The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

A spot opens up on the sales team and the hiring manager needs to fill it. Fast. They look over their talent bank, find a few candidates, look over their Sales Talent Assessments, and decide who has the sales talents they need.

One is available.

Hired.

That’s it but for the onboarding, right? Unfortunately, no. Finding new talent for a sales team involves more than just finding a talented person who wants the job. It’s also critically important to find talent that will fit on the team.

According to LinkedIn, “We (need to) focus on understanding how a new team member would shape or contribute to the existing culture of a team and how the team dynamics might be affected. Fit within a job, team, and work culture represents the difference between a bad hiring decision and an outstanding career.”

How do you know if a new hire will “fit” on your team?

Know Your Team

Before you can begin to understand how someone new will fit (or not) on your team, you need to understand your team dynamics. Your team has a lot of diverse talents, but a few are important to focus on. If possible, create (or reach out to your friendly neighborhood talent analyst to create) your team’s talent composite. Seeing your teams’ composite talents on one graph can be eye-opening.

Maybe you always knew your team was competitive but didn’t realize they were that competitive. Or maybe you felt a certain negativity on the team but didn’t realize how little talent for positivity they had.

With your team composite in hand, think about: first, what talents do my new hire need to fit on my team, and second, what talents do I want to add to my team? Using a Job Analysis and Spec Sheet can help to define your must-have and preferable talents.

Now, think about the team and a few make-or-break talents:

• Competition: A team of strong competitors will be focused on winning, personally and as a team. A new hire with soft competition may see them as mean and be uncomfortable on the team and they may see that new hire as unmotivated and lazy.
  
  
• Work Ethic: To a team of hard workers who enjoy work and don’t shy away from longer hours, someone with soft Work Ethic may appear slow, leisurely, or downright lazy.
  
  
• Positivity: A positive, upbeat team needs more positivity, not less. A person with soft positivity is more likely to complain and may have a negative approach to problems. Simply put, the team may not like them.

What other talents are either Intense or weak for your team? Intense team talents tend to need alignment with your new hire, while team weaknesses can sometimes be assisted by a talented new hire. Arrange for a team composite review with a certified Talent Analyst to discuss team fit.

Know Your Culture

Every company and team has a culture. Smart companies and teams have an intentional culture.

Companies are realizing that games in the break room and casual Fridays are not what people are looking for when it comes to culture. What is the personality of the team, what do you prioritize?

Talents play into culture but don’t necessarily tell the whole story. If you have not defined your team’s core values and mission statement, set up a time to discuss and refine them. What is important to you as a team?

Once you understand your team’s culture, you can focus on hiring people that will fit with your organization and enhance your culture. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean hiring people who are all the same. People who share your core values but come from diverse backgrounds will contribute to a stronger culture.

The better you understand your team's strengths, weaknesses, and culture, the more intentional you can be in hiring. And by making strong new hires that “fit”, but better your team and culture will be.

Get started on your path to better hiring and watch your team thrive.