Finding a new sales manager can be a tough task for any business owner. Without strong leadership, your sales team can crumble under pressure, lose its direction, and fail to accomplish its goals. Your new sales manager will need to fit into your sales culture, have the required experience, and have the right personality traits and qualities. Hiring the wrong candidate will only lead to more troubles down the road. Here are some tips for finding a great new sales manager.

Take the Time

In order to find the right sales manager for your open position, make sure you set aside enough time for the search and hiring process. If you’re understandably too busy with other responsibilities, consider giving the task to a human resources manager or other executive who has more time to dedicate to the process. If no one in your office has enough time, outsourcing the task might be the right option for you. A sales recruitment agency will be able to put in the time and resources needed for you to get the right candidate for the job. When it comes to a new sales manager, you don’t want to settle to save time.

Your Ideal Candidate

In order to get the right candidate, you need to truly understand who you’re looking for. This decision will affect your job posting, your resume elimination process, your interview process, and, ultimately, your final hiring decision. If you don’t know who you’re looking for, you’ll more than likely be disappointed with your new hire. So before you start your search, list out the responsibilities the sales manager will take on, what type of experience and qualities he must have, and which ones would be good assets.

Look for a Sales Coach

Your sales manager should also double as a sales coach. On top of setting and meeting revenue goals and handling client relations, your new sales manager should be able to connect with your sales reps on an individual basis by getting involved, teaching them to strengthen their skills, and creating an environment where openness, honesty, and trust are valued. Remember, your sales team needs a leader they can depend on, so when you find your new sales manager, make sure he or she can be an effective coach.

The Job Description

Your job description can make your search for a new sales manager easier or more difficult. An effectively written job description can attract the right applicants, while a poorly written posting can scare away the best candidates. Make sure you detail all the job responsibilities the new hire will have succinctly, include all the requirements and assets you’re looking for, and add the compensation you’re offering. And don’t forget to mention the perks of working for you, like work-at home days or flexible hours. Use a writing style that matches your brand—if you’re a fun, innovate, casual start-up company, make that clear through your tone and language.

Expand Your Search

Be creative when it comes to posting your job advertisement. Don’t just rely on the typical job boards, or you’ll just get the typical applicants. Post your ad in relevant business magazines, go to job fairs, or search at top schools. The worst thing you can do is box yourself in with unqualified candidates by not expanding your search area.

The Interview

Once you have a few decent applicants, it’s time to interview. You already know their skills and education based on their resumes, so you should be focusing on behaviour. You want to ensure that the new sales manager will fit in well within your company culture, understand your sales methods, adapt to your office environment, and effectively work with your existing team. Craft your interview questions to test these aspects of the applicants’ personalities. Use hypothetical and ask open-ended questions to get answers that are truly revealing.

Good luck on your search!