Great sales people are hard to find in all industries; these individuals are in the minority of sales applicants, may be less likely than others to regularly change employers, and usually need to be enticed to choose one employer over another. This adds complexity to the hiring picture, since the task is not only to find but also to attract great sales people. The good news is that these candidates are on the job market today. Understanding why these candidates are so hard to find can help organizations improve hiring strategies to engage and hire great sales people.

Great Sales People Rarely Apply to Conventional Positions

You already know that great sales people rarely just appear on your doorstep, but if you are advertising to attract these individuals and top talent still is not applying, the job description for your open position may be to blame. Great sales people have talents that go far beyond what most conventional job descriptions demand, and will seek out job descriptions that promise to utilize and reward their skills.

Few organizations have mastered the art of writing a job description that truly appeals to great sales people. This can leave your organization at a point where great sales people remain hard to find whereas those without track records in sales are constantly applying, wasting your time as you sift through hundreds of unsuitable applicants. Hiring for potential at the entry level should be a part of all business’ hiring strategy, but for those who need great sales people now, a tailored job posting to attract great sales people is a must. 

Great Sales People Are in a Competitive Position

Top talent that chooses to make a career move now, when companies are just starting to transition towards more aggressive hiring strategies, is in a competitive position. Many organizations are now willing to offer extremely alluring benefits packages of the kind not seen in years to attract great sales people. Organizations that are not offering comparable benefits will not gain the interest of these candidates.

Additionally, great sales people who are on the job market now may receive multiple offers. The employers with longer hiring cycles may therefore lose out on a qualified and driven candidate who chooses not to wait on making a move. Thus, even in the hiring process, the sales adage “time kills all deals” proves true.

Great Sales People Use Great Sales Recruiting Agencies

The drive to make personal connections is a characteristic all great sales people share. Great sales people tend to network into new positions through peers and former managers, and are more likely than others to use sales recruiting agencies. An experienced sales recruiting agency provides the same benefits to job seekers as to your organization, including: 

• A personal connection as a guide to the hiring process
• Significant time savings over traditional hiring
• Better matches between organizations and new hires

As a result, great sales people often use sales recruiting agencies exclusively to find new positions. That means businesses looking to hire top sales talent should be using sales recruiting agencies as part of their sales hiring strategies, and that seeking the support of an experienced sales recruiting agency is the first step to improving the quality of your candidate pool.

There are no fewer great sales people today than there were five years ago; the great sales people who are looking for new positions in this economy are just in greater demand. However, your organization can’t afford to wait it out. To be competitive, your organization needs to do all that it can to reach great sales people. Measure your approach to recruiting great sales people and make sure that it is designed to attract the top talent your organization needs.