Asher Strategies has spent more than two decades helping organizations improve sales performance through sales training, assessments, coaching and development. For businesses researching a CPQ assessment, Asher Strategies has a strong history with the Craft Personality Questionnaire (CPQ), an assessment developed specifically for sales roles. The company states that the CPQ has been administered more than one million times and was designed to match personality traits with sales-specific positions. Today, Asher Strategies offers the upgraded Advanced Personality Questionnaire (APQ) as its current sales-focused assessment.
Sales hiring can be difficult when decisions depend mainly on resumes, interviews and previous experience. A candidate may have an impressive background but still not be naturally suited to a particular sales environment. Sales assessments can provide another structured source of information to help employers evaluate role compatibility, coaching needs and behavioral characteristics.
1. What Is a CPQ Assessment?
A CPQ assessment refers to the Craft Personality Questionnaire, which Asher Strategies developed specifically for sales roles. Unlike a general personality questionnaire, the CPQ was designed around the characteristics that can influence sales performance and compatibility with different sales positions.
The purpose of this type of assessment is not simply to place a label on a candidate. Instead, sales-focused assessment information can help organizations understand how a person may naturally approach selling situations.
For example, employers may want to understand whether a candidate is comfortable with:
- Competition
- Customer interaction
- Rejection
- Pressure
- Independent work
- Relationship building
- Sales conversations
- Goal-oriented environments
This information can complement interviews and other hiring methods.
2. Understanding the CPQ Personality Test
A CPQ personality test focuses on personality characteristics that are relevant to sales roles. Salespeople operate in environments where communication, persistence, confidence and reactions to rejection can influence day-to-day performance.
Asher Strategies explains that the CPQ was developed specifically for sales and was used to match personality traits with sales-specific positions based on compatibility. The company also states that its large historical CPQ data pool connects assessment scores with real-world sales performance.
This sales-specific focus is important because different positions can require different behavioral profiles.
A salesperson involved in new-business development may need different characteristics from someone focused primarily on customer retention or account management.
3. Why Sales-Specific Assessments Matter
A resume can show experience, education and previous responsibilities. An interview can reveal communication skills and professional background. However, neither necessarily provides a complete picture of how someone may behave when faced with sales pressure or rejection.
A sales-focused assessment adds another perspective.
Asher Strategies currently describes its APQ as a sales aptitude assessment designed to identify traits associated with sales performance, including pressure handling, urgency and rejection tolerance.
This information can help organizations consider questions such as:
- Can the candidate remain motivated after rejection?
- Does the candidate prefer independence or collaboration?
- Is the candidate comfortable with pressure?
- Does the candidate naturally build relationships?
- Is the candidate suited to a particular sales environment?
4. CPQ Assessment and Sales Role Compatibility
Not every salesperson performs best in the same type of role. Some professionals may thrive in prospecting and new-business development, while others may be stronger in account management, customer service or consultative selling.
Asher Strategies has historically positioned the CPQ around matching personality traits to sales-specific positions. Its current APQ continues this role-compatibility approach and maps assessment results to more than 20 sales job profiles.
Role compatibility can help companies avoid treating every sales position as identical.
For example, a role requiring frequent prospecting may benefit from strong drive and resilience, while a relationship-focused position may place greater importance on service orientation and interpersonal characteristics.
5. Personality Traits Relevant to Sales
Asher Strategies’ current APQ measures nine core behavioral traits:
- Intensity/Drive
- Independence
- Need to Analyze
- Need to Serve
- Assertiveness
- Self-Protection
- Drive for Recognition
- Interpersonal Trust
- Optimism
The company explains that these traits are intended to help organizations understand how people may sell, communicate, handle pressure, respond to coaching and perform in different sales environments.
These traits should not simply be viewed as “good” or “bad.” Their relevance depends on the requirements of the specific position.
For instance, Independence may be valuable in an autonomous sales position, while a more collaborative environment may favor someone comfortable working closely with a team.
6. Intensity, Drive and Sales Performance
Intensity/Drive relates to urgency, competitiveness and motivation toward results. According to Asher Strategies, people with higher levels of this trait may prefer fast-paced environments and immediate achievement, while lower levels may be associated with steadier and more consistent working styles.
Understanding this characteristic can help sales leaders consider whether a candidate’s natural pace fits the role.
A high-pressure outbound sales environment may require a different behavioral approach from a slower, consultative sales cycle.
This is why a CPQ assessment or its modern successor can be useful when evaluating role fit rather than simply asking whether someone has previous sales experience.
7. Assertiveness and Rejection Handling
Sales professionals frequently have to handle objections, negotiate and ask customers to make decisions. Assertiveness can therefore play an important role in sales conversations.
Asher Strategies describes Assertiveness as relating to confidence in confronting challenges, controlling conversations and handling pressure. The company’s assessment framework also considers Self-Protection, which relates to responses to criticism, rejection and pressure.
Together, these types of behavioral insights can give sales managers a broader perspective on how a person may respond to difficult conversations.
This does not mean an assessment can determine exactly how someone will behave in every situation. Instead, it provides structured information that can be considered alongside interviews and experience.
8. Optimism and Persistence
Sales often involves setbacks. Prospects may reject offers, negotiations may fail and deals may take longer than expected.
Asher Strategies identifies Optimism as one of the core APQ traits. The company describes it in terms of a person’s belief in their ability to influence outcomes and overcome challenges.
A healthy level of optimism may support persistence and recovery after setbacks.
For sales managers, understanding these tendencies can also help identify potential coaching opportunities. Rather than giving every employee identical guidance, managers can adapt coaching to individual characteristics.
9. CPQ Personality Test for Hiring
A CPQ personality test can be considered as one component of a structured hiring process.
A practical process might include:
- Define the sales position.
- Identify the behaviors required for the role.
- Assess candidates using a sales-focused assessment.
- Review assessment results.
- Conduct structured interviews.
- Compare experience with role requirements.
- Make the final decision using multiple sources of information.
Assessment results should not replace professional judgment. Instead, they can provide additional information that may not be obvious from a resume or interview.
Asher Strategies explains that pre-employment assessments can provide scores or ratings that employers compare with characteristics associated with high performance.
10. Using Assessment Results for Coaching
Assessment information can remain useful after an employee joins the company.
Asher Strategies states that its current APQ provides reports that can be used as coaching tools. The reports are designed to increase awareness of individual strengths and weaknesses and provide customized coaching guidance.
This can help managers build more personalized development plans.
For example, coaching may focus on:
- Prospecting habits
- Closing confidence
- Time management
- Customer service
- Communication
- Handling confrontation
- Persistence
- Listening
- Adaptability
Personalized coaching can be more relevant than giving every salesperson the same development plan.
11. From CPQ to APQ
One important point for organizations searching specifically for a CPQ assessment is that Asher Strategies’ current assessment offering has evolved.
The company identifies the Advanced Personality Questionnaire, or APQ, as an upgraded version of the CPQ. The APQ is currently positioned as the assessment Asher Strategies uses for its clients and is designed for sales and customer-facing employees as well as sales leaders.
The current APQ contains 81 multiple-choice questions and can be completed online. Asher Strategies says it takes approximately 20–25 minutes, with immediate results available.
The company also states that the APQ includes anti-gaming and inconsistency-detection features.
12. Supporting Sales Team Development
Assessment tools can be useful beyond individual hiring decisions. Sales leaders can use behavioral information to understand differences within their teams.
One salesperson may prefer independence, another may be highly relationship-oriented, and another may naturally rely on analysis and detailed preparation. These differences can influence communication, coaching and role allocation.
Asher Strategies positions its current assessment for:
- Sales hiring
- Coaching and development
- Team alignment
- Leadership effectiveness
- Sales-role compatibility
This broader use can help organizations think about assessment as part of ongoing sales development rather than a one-time recruitment exercise.
13. Why Choose Asher Strategies?
Asher Strategies has focused on sales training and sales performance for more than 20 years. Its website currently states that the APQ has been used by more than 2,100 companies over 20 years. The company also states that the assessment can be completed in around 20 minutes and produces immediate results.
Its assessment approach is specifically connected to sales and customer-facing roles rather than being positioned solely as a general personality exercise.
For companies searching for information about a CPQ personality test, Asher Strategies provides the historical CPQ foundation while currently offering the upgraded APQ assessment.
Conclusion
A CPQ assessment can provide organizations with structured insight into personality characteristics relevant to sales performance and role compatibility. The Craft Personality Questionnaire was developed by Asher Strategies specifically for sales roles and, according to the company, has been administered more than one million times.
For businesses searching for a CPQ personality test, it is also important to understand that Asher Strategies has evolved its assessment offering. The company currently promotes the Advanced Personality Questionnaire, an upgraded sales-focused assessment designed for hiring, coaching, team alignment and role compatibility.
By combining assessment insights with interviews, experience, structured hiring practices and ongoing coaching, organizations can develop a more informed approach to sales recruitment and employee development. Asher Strategies’ sales-focused assessment framework is designed to help businesses understand how individual behavioral traits may connect with different sales environments and performance requirements. For more visit us!