We've all been there - hiring a promising candidate that impresses in the interview, but then underperforms once hired. For Sales and Customer Service roles, this scenario can negatively impact revenue, profitability, and more importantly, customer relationships. The good news? It can be avoided! Hiring a successful Sales or Customer Service employee isn't as hard as you may think, and predicting their performance literally comes down to a science.

While Sales and Customer Service roles are not exactly the same, they both require similar attributes, skills, and personality traits to be successful. It's important to remember that these employees are directly representing your company to the public, and are working closely with customers and partners daily. These employees are especially pivotal for your company's growth, productivity, and reputation. So, what should recruiters and hiring managers be looking for when hiring Sales and Customer Service positions?

Confidence is key

Whether you're hiring a Sales Manager, a Retail Associate, or a Customer Service Representative, one thing is for certain: they need to be confident and sure of themselves. These roles are going to be asked difficult questions that need quick answers, and it's important the employee doesn't act apprehensive or unprepared when dealing with customers or clients. When employees are enthusiastic about their knowledge of your company and industry, it tends to rub off on customers, who in turn, want to get involved and purchase your product.

Strong social skills are a must

Sales and Customer Service roles will almost certainly be communicating with customers - whether it's face-to-face, over video, or on the phone. It's crucial that your hires are able to not only connect with others on a friendly and welcoming level, but can develop long-lasting relationships with customers as well. As important as having one great interaction with a customer is, employees need to build that customer's loyalty by being warm, helpful, cooperative, and open-minded. Would this pay off? Over 70% of customers agree they stay loyal to a specific brand because of friendly customer service employees. Additionally, half of all customers increase their purchasing with a brand after a positive customer service experience.

Persistence pays off

Working in Sales and Customer Service can be a fast-paced and demanding environment, so it's important to hire candidates that can remain focused and optimistic on the end goal. Successful Sales and Customer Service employees are persistent and determined. When they are knocked down, they're are able to get back up and follow-up with a potential client, or bounce-back after a difficult customer interaction. For those persistent salespeople, it does indeed pay off. In fact, an increase in customer retention of just 5% can lead to a jump in profit of 25%.

What other traits should I be looking for?

• Reasoning

• Dominance

• Outgoingness

• Liveliness

• Rule-Consciousness

• Perfectionism

How can Bryq help predict Sales and Customer Service performance?

Bryq knows that it's not easy to determine if candidates have these traits from only a resume and interview, so we've created the Sales and Customer Service Indicator. By adding the Sales and Customer Service Indicator to the Bryq Talent Assessment, customers will be able to better gauge their candidates in terms of reasoning, abstractedness, dominance, social boldness, apprehension, sensitivity, and more. Bryq’s candidate reports are easy-to-understand and will clearly explain how each candidate measures in terms of Sales and Customer Service, among other key traits.