How to build a sales force with a sales assessment

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Monday 02 March 2026

You are planning to establish a new sales department for your organization, but how do you find the right candidates for such positions? Sales roles primarily require individuals who can effectively promote themselves, but that alone is not sufficient. An online sales assessment can help cut through the talk and evaluate whether they can truly deliver on this within the company and the role. In this article, we will explain the benefits of using The Bridge online sales assessment.

TestGroup's Sales Assessment helps identify whether a candidate or employee is a hunter, farmer, negotiator, or consultant. It evaluates essential sales skills, traits, and motivators that indicate if someone excels at acquiring new clients (hunter), maintaining relationships (farmer), or providing expert advice (consultant). These insights enable targeted decisions to optimize the sales strategy.

Focused on the seller

Several recruitment and application processes involve online tools, such as a cognitive ability test. The Bridge online sales assessment focuses on the commercial side; the salesperson in the candidate. All commercial success and risk factors are mapped out during this assessment, resulting in a clear report.

All aspects of selling are included in this online sales assessment. A candidate may be very good at making a deal, but when planning and preparation are not taken into account, this may not be the right employee for your sales department. The Bridge online sales assessment measures six steps in the sales process. The scores of these six sales steps are displayed in the report:

  • Planning & preparation
  • Making contact
  • Building desire
  • Presenting the option
  • Closing the deal
  • Relationship management

This allows you to see what someone's strengths are and where this candidate's risk lies. When putting together a sales force, you can opt for candidates that complement each other. For example, one is good at presenting solutions and the other is excellent at making deals with customers.

Success in the sales department

A sales department needs to perform and achieve results. It’s vital to have the right people in the right positions, as they are responsible for selling the product or service and generating revenue. Consequently, a thorough and effective recruitment process is essential for this sales department. The Bridge online sales assessment provides insight into candidates' competencies, as well as their personality and work behavior.

The Bridge online sales assessment is a dependable tool for evaluating a candidate's strengths in sales. It gives you quick insight into both the advantages and development areas of a candidate, helping you build a balanced and effective sales team. By combining the sales assessment with the 4 color personality test, you also gain insight into communication style, motivation, and behavioral preferences in commercial situations.

For example, if most candidates are strong in making contact but weaker in relationship management, your team may lack long-term client focus. On the other hand, a candidate who naturally excels in relationship management but finds cold acquisition more challenging could be a valuable addition to strengthen client retention.

By combining the sales assessment with the 4 color personality test, you gain insight into individual strengths, communication styles, and motivational drivers. When you add the 4 color team report, you can also see how different sales professionals complement each other within the team. This makes it easier to build a balanced sales department with the right mix of acquisition power, relationship focus, and team dynamics, allowing you to make well-informed and objective decisions.

A comprehensive sales report

After candidates take The Bridge online sales assessment, a sales report is immediately ready with the results. These results contain the scores of the six sales steps, but also scores on the four different sales types.

  • Hunter: Proactive in contacting and takes the lead in prospects search. The hunter has a drive to score deals.
  • Consultant: Solution-oriented and has an interest in the client's business. Can act as an advisor to coach clients in the right direction.
  • Farmer: Strong in relationship management, is aware of what is going on with existing clients. Resolves problems and listens to customers.
  • Negotiator: Focused on negotiations and win-win situations. Can present services, products and solutions convincingly. Strong in negotiation.

Through these four sales types, you can get a better understanding of candidates' abilities. A good sales department does not only have Hunters, but a variety of the other different sales types. When you are starting a sales department within an organization, The Bridge online sales assessment is a useful and reliable tool.

The Bridge online sales assessment, why?

Putting together a sales department within an organization is no small task. It is an important department and its candidates can often sell themselves well. It is therefore useful to have an inclusive recruitment process. This gives you insight into the candidates and you have reliable results through which you can select. The Bridge online sales assessment is very suitable for this, because it offers:

  • Overview of commercial success and risk factors.
  • Sales process and sales type scores.
  • Scientific research base.
  • Insight into personality, work behavior and capabilities.
  • Clear and comprehensive report, immediately after completion.
  • Availability of results within 30 minutes.
  • Online and reliable sales assessment.

Candidate reports can also be reviewed afterward with a TestGroup consultant, so you can fully understand the results and translate them into practical recruitment decisions. If needed, you can combine the online sales assessment with a competency test to gain deeper insight into the specific skills required for success in your organization.

If you plan to use this online sales assessment on a larger scale, we can offer you an advantageous subscription. Our consultants are happy to advise you and help you determine which combination of assessments, including a competency test, best fits your recruitment and development needs.

How to order the sales assessment

Ordering the online sales assessment is simple and designed for organizations. You can order the assessment per candidate if you want to use it occasionally, or create your own account on the TestGroup assessment platform for ongoing use. With an account, you can easily invite candidates, monitor progress, and download detailed reports directly from your dashboard. If you expect to assess multiple candidates throughout the year, a subscription offers a cost-effective and efficient solution for your sales recruitment process.

Video: Sales assessment to identify top sales talent

A sales assessment helps you quickly see whether a candidate is suitable for a sales role. The test measures key sales skills such as preparation, making contact, creating interest, presenting solutions, closing the deal, and managing client relationships.

TestGroup’s sales assessment is used by organizations worldwide to objectively evaluate sales candidates. You can order the assessment per candidate or use it through your own account on TestGroup’s easy-to-use online platform.

Used by 10,000+ organizations worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions about Building a Sales Force with an Online Sales Assessment
  • What is an online sales assessment and how does it help build a sales force?

  • n online sales assessment is a tool that evaluates a candidate’s sales skills, traits, and potential. It measures the six key steps in the sales process — planning and preparation, making contact, building desire, presenting options, closing the deal, and managing client relationships — to help you identify strong sales professionals for your team.

  • Why should I use a sales assessment when hiring sales staff?

  • Sales roles often attract candidates who can talk well about themselves, but a sales assessment cuts through that by objectively showing what they can actually deliver in commercial situations. By assessing skills and sales types such as hunter, farmer, consultant, and negotiator, you make better hiring decisions.

  • What are the six sales steps measured in the assessment?

  • The Bridge online sales assessment measures six critical sales steps: planning and preparation, making contact, building desire, presenting the option, closing the deal, and relationship management. These scores show both strengths and potential risks in a candidate’s commercial profile.

  • What sales types does the report identify?

  • The sales assessment report shows scores on four sales types: hunter (driven to find new prospects), consultant (solution-focused and advisory), farmer (strong in relationship management), and negotiator (skilled in persuading and closing). These insights help you build a sales force with complementary strengths.

  • How does combining the sales assessment with other tools improve hiring?

  • If you combine the sales assessment with tools like a 4 color personality test and a 4 color team report, you gain insight into communication style, motivation, behavior preferences, and overall team dynamics. This makes it easier to build balanced sales teams that perform well together.

  • Can candidate reports be reviewed with expert support?

  • Yes. Candidate reports can be reviewed with a TestGroup consultant who helps you interpret the results and translate them into practical recruitment decisions. If you plan to assess many candidates, a subscription can offer cost-effective access.

  • How do I order the online sales assessment?

  • You can order the assessment per candidate or create your own account on the TestGroup assessment platform. With an account, you can invite candidates, track progress, and download detailed reports. Subscriptions are available for ongoing use and larger recruitment needs.

  • Is the online sales assessment suitable for global organizations?

  • Yes. The Bridge online sales assessment is used by organizations worldwide and provides reliable, objective data to support global recruitment and talent development strategies.