10 years ago
January 5, 2015

The ROI of Working With a Sales Recruiter

Positive cash flow and improved hiring ROI can be realized efficiently when hiring through a sales recruiter.

Rhys Metler

Sales is the lifeblood of an organization so when a sales department is expanding or previously filled sales positions fall vacant, it is important to fill openings as quickly as possible with the highest quality candidates possible. Unfortunately, for organizations that do not specialize in sales hiring this is easier said than done. However, positive cash flow and improved hiring ROI can be realized efficiently when hiring through a sales recruiter, since sales recruiters work with established processes in well-qualified applicant pools where there is already experience in marketplaces like yours.

A Sales Recruiter Improves ROI by Filling The Job Faster

A strong sales recruiter can provide ROI that exceeds their costs many times over during the initial hiring phase alone through increased productivity and recruiting activity.

Working with a sales recruiter will provide a higher ROI than an internal recruitment effort or working with a general recruiter not specializing in sales. Consider:

  • Sales candidates have different skills and traits than candidates for other open positions, which take experience and time to analyze.
  • The longer an open sales position stays vacant, the longer that position is not generating revenue.
  • Top quality sales hires are usually passive, rather than active, jobseekers, requiring a different recruiting strategy.

The same holds true for difficult-to-fill positions. If your organization is looking to fill a sales position that works with a complex product or service, a hard-to-reach market segment, or another area that requires a highly specific set of success markers, your organization should be working with a sales recruiter. Sales recruiters are the best way to find candidates for these more difficult-to-fill positions – sometimes the only way.

A Sales Recruiter Improves ROI with Higher Quality Candidates

From experience, sales recruiters know which sources yield the best quality candidates for different types of sales candidates. Sales recruiters are also practiced in interviewing and screening candidates to assure the best alignment between a candidate’s and an organization’s needs to recommend high quality hires who aren’t just a match on paper but culturally as well. This is a critical area that is overlooked by less experienced recruiters and even some organizations, though time and again cultural fit has been shown to have a decisive impact on employee longevity – a vital area for improving hiring ROI. The higher quality candidates a sales recruiter refers also improve ROI through:

  • Process-based recruiting. Sales recruiters succeed through establishing a process for locating and screening candidates that selects for top quality, which your organization can leverage without the cost and trial-and-error of establishing its own process.
  • Better credentials. General job postings tend to attract job candidates at the entry level, whereas sales recruiters are better positioned to reach credentialed sales people prepared to work at a higher level.
  • Reduced mis-hires. The cost of a single hiring mistake can be three or more times the yearly salary of a mis-hired individual; the initiatives of a sales recruiter can reduce mis-hires for your organization dramatically.

A Sales Recruiter Improves ROI with Candidates Prepared for Advancement

Promoting from within is a best practice not only because it has a positive impact on employee morale, but because it has a far higher ROI than seeking candidates from outside of an organization. This is especially true in sales, as disruptions to a sales department’s activities have an outsize impact on an organization as a whole. By hiring promotable candidates who show early promise through a sales recruiter, your organization can improve ROI calculated in multipliers above initial outlay that extend far beyond the initial hiring phase.

Sales is data driven, and the recruiting activities undertaken for your sales department are quantifiable. Contact a sales recruiter with experience assisting companies like yours with finding excellent sales candidates to learn more about the ROI of working with a sales recruiter and how your organization can gain a competitive edge by updating its sales recruitment strategies.

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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