You will never see a bad resume. Buyers always check references and make sure they test for temperament suitability. Sales managers that lack benefit of temperament understanding are inclined to shoot from hip and place too much emphasize on their gut feeling during interview. You would be fooling yourself not to anticipate that your prospective hire has been coached and is well prepared for a standard office interview. I suggest that one of your interviews be conducted in a social environment. When I was a sales manager, I would invite both my potential hire and their spouse out to dinner or to a sporting event. When you go to a ball game and crack peanuts for nine innings or play 18 holes of golf with someone, you gain a deeper insight into their character. When you are interviewing a person for a commission-based position, you need to check for spousal support and address their concerns as well.

The following are some of my favorite questions to ask during interview:

1. Do you have written goals you want to accomplish and if so, tell me about them?

2. How did you earn your first paycheck and how old were you?

3. What are your hobbies?

4. Have you ever played on a sports team?

5. Have you ever failed at something and if so, what did you learn from experience?

6. What would you say are three of your best qualities?

7. What would you say is your worst quality?

8. What is your greatest regret and triumph in life?

Focusing on two or three key business metrics does something else for your behavior. It triggers your Reticular Activating System. Your brain is assaulted by thousands of messages each second. Everything you see, hear, smell, feel and touch is a message entering your brain. The Reticular Activating System filters through all these messages and decides which ones will get page one treatment - that is, arouse brain.

One of things we've learned from working with entrepreneurs is that you tend to pay attention to things which are important to you at time. If your currently dominant thoughts are about creating a new brochure, you'll start seeing other brochures. You'll hear conversations about brochures. You'll pick up ideas relating to brochures and even notice colors that would be attractive for new brochure.

In other words, Reticular Activating System will pass through anything even remotely related to important issue - brochure. >From a practical point of view, this means that, if you want to solve a problem or achieve a goal, keep it at top of your mind. Think about it, talk about it, write about it and imagine it completed. This is one of reasons why affirmations work so well and why it is important to review your goals frequently.

If you focus on improving a specific key indicator of your business success, your Reticular Activating System will pass through sights, sounds, people and ideas even remotely related to that point of focus. In other words, if you measure it visibly, frequently and attentively, it will likely improve.

Here's my suggestion: Identify two to five key measurements and key indicators that are important and essential for your business. Set up an active system to measure and track these indicators. Talk to your employees about it at every opportunity. Put charts and graphs of these indicators on wall of lunch room. Make your interest in these metrics very active and visible.

Chances are, you'll get what you're looking for - improvements in these areas.

Count on it.