How to Hire Top Sales Performers: Insights from Dr. Christopher Croner

Hiring the right salespeople is one of the most critical—and challenging—tasks for any business. Sales roles come with unique demands, and the difference between hiring a high-performing salesperson and a poor fit can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.

In this episode of the 4M Strategies™ podcast, Carl J. Cox, CEO of 40 Strategy and 40 Accounting, talks to Dr. Christopher Croner, author of Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again, who explains how businesses can identify and hire top-performing salespeople. With a focus on the distinction between Hunter and Farmer sales roles, Dr. Croner offers a clear framework to help businesses make smarter hiring decisions.

Why Understanding Sales Roles Matters

Sales roles aren’t one-size-fits-all. Dr. Croner highlights the critical distinction between two key types of salespeople:

• Hunters: These individuals are focused on new account acquisition. They excel at prospecting, cold calling, and closing new deals. Hunters are ideal for businesses looking to expand their customer base and drive growth.
• Farmers: These salespeople thrive in maintaining and growing existing accounts. They are relationship-oriented and excel at building long-term loyalty with clients.

While both roles are essential, the Hunter role is often the most challenging to hire for. Hunters require a specific set of personality traits and skills that are not easily taught or developed.

The Three Non-Teachable Traits of a Hunter

Dr. Croner identifies three critical traits that every great Hunter salesperson must have:

1. Need for Achievement:
   Hunters are intrinsically motivated to succeed. They set high goals for themselves, surpass those goals, and then set even higher ones. They pursue excellence for its own sake and are driven by a relentless desire to achieve.
2. Competitiveness:
   Successful Hunters want to win. They thrive on competition, whether it’s outperforming their peers or persuading prospects to choose their solutions. This competitive edge drives them to go the extra mile.
3. Optimism:
   Sales is a profession filled with rejection, and Hunters must have the resilience to keep going. Optimism allows them to stay motivated and maintain confidence even after setbacks.

These traits, collectively referred to as “drive,” are critical for success in the Hunter role. However, they are also difficult to assess during traditional interviews.

Why Traditional Hiring Methods Fall Short

Salespeople are often skilled at presenting themselves well during interviews. They know how to “sell” themselves, which can make it challenging for hiring managers to discern whether a candidate truly possesses the traits needed for success.

Dr. Croner explains that drive—the combination of achievement, competitiveness, and optimism—is the most difficult trait to evaluate and the easiest for candidates to fake.

The Drive Test: A Better Way to Hire Salespeople

To address this challenge, Dr. Croner developed the Drive Test, an assessment designed to measure the non-teachable traits of top-performing salespeople.

How the Drive Test Works:

• Forced-Choice Questions: Candidates must select which traits are most and least like them, making it difficult to fake answers.
• Consistency Monitoring: The test evaluates whether candidates answer consistently, providing a reliable measure of their true characteristics.
• Detailed Insights: The assessment delivers a drive score, along with insights into traits like persuasion, confidence, and relationship-building skills (important for Farmer roles).

By using the Drive Test, businesses can screen candidates more effectively, ensuring that only high-potential individuals advance to the interview stage.

How to Use the Drive Test in Your Hiring Process

Dr. Croner recommends incorporating the Drive Test as part of a multi-step hiring process:

1. Assessment: Use the Drive Test to screen candidates for the non-teachable traits of a successful Hunter.
2. Behavioral Interviews: Follow up with well-constructed interview questions designed to evaluate specific skills and experiences.
3. Role-Specific Evaluation: Consider whether the candidate is better suited for a Hunter or Farmer role based on their traits and experience.

This approach helps businesses avoid hiring mistakes and build sales teams that deliver results.

The Risks of Hiring the Wrong Salesperson

Hiring a salesperson without the right traits for the role can be costly. A poor fit can lead to missed quotas, lost revenue, and wasted resources spent on training and onboarding.

Dr. Croner emphasizes that investing in a thorough hiring process, including assessments like the Drive Test, can save businesses significant time and money in the long run.

Real-World Applications

Businesses across industries have successfully used the Drive Test to improve their sales hiring processes. From startups to established enterprises, companies have found that identifying candidates with the right drive leads to stronger sales performance and better team dynamics.

Why You Should Listen to This Episode

This episode of the $4M Strategies™ podcast offers valuable insights for anyone involved in hiring or managing sales teams. Whether you’re a small business owner, a sales manager, or an HR professional, you’ll learn:

• The critical differences between Hunter and Farmer roles.
• The three traits that define top-performing Hunters.
• How to use tools like the Drive Test to hire smarter and reduce hiring risks.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here and take the first step toward building a high-performing sales team.

Take Action Today

Hiring great salespeople doesn’t have to be a gamble. By understanding the traits that drive success and using proven tools like the Drive Test, you can make smarter hiring decisions and build a sales team that delivers results.

🎧 Tune in now to the $4M Strategies™ podcast and discover how to hire top sales performers and grow your business.

Check out our list of Trusted Partners on our website, who can help with your sales team assessment. Our partners have expertise in one of 40 different areas, under 4 main buckets. Interested in being a Trusted Partner with 40 Strategy? 

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