Hiring a sales rep isn’t the easiest gig when you run a business. Not only can it be a competition — there are hundreds of other companies offering similar, or even better, incentives as yours — but it can be difficult to tell sometimes whether the applicant you’re talking to is necessarily the best future employee for your business.
In a recent USA Today article, they documented how employers are facing a “rising shortage of qualified sales associates and managers,” and how this is, for many companies, getting in the way of potential revenue growth. About 35% of sales managers report that they can’t find qualified candidates for their open positions.
If you want to find the best salespeople for your available openings, it’s going to take more than hit-or-miss luck. Here are three top tips for netting great salespeople that will represent your company well.
1. Don’t Hire Your Best Friend
In a 2012 study, researchers found that evaluating managers were more likely to hire people they felt they could be friends with — the hiring managers would prioritize this often over important qualifications like the school they graduated from, their field knowledge, and previous performances. It can be tempting to see candidates you “click” with as being the best for the job. But keep in mind that not everyone who makes a great friend, also makes a great sales person. Someone can be very personable, but not so great at figuring out what it takes to make sales quotas.
2. Offer Unique Incentives
It’s hard to get people in the door when so many other companies have similar offers. You’re all aiming to net the top sales people, because these are the individuals who can really take your company to the next level. So what do you need to do in order to successfully recruit without having to substantially increase salary offers? One key is to offer great perks. Perks are often inexpensive in the long run, but can leave an impression on someone who is deciding which company to go with. Providing Keurig cup coffee in the morning, or providing a company lunch once a week, are great ways to incentivize people into choosing your firm.
3. Use a Recruitment Firm
Did you know that if you were to post a job listing publicly, you could receive 250 resumes — or even more? That’s how much the average listing for hiring a sales rep receives. Even if you only take a couple minutes to glance through each of those resumes, that’s an entire day of work — and you haven’t even met any candidates yet. Speed up the process and eliminate the weak links by hiring executive recruitment firms who will send you the most qualified candidates only.
Do you have tips for hiring a sales rep? Let us know in the comments. Learn more at this link.