How to Find Sales Professionals:
A step-by-step guide to finding top-quality sales professionals for your business. Includes a full hiring process that will help you find and hire the best sales professionals fast.
Create a compelling job post.
Outline the day-to-day responsibilities of the role.
Write a job post that outlines what you expect from candidates in terms of day-to-day responsibilities as well as long-term sales goals. This will give candidates a good idea of what you expect from them and ensure that you hire sales professionals with adequate experience.
Management also plays a large role in whether a candidate is interested in a sales position. Try to describe the manager's style and approach, as this will give candidates a better idea of what their work environment will be like.
List the benefits of the job.
There is a trend amongst sales applicants to apply selectively when looking for a new job. There are many vacancies but not many adequate candidates who can fill the position. For this reason, your job offer needs to be competitive to recruit sales professionals.
Be sure to list the benefits that come with the job, such as a generous commission system or a base salary that is slightly higher than average (within reason based on the seniority of the role.) It has become the industry standard to offer uncapped commissions.
Discuss the type of products and/or service your business offers.
Many candidates consider the product and/or services being sold to be an important factor in accepting a job offer. Describe the product(s) and/or service(s) that the candidate will be selling, and mention the highlights of the product and/or service that would make the candidate want to sell it.
Highlight growth potential.
An overwhelming number of sales professionals are also looking for fast career progression. You can find sales professionals faster by outlining how you can facilitate career development through mentorship or providing training for management positions.
Post your job.
Post your job to general sites, such as Indeed.
Start by posting to general job posting sites such as Indeed. These are great places to start because they get plenty of traffic and they're free.
Make sure your job ad is picked up by Google.
You can also post your vacancies on your own website. Be sure to format the post so that it is picked up by Google for Jobs. If this is not something you are familiar with, it is advised that you look for a professional who can format your posts.
Target dedicated job boards for sales professionals.
There are also sales job boards that you can post to reach a more targeted audience. This will narrow your search to sales professionals who might be a more suitable fit.
Screen your applicants.
Send screening questions via email.
When you begin to receive applications, you should send out emails with screening questions. This is to ensure that candidates meet the minimum requirements for the role and to rule out any candidates that don't fit what you are looking for in an obvious way.
Example questions:
- What training have you had in the sales?
- Can you describe your sales record at your current company?
- When would you be available to start?
- In which industries have you held sales positions?
Ask the candidate to demonstrate their skills.
Employers have said that a huge challenge with hiring salespeople is verifying their skills. Candidates can often appear charismatic when describing their skills, but this does not translate to making sales.
As such, it is advisable that you ask candidates to demonstrate their skills by researching your product and giving a sales pitch as if they were talking to a client. You can simulate a more realistic scenario by asking questions and offering resistance to their pitches.
Conduct interviews.
Conduct phone interviews.
In-person interviews can be time-consuming for both parties, so it is best to have a telephone interview first. This allows you to shorten the list of candidates before inviting the top applicants for an in-person interview.
The phone interview should aim to find out if the candidate is qualified as well as if they are a good cultural fit for your company. Employers have warned that candidates who do not fit with your company's culture can create conflict.
Example questions:
- What are your salary expectations?
- How long were the sales cycles at your former company?
- How well did you meet your sales goals in your former position?
- How would you describe your sales strategy?
- Why would you like to work for our company?
- What kind of corporate structure do you work best in?
- Why did you leave your former role?
Look for any answers that conflict with each other, or with answers from your initial screening. If there are candidates that you are interested in, you should find out which aspects of the job appeals to them and explain these elements more.
Hold in-person interviews.
While you may know the candidate well at this stage, meeting them in person allows you to see if they are presentable, punctual and if they have positive body language. Having the candidate visit your office also presents the opportunity to introduce them to your current staff and see if there is good chemistry.
Hire a new sales professional.
Make an offer.
When you have found the right candidate for your company, you should make them a job offer as soon as possible to take them off of the job market. Start by phoning the candidate to let them know that their application has been successful, and then send an email that confirms the job description, benefits, and salary.
Onboard your new sales professional.
Onboarding is a key final step in the hiring process that is not to be overlooked. Make a good first impression and get a new hire up and running fast by having a detailed and organized onboarding process.
