If your sales team is operating at capacity, you need sales people. Even if your sales targets are being met, your sales team may be losing out on sales due to time constraints that hiring new sales people could help resolve, pushing your sales numbers even higher in the process. So when you need new sales people in these circumstances, what are the next steps?
It is simple enough to recognize when you need sales people. However, in any sales department there are differentiators between the strengths, weaknesses, and overall roles of the individuals on the sales team. Before hiring new sales people, you should spend time considering the areas of greatest need for your current sales force as well as the roles that the new sales people will be expected to fulfill. Ask yourself questions like:
At the point when you recognize that you need sales people in order to keep your revenues growing, you may feel pressed for time and be tempted to rush into the hiring process with the same templates that you used for your last round of sales hiring. This can be a mistake, and a costly one at that. The needs of your sales team have changed since your last sales, changing your hiring requirements. Spend the time to create an ideal candidate profile for the sales people you want to hire, considering:
One of the most favorable times to review your sales compensation and incentive plans is when you are preparing to hire new sales people. Take this opportunity to review your sales compensation plan and whether it is encouraging your sales people to pursue sales in all target areas effectively. It is also a good idea to compare your compensation plan to the compensation plans being offered by your competitors, as your competitors may have made updates since the last time your compensation plan was reviewed. This can impact your ability to attract top performers, and knowing early on what your competitors are offering prepares you to negotiate with highly qualified candidates should such a step become necessary.
A sales recruiting firm can assist you in all aspects of the hiring process, locating, attracting, and recruiting highly qualified sales candidates. A sales recruiting firm can also help you measure and understand the core competencies of the candidates you are considering for your needs through personality and skills assessments as well as other modules for predicting fit and performance, while saving your organization time and costs throughout the hiring process.
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.