In this day of multi-tasking and electronic communications, your sales people do not always have the opportunity to make the number offace-to-face presentations we would like them to. Often our communication is limited to emails and voice mails.
          To check the email and communications skills of potential recruits, I recommend you give each prospective sales person whom you interview, an email assignment.
          Ask them to send you a short, one page summary, outlining why they would be the best choice to add to your sales staff.
          The result can be quite revealing….both positively and negatively.
          It never ceases to amaze me how many errors and typos appear in these “pitches!”
            Even though the candidates have lots of time, emails have spelling and grammar check and the candidates recognize this is an important test, the results are often very disappointing.
          If their selling points are not well made in this important document, then you’ll know what to expect as the new recruit goes about his or her day to day business for you.
          This exercise will help you understand how clear and compelling the candidate’s communications skills really are, how prompt they are with their follow-up, and what their attention to detail is like.
          Remember, no one is as good as they look on their resume, and the ability to think on your feet isn’t enough to build strong client relationships today.