Charisma vs. Sales Skills: Identifying true sales talent for your startup

“You’re so outgoing (funny/personable/extroverted/etc.)! You should be in sales!”

People love to throw this sentiment around and if you fall under any of the a forementioned adjectives, at some point you’ve probably been told that sales is your calling.

More often than not, this is not the case. You could be all of those things and still not make a great salesperson. Sales requires more than charisma. Sales is a learned science. It requires experience and drive.

If you’re launching a startup and looking to hire salespeople, you must learn to dig deeper than first impressions when assessing whether someone should or could be a salesperson.

Here are a list of attributes to look for when selecting a sales team that go deeper than the initial impression…

1. Closing capabilities

Many people can nail the pitch because they’re passionate and/or knowledgeable about the product or service. But are they able to then push the conversation further? Can they ask the uncomfortable questions and face client pushback to close deals? Test your salespeople in practice scenarios and see how they handle the close.

2. Intelligence

This may seem obvious — of course you want smart people on your team. But the ability to articulate a great pitch and the ability to react on your feet and problem solve are two different things. Someone might be great at delivering a pitch, but lack the intelligence to back it up with thoughtful reactions to questions and feedback. Your team must have a firm understanding of the problems your product could face, and the objections that could be made to purchasing it. They also must understand the solutions to these setbacks. Intelligent sales people can do this, while simply charismatic salespeople can not.

Present your potential hires with problem solving questions during the interview process and test their ability to think on their feet. Put the pressure to gauge if intelligence and confidence shine through.

3. Small Talk

Surprising to some — many salespeople are not extroverts until they’re put in a position where they have to be. So, maybe this candidate isn’t naturally outgoing. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills to engage in small talk and build rapport with clients when needed. Test the small talk by leaving a few awkward silences in the interview process and observe how they react. Also, ask them open-ended questions to test their ability to create conversation. Asking them about their interests outside of work is a great way to get a feel for how they react to questions they haven’t prepared for.

It helps to have sales people that are likeable, outgoing, funny, personable, extroverted, etc., but spotting the true sales skills is the key to building a successful sales team. Look beyond the first impression when making your first hires, and with time, you’ll be able to identify a salesperson that’s truly talented — or maybe even become one yourself!