Sales Test Online

FAQs

How does SalesTestOnline.com work?

Psychological research dating back more than half-a-century has proven that people with similar behavioral traits respond to “symbols” in a consistent and measurable way. When an applicant completes the sales test his/her responses elicit a “read” of certain trait drives (assertiveness, sociability, dependence etc.). These trait drives determine his/her suitability for certain sales activities (prospecting, closing, etc.). Your ideal target profile mirrors this by comparing the applicant's sales personality to the “ideal” style as determined by our analysis of your sales position.

What does your sales test measure?

Our sales test measures personality traits linked to temperament and motivation, such as assertiveness, sociability, sense of urgency, dependence, emotional maturity and stamina. All of these factors and others are measured and evaluated in keeping with the requirements of your particular job. SalesTestOnline.com relates these traits to important sales activities such as prospecting, closing, working on commission.

How long does the sales test take?

The sales test is un-timed but typically takes about 10 minutes. Results of the sales test are available immediately.

Don't sales people know what to answer on a sales test?

People will attempt to provide the “right” answers during interviews or when completing a sales test. SalesTestOnline.com's sales test is designed to take this into account, cut through the applicant's facade and measure their true sales personality.

What if I have questions about the results of a sales test?

We're here to assist you. Send us an e-mail or phone us directly at 416-691-3661. We are available 9-5 EST. We are very pleased to assist you with any questions about sales test results.

How can such a short sales test give me any useful information?

There is very little connection between the length of a sales test and the usefulness or comprehensiveness of the information that it measures. A lot of the very long tests are measuring learned skill. These sales tests are long due to the way they need to be constructed to measure this kind of information. The “broader” a sales test is in regards to the areas it is measuring, the longer it can tend to be. Our sales test is short because while the information that we measure is very important it is narrowly focused on the sales personality area. In effect our sales test is “narrow but deep” in what we measure. This enables us to get a lot of information from a seemingly quite simple sales testing instrument.

What is the cost of the sales test?

We charge a small fraction of what you would pay others for a comparable sales testing service. Our sales test is available in blocks on a sliding discount basis. Click here for pricing information.

How long have you been in the sales testing business?

We have been in business since 1986. We presently have approximately 1400 companies using our sales test worldwide.

Are you psychologists?

Our sales test was developed by a team of Industrial Psychologists, but we are not psychologists. We are the paralegals of the psychology world. We do sales testing very well, but few of the other things that psychologists do. In fact, in a typical day we conduct more sales tests than a busy Industrial Psychologist would do in a year.

Can I use the test for other jobs?

You can use SalesTestOnline.com for as many different jobs as you want. Each role is custom profiled to identify your Target Profiles. There are two report formats, sales and non-sales. You decide which format you prefer for that job.

Is the sales test available in other languages?

Yes, currently the sales test is available in 6 languages. English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch.

In what countries is SalesTestOnline.com available?

Our sales test is available online anywhere in the world.

What if several people need to look at test results?

No problem. Each position that you want to test for has a Main Recruiter and as many Co-Recruiters as necessary. This means that when an applicant takes a test the Main Recruiter and all Co-Recruiters can log in to view the results. As well, from within an applicant report you also have the ability to email the results to multiple other people.

I am a very experienced interviewer, why do I need a sales test?

Even the most experienced interviewer can be fooled by a job applicant's role-playing abilities. As an interviewer, you can only make decisions based on what you see. Unfortunately in many cases the person you see in the interview today is very different from the person you are actually working with in 2, 3 or 4 months. In any case, even if the sales test confirms everything you saw in your interview, SalesTestOnline.com is useful as more than just a hiring tool. By identifying and describing the person's sales personality strengths and weaknesses it can be thought of as a developmental tool that serves as a “road map” to get the new employee up to speed as quickly as possible.

Do you have different sales tests for different sales jobs?

The same sales test instrument is used for all sales jobs, however, we analyze your specific sales position and set Target Profiles that are unique to your requirements for that job. Our user-friendly online Job Profile Form lets you tell us about your company's culture, products, market and management systems and then our experts establish the Target Profiles based on a clear picture of the sales role.

Our top salespeople are quite different from each other yet they are all successful. How can you set a profile for our sales jobs?

Our experts will establish a number of ideal target profiles that contain the common qualities among your top salespeople, while downplaying some of their less positive attributes.

Is this just for applicants or can it be used for employees too?

SalesTestOnline.com is used primarily on job applicants, yet a very high proportion of our clients also test employees. Managers can use SalesTestOnline.com to identify the best approach to manage, motivate, train and develop each employee. SalesTestOnline.com also uncovers potential problems and issues that should be addressed. If you have an under performing employee, SalesTestOnline.com will help you develop an action plan. If you have a high potential employee, SalesTestOnline.com will help you understand how to use that person wisely and how to look for similar traits in future job candidates.

Does a person's state of mind affect the results?

Mild personal stress, work stress, low morale or other factors that create a temporary negative state of mind do not seriously impact a person's assessment. Occasionally, extreme financial, marital, health or family stress may cloud an individual's underlying personality traits. In such cases, we may not be able to obtain an accurate picture of the applicant's style at that particular time. In this type of situation we recommend that the person be re-tested in the future when they are likely to be out of this stressed state.

Don't job applicants balk at taking a sales test?

Not in our experience. In the 30+ years we have been doing this we have not had one reported case of a job applicant refusing to take the sales test. SalesTestOnline.com is designed to be non-offensive and non-intrusive.