sales assessment tests

  • Data Shows That Only 14% are Qualified for the Easiest Selling Roles

    • November 15, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Lays Potato Chips.  Movie Theater Popcorn.  Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies.  BBQ Ribs.  Fudge Brownies.  Rolos (a personal favorite from years ago).  All junk food which, after having the first one, you just can’t stop there. You must have more.  Lays even had that as a slogan back in the late 60’s – “Bet you can’t eat just one.”  Back then I couldn’t stop at one.

    Last week I wrote an article that said companies are hiring the wrong salespeople 77% of the time.  It was very popular and there was a great discussion on LinkedIn but similar to the junk food, you couldn’t read that one article and move to another subject.  You need to have some more.

    That article was filled with data to illustrate the differences between good salespeople versus those who actually get hired most of the time.  It was ugly and there were questions about the 77% like, “Where does that come from?”

    Some of the supporting data came from the CSO Insights 2018 Sales Talent Study.  Some of it came from Objective Management Group’s evaluations and assessments of 1.8 million salespeople.  And I’m going to show you some data that most people never get to see.  Take a look at these wild numbers!

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  • Why Can’t We Hire This Sales Candidate?

    • July 22, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We interviewed him; she’s from our industry; we really like him; but your assessment says she is not recommended.  Why can’t we hire her?

    That’s probably the single, most frequently asked question that we hear.

    So, to answer the “Why can’t we?” question, there are two more questions:

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  • Personality Tests, Sales Candidate Selection – How Tests Measure Up

    • June 17, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    As with costumes, you only need to take off the mask and you’ll see what’s underneath.  No exceptions.  No apologies.

    Personality tests aren’t predictive either.  Oh, they say that they are?  Then why is their validation of choice “construct validity” rather than “predictive validity”?

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  • Latest Research on Personality Assessments for Sales Selection

    • April 15, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Two articles caught my attention today.

    The first, 10 Traits of Successful Salespeople, was typical of the misinformation that often passes for must-read information:

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