’t necessarily a strong salesperson in the field. In this blog I share how I look at sales recruitment after all these years, and how to greatly reduce the chance of a mishire.
Why sales recruitment so often goes wrong
A job interview mainly shows how someone sells themselves to you. A CV shows where someone has worked. Neither reveals how someone actually behaves in a commercial role: do they keep going after a no, do they follow up with customers in a structured way, do they take ownership of their own numbers? You only see that months later, and by then a wrong sales hire has already become expensive in time, energy and money. That’s why, in sales recruitment, I always work with a second pair of eyes: a sales assessment that doesn’t fall for a smooth chat.
The biggest mistake in sales recruitment: looking for THE perfect salesperson
They don’t exist. A strong hunter isn’t automatically a good account manager. A true farmer is rarely happy doing cold prospecting. And someone who excels at technical solution selling doesn’t necessarily fit fast transactional sales. What you’re looking for depends entirely on the role, the market, the sales cycle and the type of customers. Sales recruitment is therefore not about “is this a good salesperson?”, but “is this the right salesperson for THIS role?”. My sales assessment therefore translates each profile into concrete archetypes (hunter, farmer, dealmaker, solution seller, technical sales, executor) and indicates, per role, whether someone is a fit, a fit with points of attention, or less of a fit.
A personality test is not a sales test
A common misconception: using a general personality test to assess commercial talent. A 4-colour test or a Big Five personality test is very valuable for opening up a conversation about communication and collaboration, but it isn’t built to predict whether someone will perform well in a sales role. In sales recruitment you want a tool that specifically measures commercial behaviour.
How an assessment makes your sales recruitment more objective
The sales assessment measures 12 commercial competencies through 180 behavioural questions, in about 25 minutes and online. You see what type of salesperson is in front of you, in plain language: “strong on follow-up, cautious with cold calling”. No woolly conclusions, but something you can act on right away, whether it concerns a hire or a coaching conversation. This makes sales recruitment both faster and fairer, and you back every choice with more than a gut feeling.
Sales recruitment AND developing your team
You can use an assessment not only with new candidates, but also with existing salespeople. In sales recruitment it helps to gauge a commercial match before you hire someone. In development it maps the growth areas of those already on board, so you can coach more precisely. Want to look beyond sales alone? Then also check out my other assessments.
Ready to sharpen your sales recruitment?
Would you like to try the sales assessment on a candidate or on someone from your own team? Feel free to send me an email or buy a test right away.
If you’re a company and would like to request more assessments, you can order them through our portal.
I’m happy to take a look with you.
About the author
Nancy Steels is the owner of TalentTester and has 25 years of experience in recruitment & selection. She has worked with SMEs and large organisations in Belgium and supports teams and managers in using personality instruments that genuinely say something.
Last updated: 26 June 2026