You no doubt know that sales is a truly unique field. It takes a special type of person to succeed at selling. Not everyone is cut out for it. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult than ever to recruit and hire the right candidates for your sales positions. You probably have a high turnover and low retention. You probably have a tough time finding candidates who can not only sell but who want to stay with your company for the long term.

If you haven’t been having much luck recruiting sales candidates, then you’re probably considering partnering with a staffing firm for help. After all, recruiting and hiring are what staffing firms do best. But if it’s your first time working with a recruitment firm, selecting the right partner can be a daunting task. How do you know which agency will provide you with the best value? The best candidates?

The answer is to work with a recruitment firm that specializes in sales. A niche agency that only works to fill sales positions will be the most advantageous option to choose. Here’s why.

Sales Recruiters Were Sales People at One Time

Because sales is so unique you really need a recruitment firm that understands the hiring challenges that your organization faces. You also need to work with recruiters who understand what makes a great sales rep so they can spot potential sales superstars. When you partner with a niche sales staffing firm, you will get this experience and expertise because your recruiters, at one time or another, were once sales people themselves. They made the cold calls. They worked with both mediocre sales reps and top performers. They know what motivated them and their colleagues. They understand the different types of positions available and the skills and characteristics needed for all of them. They’re uniquely qualified to find you the best sales candidates. No generalist firm could say the same.

Sales Recruiters Have Market Knowledge

Naturally, having inside information about the market can give you a big advantage over your competitors. And who better to provide you with this market knowledge than sales recruiters who work with a wide variety of sales professionals and sales organizations? Sales recruiters will be able to tell you about current market trends, like which sale professionals are highly sought after, which positions are most difficult to fill and why, what the average pay scale is, what benefits could attract top earners, and what sales people want from an employer. You can use this information to attract high-caliber sales people, and leave your competitors in the dust.

You’ll Get Better Quality Candidates

Sales recruitment agencies work day in and day out with sales professionals. They work diligently to network with and build connections with top performers in the field. They won’t just post ads on online job boards. They’ll already have huge candidate pools filled with qualified candidates who are pre-screened and pre-approved. Generalist firms do not have the wide reach in the sales market, the relationships, or the deep sales candidate pools that sales recruitment agencies have, because they do not focus solely on those types of candidates.

Recruitment Volume Will Be No Issue

If your sales organization is growing quickly, you might need to hire several sales people for multiple positions, maybe even in multiple locations. A generalist firm might know of one or two qualified sales people, but a recruitment firm that specializes in sales will literally have contact with thousands of sales professionals, all with the right skills, experience, and characteristics to take on myriad different sales roles. If you need to hire many sales people at once, it won’t be a problem if you go with a specialized sales recruitment firm.