7 years ago
February 21, 2017

Your Top Sales Rep Just Quit. Now What?

You rely on your top sales rep to increase your revenue. When that rep quits, you might feel at a loss for what to do. Here’s how to bounce back.

Rhys Metler

Your_Top_Sales_Rep_Just_Quit._Now_What

One of your worst nightmares just came true: your top sales rep quit. No amount of pleading or begging could get him to stay. You can’t just sulk about it. You have to shake it off, get proactive, and find a replacement.

Of course, you don’t want to just hire any old sales person that applies. When your top sales rep quits, you don’t want to replace him with a mediocre sales person who won’t come close to filling his shoes adequately enough. You need to replace him with someone just as good, or better, to ensure that you continue to generate the same amount of revenue as you did before.

But you also can’t wait months to find a good enough replacement. That top role can’t be left empty for too long or your productivity and sales will start to suffer. If you haven’t created a talent pipeline already, then you probably don’t have any good candidates to call on to fill the role right away. You have to start from scratch.

Hiring a mediocre replacement or waiting months to find a better candidate aren’t the only two options you have to choose from. You can find a great new sales rep in a short amount of time by partnering with a sales recruitment agency.

Here’s why you should engage a sales recruitment firm as your first step when your top sales rep quits.

Faster Hiring        

You just can’t afford to go through the hiring process from scratch. When you partner with a sales recruitment firm, you won’t have to. These recruiters work day in and day out to find and recruit top sales talent—years before you even call them up requesting help. So when you do partner with a firm, its recruiters will already have a long list of willing quality candidates to call on in order to find you a new sales rep that matches your needs and culture. This will result in faster hiring. You won’t have to waste months on the hiring process. You could have your new replacement in a few weeks, or in some cases, even a few days.

Less Leg Work       

If your top sales rep quit at a bad time—and let’s face it, most times are a bad time for sales managers—you might not have the time required to effectively search for a replacement. You have forecasts to create, sales people to coach, and other daily responsibilities to handle. You can’t neglect all of your duties to focus on sales recruitment.

Partnering with a sales staffing firm means that you won’t have to do any of this work yourself. The recruiters will do the leg work for you. They’ll filter through applications, search for candidates, perform interviews, do skills testing and background checks and call references. You’ll be able to continue to perform your job duties without disruption.

A Wider Pool of Candidates

Sales recruitment is difficult. It’s a competitive market and everyone wants the top sales people working for them. When handling recruitment on your own, you might find yourself with a long list of mediocre or plain terrible applicants.

But when you engage a sales recruitment firm, you’ll have access to a wider pool of high-quality candidates. You’ll get to choose your new sales rep from a list of totally qualified and experienced candidates who meet your needs.

Long-Term Hires   

Turnover is high in sales and the last thing you want is to hire someone who ultimately doesn’t work out—who needs to be terminated or who quits on you too. It’s a waste of time and money. A sales recruitment firm can offer you the chance of finding new hires who will stay with you for the long term because they look at factors that indicate longevity and cultural fit.

 

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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