As the holiday season looms, companies who want to take advantage of the boost they can get during this season should be looking to hire sales people around these times of the year. However, before you start hiring, there are several important things you’ll want to keep in mind. 

With sales hiring, especially right before and during the holiday season, there are specific characteristics you’re going to want to look for to ensure you’re getting the highest quality of talent. There are going to be a lot of candidates from which to choose and you can be choosy during this season. On the flip side, you’re also going to have to go through a lot of candidates who are not good fits for your organization. Let’s look at a few ways that you can sort through the sales hiring process to ensure you’re going to hire sales people that will be able to help you meet and exceed your sales goals.

1. Look for quality not quantity.

It can be very tempting to do a mass hiring of numerous different sales people in hopes of finding at least a few good candidates. However, in most cases, you’re going to end up with a bunch of sales people who simply aren’t going to be quality sales people. Remember, when you hire sales people, you’re getting people who are going to be representing your company. Look for quality, not quantity. A highly talented sales person can produce the same amount as ten people who do not possess a talent for sales.

2. Make the length of the position clear.

While most sales candidates during this season do understand that the position is going to be temporary, you still need to make this very clear to avoid misunderstandings. However, this is also a good opportunity to encourage temp employees to achieve more in the hopes of attaining a permanent position after the holiday season has passed. If you do find some very good candidates, you may want to consider taking them permanent after the holidays.

3. Think outside of the sales hiring box.

It is very tempting to fill temp holiday sales positions with college and high school students who are looking for a job for a few weeks. This is definitely a mistake. While it’s perfectly fine to get a few of these candidates, you’ll be better served by looking for older candidates who have more experience. Some students are just looking for a way to fill their time and they go in with that attitude, rather than looking at it as an actual job. If you hire sales people that are older, they’ll be more likely to take the position seriously and will produce more for your company.

By utilizing these strategies, you can be assured that the holiday season will be profitable for your organization and you may even find a few diamonds in the rough that will help your company throughout the year.