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Sales management · Recruitment and selection

Test the skill the job needs, then ring the person who managed the candidate.

Employment tests and reference checks are the two steps between a good interview and an offer letter. A test shows what the candidate can do on the day; a reference shows what they did in the last job. This page covers the tests worth setting for a sales role and a script for the reference call.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

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In one paragraph

Employment tests and reference checks are the two steps between a good interview and an offer letter. A test shows what the candidate can do on the day; a reference shows what they did in the last job. This page covers the tests worth setting for a sales role and a script for the reference call.

A dealer in Hubballi hired a sales executive on the strength of one confident interview. Three months later the stock register and the invoices did not agree, and the old employer, when finally rung, said the candidate had left after exactly that kind of query. Nobody had made the call before the offer.

Two short steps would have caught it. A task that looks like the real job, set on the day, and a conversation with a former manager, not the friend whose number the candidate gave. The owner or the sales manager runs both. HR in a small firm is the accounts person, so give them the script and the sheet rather than the judgement.

This sits after the interview and before the scoring of finalists, which has its own page on the weighted scorecard. It replaces the habit of deciding from the interview alone and of reading the offer letter template as the last check.

Where this sits

Topic 4 of 14 in sales management: recruitment and selection. Hiring salespeople through a repeatable process.

The topic before
Sales force design

If you want this done for you

The last three hires interviewed well and could not sell.

Read the sales recruitment and candidate assessment page

The work

What this is actually like.

  • “Pick the test from the job, not from a brochure”

    A field rep for a building-materials dealer needs to quote a price with GST and a discount without a calculator, and to write a clear WhatsApp message. Set those two tasks. A fancy online battery tells you little about either.

  • “A psychometric test is not yours to read”

    Personality and aptitude reports need someone trained to interpret them. If you buy one, buy it with the interpretation from a qualified psychologist, and never reject a candidate on a single score. Without that, the report is a number you will over-trust.

  • “Former employers confirm dates and stop”

    A letter from HR saying the person worked from March to August is a fact, not a reference. The useful call is to the former reporting manager, on their mobile, at a time they can talk. Ask the candidate for that name and for one more you find yourself.

  • “A reference who is a friend answers the wrong question”

    Candidates choose referees who will say yes. Ask each one how they know the candidate, then ask the same five questions to everyone. When answers differ sharply between the supplied and the independent referee, that gap is what you were looking for.

What we do

What you end up with.

The documents this topic produces, what each one is for, and how you know it is finished.

  1. The test pack for one role

    Three tasks with the answer key: a quote with GST and a discount, a customer complaint reply on WhatsApp, and a five-minute role play with you as a hesitant buyer. A time limit and a marks column sit beside each task. The sales manager marks it, not the person who interviewed.

    Result: Finished when two people mark the same paper and the totals are within a few marks of each other.

  2. The reference call script

    One page with the questions in fixed order: how long and in what role, what they sold and against what target, how they handled a lost customer, why they left, whether you would take them back, and what you should watch. Space beside each question for the answer, the date and who called.

    Result: Finished when someone who was not on the interview panel can run the call from the page.

  3. The referee log

    A sheet with the candidate, each referee, whether supplied or independently found, the date reached, and a plain note on what was said. Failed attempts go in too.

    Result: Finished when every finalist shows at least one referee who was not supplied by the candidate.

  4. The pass mark and the knock-out list

    A written minimum for each task and a short list of things that end the process, such as a false claim about a past employer. It is decided before the first candidate sits the test.

    Result: Finished when you can explain a rejection to a candidate using only what is written on this sheet.

Why us

Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.

  • Marketing and sales, as one job

    Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.

  • The person on the first call does the work

    No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.

  • A baseline before anything starts

    Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.

  • The fee in writing, split three ways

    Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.

  • No guarantees we cannot keep

    The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.

  • One office, and we say so

    Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.

#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.

Your brief

Tell us what you need, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps about your business, what you want and who decides. Most questions are a tap, and you can skip any you would rather answer on the call.

Tell us what you needor call +91 80958 58589

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Is it fair to test a candidate for a field sales job?
Yes, if the task mirrors the job and every finalist gets the same one. Keep it short and respect their time. Rules on hiring differ by state and change, so check anything unusual with your own lawyer or adviser.
What do we do when the old employer will not speak?
Say thank you and try the former manager directly, or a colleague who worked beside the candidate. If nobody will speak, treat that as missing information and weigh it alongside the test and the interview. It is not proof of anything.
Do we need to tell the candidate we are calling referees?
Yes. Ask for permission and for the names before you call, and never ring the current employer without the candidate agreeing. Doing otherwise can cost them their job and you the candidate.
Is a test worth it for one hire a year?
Probably not a bought one. A homemade pack of three tasks takes an afternoon to write and is reused. Keep your own money for the cases where a mis-hire would cost you a territory.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts. For sales work it is mostly our time, with production only where scripts, decks or CRM setup need it.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
Fixes to reply time and follow-up are the quickest to show, because the enquiries already exist. Process, CRM and training changes show as the team uses them. Each one is tracked against the baseline.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
To start, last month's enquiries in any format and time with whoever handles them. After that, access to the accounts the work touches, such as the website, Google Business Profile or CRM.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

Where to go next

The work that carries this topic further.

Services

The rest of recruitment and selection

Or read all of sales management.

Your next practical step

Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.

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