how do you find a good salesperson?
tjic: I'm working through the Personal MBA program that was discussed here recently.Josh Kaufman suggested the book "45 Effective Ways For Hiring Smart", which I thought was really great.As I read it, I took notes in our internal wiki (I do this with all business books I read).The notes follow:concept   1. Rethink the position (does it need to be filled?)
   2. Find someone who can tell you when you're about to make a bad hire
   3. Would the process allow you yourself to be hired? 

pre-interview / resume screening   1. Make phone contact
   2. Ask for a letter & resume
   3. Give an assignment
   4. Read resumes in teams
   5. Cast the widest net
   6. Use caution with big changes (is this a huge leap for the candidate?) 


interview   1. Pre-interview interview (keep the initial interview very short)
   2. Walk around the office (to help candidate relax)
   3. Trust your gut
   4. The passionate candidate (...is great!)
   5. Ask all your questions at once
   6. Have fun (ask a few offbeat questions)
   7. Assign a mini project
   8. Seek closure (at the end say "we have five more minutes" and then pay a LOT OF ATTENTION to what is said at the end)
   9. Inappropriate Behavior (Beware it!)
  10. Strengths and weaknesses (pay attention ; each is the flip side of the other: "big picture" == "bad with details", etc.)
  11. Be the expert (ask questions in areas where you are an expert)
  12. Take notes - left side of paper: candidates answers / facts ; right side of paper: your thoughts
  13. Interview in teams
  14. Ask for a legal release
  15. Throw a few curveballs (walk candidate to his car ; get him/her out of interview mode)
  16. Ask for a return call / email "Send me a list of competitors / ideas / whatever 'on Monday'" (looking for promptness - 8am monday!)
  17. Assign a take-home project
  18. Psychological tests
  19. Use an Intuitive person to help you interview (in our case - Suz. Look at Strengths_Finder_for_various_folks
  20. Ask candidates "what will I hear about you when I check your references?" 

reference check   1. Devise a phone checklist for use with references
   2. Use the Internet to research people
   3. Perform due dilligence (credit checks, etc.)
   4. Ask for a call back from references "if this is an excellent candidate"
   5. Use your network to check on candidates (LinkedIn) 

end stage negotiations   1. Put problems on the table- talk to candidates about potential problems (because there WILL be problems with every candidate)
   2. Use a trial run on new candidates 

not for us / duh   1. Travel with the candidate
   2. Meet the spouse
   3. Handwriting analysis
   4. Meet references in person
   5. Invest in people - (duh!)
   6. Three rules
         1. honest
         2. no addiction / crime problems
         3. good health 
   7. Ten questions
         1. has candidate sued a lot of people?
         2. does the candidate dress well?
         3. is the candidate a druggie? test?
         4. is the candidate responsive?
         5. use a model of previous good hires to hire new candidates?
         6. offer hiring awards to current employees.
         7. put all job offers in writing
         8. use search firms, etc. ?
         9. review the hiring process ; don't let it get too idea-rich 
   8. Design your own system (Duh)
   9. Pre-interview combinations