Hiring top talent sounds like an easy enough task. You just post a position, interview the candidates, and select the best one, right? Well, that’s one way to do it, but the truth is that it takes more foresight, skills, and strategies to find the best people for your team.
You know from experience that hiring the right sales people makes all the difference. The right people bring a sunny outlook to your team, and they seem to motivate those around them. They not only help the company’s bottom line, but they also bring intangible benefits with them. They’re well-rounded and smart, and they stay optimistic when the going gets tough.
To find people like that you may have to alter your hiring strategies a little. Try out these six tips for hiring top talent for your sales team.
1. Sell Your Company in the Job Listing
You’re a salesperson, so use those talents to write up a persuasive job posting. Excellent salespeople usually get to pick and choose their jobs, so they’ll only apply for jobs that sound interesting, challenging, exciting, and fun. A Craigslist-plucked posting like this one–“Experienced, professional sales person needed to obtain accounts for janitorial services for large, established company”–doesn’t generate a lot of enthusiasm, and it’s not just because it deals with janitorial services. It’s bland and boring. Jazz up your listing by mentioning awards your company has won. Talk about the supporting, motivating sales team. Talk about how long you’ve been in business and how successful you’ve been. Sell your company.
2. Know What You Need
Before you even begin the interviewing process, assess your current sales team and figure out what you need. If you’ve recently lost the person on your team who was good at cold calling, focus on that skill in your search. If you feel that your sales team needs a leader, focus on leadership skills. By deciding what you need before you begin interviewing, you won’t be swayed by one charismatic person who doesn’t fit the bill. You’ll be able to stay focused.
3. Do Your Homework Before Your Interview
Don’t just print off “50 Most Common Interview Questions” from a random website and think you’re prepared to interview. Consider your needs (Tip #2) and base your interview questions on those needs. Also, avoid asking questions that let candidates know what you want to hear. For example, instead of asking, “Are you used to working in the evenings?” ask, “What hours do you prefer working?”
4. Offer Attractive Compensation
Top talent sales people expect to be acknowledged for their hard work with attractive compensation. If you offer better compensation than other companies, you’ll be able to be more discriminating with who you hire.
5. Offer Interesting Benefits
When sorting through hundreds of job postings, job seekers need something to shake them out of their job-searching daze and make them pay attention. Interesting benefits can do just that. Inside Startups did a study on this and found that specific descriptions of interesting benefits generated 27% more click-throughs. Interesting benefits included items like “$2,000 stipends for taking courses” and “$5,000 to customize their own tech set up.”
6. Recruit Continuously
In your professional life, you will often come across top talent who would be great additions to your team. Even if they’re currently working for another company, leave your contact information with them and keep in touch. When a position comes open at your company, contact them, and be open to their offers when they’re looking for a job change and contact you.
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.