b'SELECTIONdation, and share specific information on the behaviorsTalent is everywhere. You just have to look in the right you should expect if you were to hire them.places. The larger your funnel, the better because you The very best instruments will also provide you withneed to talk to a large number of candidates to find actionable coaching strategies to maximize the individ- those select few with the specific talents you need. uals abilities and help them to achieve maximum per- It takes time in the front end, but it is much easier than formance once theyre on board.speeding up the process, hiring the wrong person, and getting stuck in the hiring cycle when that person leaves 5. Face-to-Face Interview(or is helped to the door). After the phone screen, jot down additional questions and areas of concern so you can formulate specific ques- Turning Talent Into Performancetions to address in this face-to-face interview. Its amazing what can happen when you have talented Then, set up another meeting in-person to dig deepercandidates on your sales team.andlearnmore.Askopen-endedquestionsthatWhen you have the right people in place, your sales allow you to learn about your candidates patterns oforganization will run like a well-oiled machine. You will behavior. Once you have a good understanding oftheexceed your goals and spend your time creating oppor-thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have been con- tunities with your reps, instead of solving problems that sistent for them in the past, you will have a much betterdont have anything to do with increasing revenue. Tal-ented people want to learn. They want to be trained and coached, and most importantly, they come to work Highly talented salespeople usuallyhappy and ready to do their very best every day. have a pretty successful careerWhen you start with talent, you end with performance already so they arent looking for a and a very successful sales organization. job. You have to find them and youLose sleep before you hire, not after. need to give them a reason to talkTheres very little to enjoy when filling an open position; to youeven when you dont haveit is a lot of work to do it right and it can feel nearly impos-an immediate opening. sible if you are also trying to cover the job responsibilities of that open position at the same time. But youll thank yourself later for investing the time to ensure that the new hires talent and fit are a good match to your spe-idea of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors you cancific needs.expect in the future. People are wired at a very early age and how they behave rarely changes over time. This is also a great opportunity to introduce other man-agers to your candidate and, if things go in the right direction, you should be prepared to address salary requirements and fit for the position. Although you will still be able to learn about their innate talents, this is an opportunity to gain information on their skills, knowl-edge, and experience as well. 7. Talent BenchAt this point, you can either add the candidate to your talent bench or extend an offer. The Simple Truth about Recruitment and Selection 77'