We asked sales managers from organizations with top sales teams a simple question: What's the #1 quality you look for when hiring new reps? We asked for a 1 sentence response, and here's what we got.

1. What do sales
managers
look for when
hiring new reps?
actually
Tuesday, April 30, 13

2. The value of an AE is directly correlated to their
ability consistently ask the right questions at the
right time. In order to do this, an AE has to work
incredibly hard researching, preparing, organizing
the business around an engagement and paranoid
about where they spend their time.
richard terry-lloyd
vp of global commercial sales, zuora
tweet this.
Tuesday, April 30, 13

3. The #1 quality that I'd look for (or that I look for
when working with new reps) is desire. Experience
comes with age and opportunity and that is either
something you have or you don't. Attitude is
something you see on the outside when you're
interviewing someone (and that you can't always
believe). Desire is the one quality that you want
that you can see and hear in everyone. It's the one
quality that will cause someone to stay late, to look
for creative ways to solve new problems, to think
outside the box, to help others, and to push
themselves to succeed. You can't teach it; you've
either got it or you don't. And we want it.
doug landis
vp of sales productivity, box
tweet this.
Tuesday, April 30, 13

4. The top thing I look for in hiring sales people is, “Are
they a cultural fit?” It's easy to train people on a
sales process or on a new product, but it's hard to
teach people how to take coaching, be team players
or truly believe in the products or services the
company provides.
brian potter
account executive, salesforce
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Tuesday, April 30, 13

5. Listening. You can’t sell if you can't hear what the
buyer tells you.
craig rosenberg
founder & ceo, funnelholic media
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Tuesday, April 30, 13

6. I think the biggest single quality is they have to
have the ability to instill change. That applies both
internally and externally and includes personality
and work ethic.
steve sanders
account executive, linkedin
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Tuesday, April 30, 13

7. The best predictor of future success is past
performance!
chad burmeister
director of national accounts, on24
tweet this.
Tuesday, April 30, 13

8. Relevant experience, over achievement, and a
cultural fit are the qualities hiring managers look for
in sales reps.
carolyn betts
sales recruitment expert & ceo of betts recruiting
tweet this.
Tuesday, April 30, 13

9. lisa@radiusintel.com
Radius provides the only centralized view of data on over 20
million small and medium sized businesses in the U.S. to enable
marketers and salespeople to better connect with their
prospects.
Tuesday, April 30, 13