8 years ago
April 13, 2016

Sales Hiring Process Part 1: 5 “Do’s” for Better Hiring

Does your organisation have a defined sales hiring process?   If not, are you comfortable your organisation is maximizing the ROI in your sales…

Rhys Metler

Hiring ProcessDoes your organisation have a defined sales hiring process?   If not, are you comfortable that your organisation is maximizing the ROI of your sales program? 

The reality is that top performing sales organisations across North America have a defined process and clear metrics in place to measure the success of their sales recruitment process;  and more importantly the direct effect it has on ROI and the company’s revenue.  No doubt, this could be a lengthy whitepaper and I am committing to writing it for you! (look for the full version in the next few weeks)  For the time being here is a list of “do’s” to help you increase the bang for the buck in your sales hiring process.  

Here we go:

1) Have a clear understanding of the requirements

This will increase the probability that you’ll find a small group of candidates that can hit the ground running, add immediate value to your organisation and that they’ll stick around for the long term.  This sounds obvious but take a look at my blog from last week: do not have requirements in the position description that may be eliminating potential top performers.   Meet with other people in sales at your company, including front line reps, and make writing the requirements a collaborative effort. You’ll thank yourself later.

2) Be patient

When I mention patience here, I’m talking about the first 80% of the recruitment process.  Think about something similar in your personal life. How well would you imagine it works out when you are rushed to buy a car or a house?  Have your process in place and know your objectives.  Don’t try to staff a strategic position in your organisation in one or two weeks.  BUT…  once you find the person that is a great fit, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.  Delaying that part of the process is a recipe for disaster.  I’ve seen it happen many times before as clients see candidates they want to hire end up working for the competition because they delay during the offer stage.

3) A compensation plan that makes sense

You have to differentiate between a couple of things: are you looking for a sales person that meets your requirements OR a sales person that meets your requirements and is also a top performer?  If you are looking to entice someone who is presently hitting their sales targets to leave their current role, you must have a compensation plan in place that will incent them to leave.  If this is an important position at your organisation this is not a time to try to do more with less.  Attract the top performer; it will be worth it in the long run.

4) Use time wisely

Your plan should not be to have face-to-face interviews with 12 candidates. A more effective use of time would be to have 10 minute phone screens with 5 to 12 candidates and narrow that down to a manageable list of three for face-to-face interviews. 

5) Utilize YOUR sales skills

If you find a candidate that you like, treat every encounter with him/her like you are selling them the job and your organisation.  Culture, opportunity, perks, compensation, etc.  And be prompt with responding to voicemails and emails, as you would with potential clients.  Top candidates need to be sold to; your competition is likely doing it, so you should be too.

Tune in next week for Part 2, when I’ll have a few pointers on what not to do in the sales hiring process.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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