Sales recruiting isn’t just about finding the best salesperson. It’s also about finding the right person for your company culture and long-term vision. For your sales recruiting to be effective, there are many small details that you have to pay attention to. If you skip over those details, you could end up hiring a great resume-and a mediocre salesperson. If your sales recruiting doesn’t end with you hiring the best possible candidate, it’s hard to call it a success. Here are a few simple dos and don’ts that will help ensure that your sales recruiting nets you the best candidate for your company.

Do

• Know what you want: Successful recruiting begins with a detailed job description. The more you know about the position you’re trying to fill, the better you’ll be able to fill it.
• Understand the market: Highly qualified candidates know what they’re worth. For the sake of negotiations, you’d better know what they’re worth as well.
• Show enthusiasm: Good salespeople aren’t out begging for jobs-they typically have other offers or interviews waiting. It’s up to you to sell them on the job.
• Be honest: Give them all the details they need to make an informed decision. If they feel like they chose your company under false pretenses, they’ll soon jump ship.
• Take your time: Rushing to fill the position will almost certainly land you an inferior candidate. Take the time to verify their skills, and ensure that they fit in with your company culture.
• Move quickly: Once you’ve identified your ideal candidates, make them a fair offer quickly. Good salespeople don’t stay on the market long, and you don’t want to miss your chance.

Don’t

• Hire a resume: A resume can tell you everything about a candidate professionally and nothing personally. The best qualifications mean little, if the candidate can’t or won’t fit in with your existing culture.
• Try to lowball: Good salespeople are worth a fair investment. Lowballing a highly qualified candidate can be seen as insulting, and will probably drive them toward another company-potentially one of your competitors.
• Sugarcoat: Every business has problems and responsibilities that new employees will have to learn to deal with. Be honest about these up front, so your new hire doesn’t feel sandbagged after they start working for you.
• Skip steps: No matter how good their resume looks, or how much you like them, you must follow the proper steps. Call their references; verify their education; check their background-you don’t want to get six months into a new hire, just to find out they’ve “embellished” much of their history.

Sales recruiting is different in every business, and changes from one position to the next. While no list can cover everything you need to know about sales recruiting, the dos and don’ts listed above should go a long way toward ensuring the success of your hiring. It’s also worth remembering that sales recruiting is a process, and the more standardized you make that process, the easier it will be to repeat it successfully in the future. Establish a written workflow for your sales recruiting, stick to it, and things will run smoother in the future.