The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes [53]
The best of the best are always seeking to be better, so another area to explore with them is how dedicated they are to self-improvement. Ask them what was the last self-help book they read or CD they listened to or DVD they watched. When I was a sales rep, I studied every one. Name a few top sales trainers; I had their CDs and was listening to them in my car or reading their books. I also constantly sought out self-help gurus. Some of their books and tapes—Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, in particular—changed my life. I read that book six times cover to cover.
This method of probing candidates’ personal lives and experiences from childhood opens them up in many ways. You will get a true sense of how people think and feel.
Now that they are more honest and unguarded, go through their résumé with them. Ask them the following questions:
Why did you leave your last three positions?
Were you unhappy? Why?
Tell me about a disappointment or disagreement you’ve had with a boss and what happened.
Name two weak points of previous bosses.
Name two instances when a supervisor criticized you.
The point here is to determine how they think and if they have good judgment. Recently, I was sitting in on an interview when a candidate gave this reply: “One time I had to get a boss fired because he was ruining the business.” After the interview, the sales manager told me that he wouldn’t hire that candidate because he feared the candidate might do the same to him. What would you do?
I asked him for all the details and I have to admit I thought the candidate did the right thing. His boss was a jerk and needed to be fired. We’ve all had bad bosses. But instead of just complaining, this guy stood up for the good of the company. Still, this is a difficult admission to handle as an interviewer because it may also indicate that the candidate is a troublemaker. Keep in mind that if you react negatively to anything candidates say, they’ll clam up or adapt what they are saying to what they think you want to hear. On the other hand, if you react positively, candidates are likely to expand on their comments. So be like an open book in this phase of the interview.
It’s easy to make mistakes in hiring; you will find that the “probe” approach reduces the number of bad hires. I start with their childhood and then go over their business background last. You’ll get more truthful answers that way. After you’ve bonded over their childhood, you’re more likely to get the straight story on every thing else.
Attack
Now we are at the end of the interview. You’re probed deeply. You may sense that you’ve found a high achiever, but you’ll often be surprised at what happens when you “attack.” Try saying something such as, “You seem like a nice person, but I only have one opening. I need a real superstar. While I’m sure you would do well in many endeavors, this is a very competitive industry and I doubt your particular skills and personality will hold up in this position. To be truthful, I don’t get the impression you’re really a superstar.”
Be tactful, but don’t be soft. You’ve be amazed at how many people crumble. Here you thought you had the perfect candidate. But when you tell them you don’t think they have the stuff, suddenly they agree and thank you for your time. Let that person go. Superstars never crumble. They have tremendous faith in themselves, and nothing can convince them they can’t do any job. When you tell them you don’t think they have the stuff, be prepared that they may think otherwise and may even be thinking, “Screw you, you jerk.” So sometimes you have to prompt them to come back. Simply say, “How do you feel about what I just said?”
Be careful to use a strong rejection instead of a weak attack like, “You haven’t convinced me yet.” This is an easy