Not All Assessments Are Created Equal: Choosing the Right Tool for Sales Hiring
Not All Assessments Are Created Equal: Choosing the Right Tool for Sales Hiring
Using the wrong assessment can cost you performance, time, and top candidates.
There’s no shortage of assessment tools available—personality tests, cognitive exams, gamified puzzles, and behavioral inventories. But if you're building a sales team, generic assessments won’t get you where you want to go.
Here’s how common tools stack up—and where most fall short for sales orgs.
Personality Tests
Tools like DiSC, MBTI, and Predictive Index are often used for team-building and communication style analysis. While they’re great for understanding interpersonal dynamics, they aren't designed to predict sales success. Sales requires behavioral adaptability, belief systems, and process discipline—not a fixed “personality type.”
Bottom line: Great for self-awareness. Not predictive enough for sales hiring.
Cognitive Ability Tests
Wonderlic and similar tools measure problem-solving and reasoning skills. They can be strong predictors of general job performance, but they don’t account for the behavioral complexity of selling. Worse, they may deter candidates or create bias without adding enough role-specific value.
Bottom line: Useful in theory, but not built for sales-specific roles.
Biodata Tests
Biodata tools ask about past experiences to predict future outcomes. These can work well when custom-built for a specific role—but off-the-shelf versions lack nuance, and building your own is time-consuming and expensive.
Bottom line: Promising when tailored, but not scalable without heavy investment.
Skills-Based Sales Assessments
These are the gold standard—when done right. Tools like SalesIndex measure sales-specific skills, such as:
Qualifying and discovery discipline
Comfort discussing money
Consultative questioning ability
Use of CRM, tech, and sales process adherence
Coachability and belief alignment
These tools simulate real-world selling behaviors and provide data that translates directly into action plans for hiring, onboarding, and development.
Bottom line: If it doesn’t measure the way a rep sells, it’s not worth your time.
