Is Sales in Your Rep's DNA?

Hire your next top sales rep with these tips that put personality on top of the skills list.

By Stacy Straczynski

Despite of all of the Internet's wonderful convenience, you have to admit it's part of the reason business has become so impersonal. From online customer service chat rooms to e-shopping carts, customers are becoming more capable of completing all their business transactions with a machine. So where does that leave room for the sales rep? Will their job become a thing of the past? Not if sales reps have the personality to win sales and attract loyal clients.

Pete Kadens, president of Evanston, Ill.-based Acquirent LLC, a sales outsourcing solutions company, believes that organizations will always be in need of top-performing sales reps. "I do believe that you cannot sell or build rapport over the Internet," says Kadens. "You need sales professionals." And with the trend for sales outsourcing on the rise—Acquirent alone saw 309 percent growth since last year—it is increasingly important for organizations—such as Kadens'—to recruit the best.

But how can companies separate the top performing prospects from those who will later fall short? "Sales is about DNA—about the individual and their personality," Kadens says. Finding a sales rep with the right personality will get you farther than hiring one that merely looks good on paper.

Here are some tips from Kadens on what personality traits to look for when seeking that next "golden ticket" hire:



1. A Drive to Succeed
Look for candidates who demonstrate a drive to succeed in all aspects of life. "I'd prefer a person who had to wash dishes for long-hours than the president of a fraternity," says Kadens. Hiring managers should remember that a prospect's previously held job or extra-curricular positions—such as school council president—were not necessarily obtained by skill. It could have been a popularity contest.


Kadens speaks of one sales rep whose resume showed that he "failed at everything." He lost his high school student council election all three times he ran, and he was turned down by every frat in college. However, he started his own frat senior year of college and became its president. "He didn't give in to the pressure of failing," says Kadens. "Today he's one of my best salespeople and most hardworking." Now that's drive.

2. Work Ethic Track Record
Successful sales reps need to roll up their sleeves if they're going to reach and surpass their quotas each quarter. And those who already demonstrate a drive to succeed usually understand the work involved to achieve their goals. "Sales is tough. You have to have resiliency and a drive that you will not succumb to your prospects. It's my job to get [reps] back in the door the next day," he says. Reps need to have what it takes to be persistent enough to succeed.

3. Curiosity Won't Kill the Sales Rep
Let's face it—walking into an office and calling prospects all day, every day, can get repetitious. "If you're someone who doesn't like to do the same thing everyday—well, that's sales," says Kadens. He says having multiple interests outside of work is a key for sales reps to be successful. Look for applicants who are involved in a slew of different and interesting activities—such as hiking and camping. "[Sales] gets tough—repetitious. Reps need to have something to do to get away that allows them to come to work again the next day and repeat," Kadens says.