5-20-2013
Over the last few years I have seen sales departments sometimes take a strategy of adding salespeople in order to have more of a presence on the street and allow the station to cover more accounts. At the same time, I have seen other sales departments go in the opposite direction, shrinking the number of salespeople they have on staff to go with a more consolidated approach. But don?t worry; this is not an article on which strategy is best (we?ll save that for another day).
In either scenario, hiring the right person is incredibly important. A bad hire is very expensive. The time spent finding, training, and ramping up is all lost if the person you hire is not able to make it past even the first year. Companies that suffer from high turnover in the sales department are losing money on both the top line and the
bottom line.
So how do you make sure you are hiring the right salesperson? That?s one of the questions I?m asked the most. While some might think hiring salespeople is easy, those of us who are responsible for making the hire know differently. If you are the one responsible for the hiring process and the on-boarding of these new sellers, you are
probably left wondering how you?re going to get it all accomplished.
Here are four essential steps you should take if you want to make sure you are hiring as effectively as you can.
1. Constantly make deposits into your talent bank. Chances are that you don?t have a strong talent bank to tap in to. Take time right now to begin filling up your talent bank. Commit to doing 20 interviews this month. This is a challenging goal and you will probably have to call upon all your resources to make it happen, but there is no better time to do it. A good way to think about this part of the hiring equation is to consider it part of the recruitment phase. In this phase, all you?re doing is looking to fill the talent bank.
2. Ask your network who they might know. Ask a minimum of 10 people you trust for three names of individuals who meet the description of the type of salesperson you are typically looking for. Be clear about the fact that you are not necessarily looking for the names of people who are looking for a job; you want the names of people who match what you are looking for. Start sending out e-mails to the people you know today! This exercise will point you to at least 30 people you can begin to reach out to. Again, this step is all about recruitment. Part of the secret to hiring great salespeople is to have the ability to select the best person for the job you have available.
3. Determine exactly what you need. Stop saying, ?We need to hire a new salesperson.? Instead, use very specific and descriptive words to describe exactly what you need in this job. For example, you might decide you are looking for someone who is excellent at asking questions, very detail-oriented, and who loves to get people to do what he wants them to do. Nailing down the specifics of what you need in this job will help you to spot the behaviors you are looking for in candidates and make better selections. This third step is focused on the selection of the right person.
4. Don?t ever settle for second best. That?s right: Don?t hire anyone you feel is not the perfect and best hire to make for the job you have open right now. Don?t catch yourself saying things like, ?She is not the best person, but she?ll do just fine.? Settling for ?just someone? is a big mistake. I recommend that you evaluate people and make decisions on all three of the following: talent, experience, and fit. All three are important, and all three need to be present to make a great hire. Oftentimes hiring mistakes are made because of the glare of experience, which causes both talent and fit to be overlooked. In order to make great hires, you need to see all three.
At the Center for Sales Strategy we have a saying that many have heard us use for years and years: ?Lose sleep before you hire, not after.?
Matt Sunshine is EVP of the Center for Sales Strategy.
E-mail: mattsunshine@csscenter.com
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