When I first started my sales career, I wouldn’t have labeled myself as the typical salesperson. I thought my bubbly and friendly personality contradicted the typical sales persona. Then I entered sales. I quickly realized everyone contributed their own unique approach to selling, regardless of style.
As I interviewed for different jobs in sales, I discovered there are numerous ways to determine if someone was suited to sales. I took personality quizzes, participated in mock interviews, and engaged in role-playing exercises to determine if I was the right candidate for the role. But I also learned that the right salesperson for the job often depends on the company, the product or service, and the target customers.
In this post, I’ll share the five best sales skills assessments for hiring top talent, plus I’ll walk you through a living template for your hiring process.
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What is a sales skill assessment?
A sales skill assessment is a structured evaluation of an individual’s sales-related abilities, knowledge, and potential, used by companies to identify strengths and weaknesses in candidates or current employees. It can inform hiring, training, and development decisions. It typically involves tests, simulations, or interviews that assess core competencies such as communication, negotiation, objection handling, and closing techniques to predict future sales performance.
Sales Talent Assessment Tools
As a sales or hiring manager, you can leverage various tools, including skill assessment software, to evaluate candidates for acumen and agility. You can use sales scorecards, formal tests, and take-home assessments to help you find top talent.
Here are the tools you can use during the interview process.
1. Sales Skill Assessment Scorecard by HubSpot
Download Your Free Sales Candidate Scorecard Here
The simplest way to begin testing for sales ability is by using a sales scorecard at every stage of the interview process. Downloadable in an editable Google Docs format, this free scorecard from HubSpot can be customized for any sales role at any seniority level. You can change and even remove list items as you see fit, then print it out for filling by hand.
I think this scorecard is ideal for testing general aspects of the candidate, such as their level of adaptability and tenacity. Afterwards, you’ll be able to expand on your assessment by listing out the strengths and gaps you uncovered in the interview in a bullet-point-friendly questionnaire.
2. The Caliper Profile by Caliper
The Caliper Profile is a sales assessment that allows you to test different skill sets depending on the role you’re hiring for, such as a consultative sales executive or a technical sales representative. Delivered either online or in person, this test can be used as a take-home assessment or a proctored assignment. You can deliver it during the interview process and wait for the candidate to finish it right then and there.
I find this assessment impressive: It evaluates 280 behaviors, 56 competencies, and 21 behavioral traits, ensuring that you miss nothing about your candidates. However, this thoroughness comes at a premium cost, and you’d have to inquire with Caliper to find out the exact fee per candidate. For that reason, I recommend using it in the middle or final rounds, when your candidate pool has been whittled down to fewer than 10 people.
3. SalesDNA by MTD Training Specialists
If you’re looking for a free sales talent assessment that candidates can complete at home, look no further than the free SalesDNA assessment by MTD Training Specialists.
While not as comprehensive as the Caliper Profile, this test looks at 64 key sales skills, which will effectively give you an understanding of how likely candidates are to succeed in the role.
Because of its high level of specificity, I think it’s ideal for intermediate-to-advanced sales candidates with at least 1–2 years of experience in sales. The questions right away assess a candidate’s ability to identify buying signals and handle objections, which is not a good fit for recent graduates or new entrants to the field.
Once your candidate has completed the questionnaire, the results will be sent to their email, at which point they can forward them to you. Just make sure to instruct them to check the box that reads, “I give you permission to email my personalized report” on the initial screen.
4. The DriveTest® by SalesDrive
The DriveTest is a sales talent assessment that includes 42 questions and takes no more than a half-hour to complete. For that reason, it’s ideal for delivering to candidates during the interview process and receiving their responses right then. However, if you’d like to give it as a take-home test, you can easily do so using SalesDrive’s portal.
I like how the assessment gives you an overview of a candidate’s level of drive, which is broken down into three categories: Need for achievement, competitiveness, and optimism. It also tells you whether the candidate is more of a “hunter” or a “farmer.” This is critical for understanding the candidate’s chances of being successful in your specific sales culture.
5. SalesGenomix® by SalesGenomix
The SalesGenomix skill assessment allows you to test candidates for 14 potential sales roles, including inbound sales, outbound sales, indirect sales, account management, territory sales, and even customer service. I think this makes it one of the most versatile skill assessments on this list.
You can order a test at $249 per candidate using the company’s self-service portal, making it ideal for small businesses whose hiring processes don’t require a large, enterprise partnership with a sales test issuing authority. However, if you are an enterprise firm, you can partner with SalesGenomix to consistently issue these assessments to your talent pool.
In the results report, SalesGenomix gives you a recommendation for hiring and a score for specific success factors in sales. You can then read a more comprehensive evaluation of each of these factors.
Now that you have a few tests you can use to assess your sales talent, how do you carry out the sales skill assessment cycle? Because it’s not just delivering the test. It’s about evaluating candidates throughout the whole process.
Here are the steps I recommend you take in your next hiring process.
Sales Skill Assessment Template
The following sales talent assessment template begins with the emailing phase of the recruitment process, up until a field day at your company. At every stage, you’ll be measuring up the potential of a candidate, even without necessarily giving them an assessment to complete.
1. Initial Written Communication Assessment
Most sales representatives use email for the majority of their communication. So, one of the first things you should test is a candidate’s ability to write clear, concise messages. Starting with initial outreach, be aware of their communication style and possible red flags.
Exercise: Examine the way your candidate responds to written communication without explicitly saying you’re examining them.
What to Look For
- Audience awareness. Do they adjust their response depending on who they’re writing to (prospect, manager, peer)?
- Flow. Is the writing structured so it’s easy to follow from start to finish?
- Details matter. Spelling, grammar, and formatting show care and professionalism.
- Clarity and understanding. Do they make their point without dragging it out?
- Tone check. Does the message fit the situation (personable, professional, confident, respectful)?
Red Flags
- Bare minimum effort. Short, one-liner replies that show little engagement.
- Sloppiness. Typos, missed grammar, lack of proofreading.
- No empathy. Misses cues or ignores the recipient’s perspective.
- Generic responses. Feels copy-pasted with no personal touch.
- Confusing language. Hard to follow or vague.
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2. Initial Verbal Communication Skill Assessment
While most communication happens via email, deals are ultimately closed on the phone. For sales reps to be successful, they’ll need to be comfortable and confident during phone calls.
Exercise: Treat your initial phone screen as if the candidate is giving you a demo of themselves. Ask a few tough questions, and you might even throw in a few objections to see how they respond.
What to Look For
- They communicate clearly and keep their answers concise and to the point.
- They listen and acknowledge your questions before jumping in.
- They bring curiosity and ask thoughtful questions back.
- They remain composed when challenged, adjusting rather than shutting down.
- Their personality comes through authentically.
Red Flags
- Responses sound stiff or scripted.
- They get defensive when pushed.
- No genuine curiosity — they don’t ask meaningful questions.
- They interrupt or miss details.
- Low energy, hard to stay engaged.
3. Take-Home or In-Person Assessment
Once you’ve moved a candidate to the middle stages of your interview process, evaluate the specific skills needed for the role.
Depending on the role, it might make sense to start with an exercise they can do at home. For example, if you’re hiring a business development representative who will spend most of their time prospecting and emailing, give them a written exercise to show their potential.
Here’s an example of an exercise you can give a potential BDR:
“You work at a B2B IT retailer who is launching their newest addition to their catalog: EnterpriseLaptop Pro with 128 GB of RAM and 3 TB of storage. Develop an ideal client profile for the product, create a list of five companies that fit the ICP, find a stakeholder at a prospect company to reach out to, and write a prospecting email to that stakeholder.”
Exercise: You can either create a custom question, as exemplified by the BDR test above, or you can use a premade assessment like SalesGenomix or the Caliper Test.
What to Look For
- The candidate has followed all instructions.
- Evaluate their communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
- See how their voice and sales style come through the practice.
- How do they handle the specific parts of sales, like prospecting, outreach, and objection handling?
- Does their work seem like a good fit for your team and company culture?
Red Flags
- Missing or incomplete items on the test.
- Poor, insufficient, or incorrect responses.
- Misunderstanding of the task.
- Bare minimum responses.
4. Role Play
For reps who will spend a lot of time on the phone — especially reps in a closing position — I highly recommend including role play in the interview process. A rapid succession of tough (or unique) objections demonstrate how the candidate will handle edge cases.
Exercise: A successful role-play exercise incorporates the following tips:
- Role-play in a comfortable setting, potentially over the phone, or in a conference room.
- Give the candidate a scenario and agenda to review beforehand.
- Act like a typical prospect and offer reasonable objections.
- Pause in the middle, provide feedback, and run the exercise again to see if they incorporated the feedback.
What to Look For
- The candidate feels at ease and can roll with the setting — whether it’s over the phone or in a room.
- They’ve clearly taken time to review the scenario and agenda beforehand.
- They listen closely, acknowledge objections, and respond in a way that feels genuine.
- Objections don’t deter them — they stay confident and professional.
- When you pause and give feedback, they actually apply it in the next run-through.
- They strike the right balance between being personable and persuasive without coming across as pushy.
Red Flags
- The candidate seems overly nervous and struggles to adapt.
- They skip over the agenda or miss key details in the scenario.
- Objections make them defensive or dismissive.
- They talk over the “prospect” instead of asking thoughtful questions.
- They don’t adjust after receiving feedback.
- Their approach feels scripted, forced, or overly aggressive.
5. Mock Pitch
A mock pitch can be a fun activity to do with candidates you’re interviewing for a closing role. Experienced sales reps should enjoy the challenge of presenting in front of the hiring team.
To make things fair, ask them to pitch something other than your product. The subject of their pitch could be imaginary or a well-known brand. And, make sure to schedule it in advance so your candidate has a few days to review the product and the prospect (i.e., you and your team).
Exercise: Test a candidate’s presentation and closing ability by having them present a mock pitch to a team of stakeholders in your office. Use a made-up product to remain as impartial as possible.
What to Look For
- Shows confidence and presence, engaging, composed, and energetic.
- Delivers a clear, structured pitch (intro → value → close).
- Adapts to the audience by adjusting tone and examples for different stakeholders.
- Listens and responds thoughtfully to questions and objections.
- Closes naturally — guides conversation toward next steps without force.
Red Flags
- Pitch feels scripted or robotic.
- Lacks confidence — filler words, nervous body language, avoids eye contact.
- Feature dumping. Talks about features instead of value/benefits.
- Ignores stakeholders. Doesn’t engage different audience personas.
- Weak or missing close; avoids securing next steps.
- Poor objection handling; defensive or struggles to answer questions.
6. Field Day
During the very final stage of the interview process, ask candidates to spend a few hours shadowing one of your reps. This doubles as an opportunity to judge culture fit as well. Having a “day in the field” gives your team a chance to meet the candidate and get a feel for how they’d contribute to the team.
Exercise: Invite your most desired candidates for a day at the office. Create controlled environments for them to speak to real prospects, giving you a window into their estimated ramp time.
What to Look For
- Communication. Are they clear, confident, and engaging with prospects?
- Adaptability. Can they think on their feet when things don’t go as planned?
- Curiosity. Are they asking the right questions to understand the prospect’s world?
- Coachability. Do they take feedback and actually apply it?
- Energy. Are they bringing positive energy without being overbearing?
Red Flags
- Unpreparedness. Unable to articulate the value or basics of your product.
- Poor listening. Talking over the prospect or missing cues.
- Defensiveness. Responding with pushback instead of adjusting to feedback.
- Inconsistency. Can’t follow a process or adapt to different scenarios.
- Low energy. Disengaged or not showing desire to learn.
It’s time to assess your sales talent pool.
As you structure your interviews, remember that competition for top sales talent is fierce. It’s important to balance interview diligence with moving candidates through the process efficiently. Use these skill assessment exercises, and you’re sure to streamline your hiring process and attract top talent.
The sales skills assessment template I laid out above provides you with a framework to identify top sales talent. When you know what to look for, these assessments become more than just a list of items to check off. They give you real insight into how a candidate will perform in the field, how they handle objections, and how they grow with feedback.
Using these methods thoughtfully enables you to make more informed hiring decisions and provides a clearer understanding of who is genuinely ready to excel. When applied consistently, these assessments can help you confidently hire your next best sales performer for long-term success.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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Sales Traits
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