Successfully Hiring Top Salespeople

Successfully Hiring Top Salespeople
byPatricia Gardner

Itis possible to find salespeople anywherethe car sales lot, the real estateoffice, even department stores. The trick is finding skilled, profitable oneswho have a good work ethic, are innovative and produce the necessary results.Many times, the difference lies in their professional sales skills, not how hardthey push for a close.

To find excellent salespeople, it is best to start with a veryspecific ad containing as many details as possible. List job skills, tasks,location, compensation and travel requirements; if there is travel, be specificabout how much. If it is necessary to have a manufacturing account background,state that point. Professional references and former client references should belisted as a requirement, which will weed out job seekers with less than stellarperformances. Make the ad as granular as possible; the process of puttingtogether the job description forces the company to think about what is requiredfor a qualified salesperson.

Once the ad is developed, the question becomes where to runit. It may be best to start with various industry trade journals, and then moveinto the array of services and Internet sites that can assist in finding skilledsales people. Remember, it is a major mistake to continue to recruit from thesame gene pool.You dont want a stagnant company, so be diversified andopen-minded. Two of the best sales reps I have ever seen did not finish highschool. They were self trained and highly motivated. Instead of judgingprospects on strict criteria, think about what they can bring to help build thesales force and the company.

Once there are viable prospects at hand, it is time toseparate the good from the great. It is preferable to have the companys humanresources (HR) department screen resumes. HR professionals are trained to sortthrough applications and ask questions in a way that will keep the company outof legal trouble. Some things to ensure they consider are how quickly the jobseeker gets back to the inquiry, how well she or he writes and communicates,including how well written the cover letters or e-mails are. Generally, only 10percent of candidates will fit your needs after this screening. Either you orthe hiring manager can take it from there.

Once youve narrowed your application pool, the best way toproceed is to interview candidates by telephone and then check references. Findout how much background each candidate has in your industry, their strongest andweakest skills, and what they are looking for in a position.

When checking work history, contact both professional andclient references. Ask professional references about work ethic, ability toproduce and communication skills. Ask client references about personal skills,attention to detail and if they ever cancelled or were late. This should giveyou a better understanding of each candidates strengths and weaknesses.

If references are acceptable, bring them in for a follow upinterview meeting. A suggestion for this meeting is to discuss what they wouldbring to the company immediately. Ask what steps they would take to bring in newclients, build relationships and expand existing sales, and then challenge theideas to see how they respond to criticism. If they are hired, use the notesfrom this discussion to create a 90-day action plan as their preliminary jobresponsibilities. Most companies use a 90-day probationary period to ensure allemployees are a good fit before making them permanent hires.

Remember, there is always room for an excellent sales person. Always be on the lookout to hire one of your more successfulcompetitors. If you meet them and establish a good rapport, you can see if theyare unhappy where they are working now. This is a great way to expand thecompanys horizons, because the new hire can bring a different perspective tothe company and reveal holes in your competitors core competencies. They canalso provide a fresh look at your companys products.

Competitors and associates are all up for grabs. However, dontpoach from your customersthats a way to lose business permanently. It is better to hire a client after he or she has already leftthat company. These hires can really speak a clients language about yourproduct and carry a lot of validity with other customers.

Finding good sales people can be hard to do, but taking thesesteps will eliminate the confusion and stress from the process. This means yourcompany can find quality job candidates that posses the qualities needed to makeyour company successful.

Patricia Gardner has closed million-dollar sales deals in twosales calls, and has trained others to do it, in a career that spans 30 years.She is now president of Maximum Sales, an executive management and salestraining consulting firm, and is the author of TheMillion Dollar Sale, designed to help salesprofessionals unlock the five secrets of strategic sales. For more information, visit www.maximumsales.com.