A 5-step Process to Close the Sales Talent Skill Gap
The goal of sales recruitment is to hire the best talent each time you have a hiring need. But the reality is that you will not be able to get…
The goal of sales recruitment is to hire the best talent each time you have a hiring need. But the reality is that you will not be able to get the best every time for a variety of reasons. Most people you hire will become core members of your team. But only a select few become exceptional talents.
When you hire, you are doing so based on an educated guess. Recruiting is not a perfect science. Some people will have more skills than you anticipated, and others will lag behind. This can create a skill gap that you need to address.
Below, our sales recruiters will offer up some advice for ways you can close the sales talent skill gap in your organization:
HIRE BETTER TODAY
1. Assess what you have
Before you start to close your skill gaps, you need to have a detailed understanding of the areas where your sales reps need additional coaching and training.
Establishing a baseline is an effective method to know where to start. You can formulate a plan to address the skill gap in a number of ways. You can score performance, analyze sales metrics, conduct surveys, and ask questions about areas that need to be improved.
2. Identify the sales skill gaps that exist
Most sales managers will have an idea of things that need to be addressed but having a formal assessment of areas to focus on will help you develop a more robust training program. Collect the data from your assessment and create a list of the skills and knowledge areas that require the most attention. Score them in order of priority, importance, and urgency. Then you can start to create training around these skill gaps.
3. Identify training resources
Once you know what needs to be addressed, you will need to curate and create training and coaching materials. Some companies may do this internally, whereas others will look externally for consultants and materials.
Which technologies can you leverage? What internal resources do you have? Who will offer the training? When will it happen? Who will take the courses? These are some of the questions you will need to answer when creating your training program.
4. Conduct the skill gap training
Provide the training and coaching as needed. It’s essential for you to offer engaging and insightful skill training that will help your team enhance their abilities. How you offer training is also important. Will it be a workshop, ongoing training sessions, or a full-day seminar? Choose training methods that will work best with your sales team.
5. Review and provide ongoing skill development as necessary
Top organizations never stop training. Skill development is an ongoing process. Having an annual review of skill gaps and developing strategies to address them continually will help your company thrive and maximize your sales reps’ effectiveness.
Read more from our sales recruitment blog
Is It Time to Hire Temporary Sales Staff to Boost Productivity?
Elizabeth Vixner
Elizabeth is a sales recruiter that has led and developed multiple top sales teams in Canada in the Automotive, Retail, and Sports Industries. With 6+ years of corporate sales experience, she knows what separates a good salesperson from a great salesperson. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Specialization in Marketing and Accounting with Honours from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
