The movies often represent salesmen in a negative light, making a career in sales seem like a shady undertaking.
If you’ve seen films like Glengarry Glen Ross, Death of a Salesman, or Jerry Maquire, you may think that a career in sales is a ticket to deception, desperation, and despair.
But in “Can They Sell – Learn to Recruit the Best Salespeople,” Steve Suggs says that the best salespeople are multidimensional, not the manipulative, scheming, depressed characters in movie scripts. He talks about the lack of focus and objective measurement by many sales recruiters that will result in hiring the wrong candidates who may look good on paper and sound great in interviews, but may not be a good fit for the company and position.
In this blog post, I’ll cover what the best sales recruiters do differently than the rest, and how you can incorporate their tactics into your business.
Use Sales Performance Recruiting Metrics
Roberta Matuson, Forbes contributor and author of “Talent Magnetism,” talks about the emphasis on skills in sales recruiting when what is actually needed for hiring success to hire the best salespeople is “fit.” She says sales recruiters and hiring managers need sales candidates with passion and a sense of purpose. Matuson cites world-class sales organizations like The Boston Beer Company focusing on candidates with the right fit and the resulting growth of their business. She calls it “hiring on purpose.”
Matuson’s advice to sales recruiters is similar to recruiting veteran Lou Adler’s when it comes to recruiting the right candidates. She says look at your top performers, figure out what their best traits are, and recruit salespeople with those traits for the best hiring practices. Develop metrics for these traits and use them to narrow the candidate pool to those who match them, along with metrics for fit and performance. For example, if your top-performing salespeople make the bulk of their sales by networking at industry events, use a metric to measure how many candidates are interviewed who have experience at networking and traveling to industry conferences and tradeshows. She also says that reviewing previous recruiting practices and analyzing mistakes and what didn’t work enables hiring managers and recruiters to improve recruiting focus on the best candidates to match company culture, performance standards, and business strategy.
One strong benefit of using metrics developed from the performance of top salespeople who are currently employed is that you are not just hiring candidates who are good. You’re hiring candidates who raise the average and take your company to the next level instead of just maintaining a static workforce or even worse, losing ground with poor hires. Veteran recruiter Lou Adler talks about something similar when it comes to sales recruiters: raising the talent bar and quality of hire.
Hire for Fit not Skills
Adler believes in hiring for “fit” by defining quality of hire at the front end of the recruiting process. Experienced salespeople have the sales skills and know how to close, and love the challenges and rewards of selling. The real missing piece of the puzzle is fit. Does the candidate fit with your industry, your sales organization, or your sales team? Is your team made up of independent sales stars who motivate and challenge each other? Or does your team work in a collaborative fashion, sharing new information and going the extra mile to help one another meet goals?
In either instance, are you talking to sales candidates who have worked this way before? Are you talking to candidates who understand your company’s strategic goals and have worked in an environment similar to your sales organization? Can the candidates you are interviewing demonstrate the same types of achievements that your top sales performers achieve on a regular basis? Fit is as important, if not more important, than skills. Hiring for fit can make the difference between average or poor hires and hiring success resulting in the best new people for your sales team.
Avoid These Common Sales Hiring Mistakes
Adler’s 35 years of recruiting give him a unique perspective on what works and what doesn’t. He’s seen success and failure in recruiting techniques and processes. He says most sales recruiters make the same common mistakes when hiring salespeople, and recommends eliminating them for the best results.
Many sales recruiters mistakenly believe their job is unique, but Adler believes that understanding the common sales process is required to assess sales candidates. They should eliminate the attitude that what they do is special and instead cultivate the knowledge that they can use in the sales process to evaluate a candidate’s skills and fit for the position.
Sales recruiters mistakenly overvalue first impressions and believe they must trust their feeling or go with their gut. Adler says the best sales recruiters and sales managers avoid this, using solid recruiting metrics and assessing candidate past performance from track records of good sales results.
Unfortunately, Adler has seen that many sales recruiters don’t know the job or understand the sales process well enough to be able to assess sales candidates effectively. Sales recruiters who don’t understand the major areas of the sales process won’t be as successful at sourcing and hiring top sales candidates.
Performance Profiles versus Job Descriptions
Adler recommends sales recruiters and managers use performance profiles instead of job descriptions to closely match the candidates to the top performance objectives for the positions. Job descriptions list essential functions and requirements for qualifications while performance profiles outline specific success factors. The objectives in performance profiles must be defined by discussing the position and existing top performers with the hiring manager. The top objective will be what the hiring manager describes as most important for success in the job.
The profiles must include specific time-limited results and be prioritized by order of importance. The top three are critical factors that top candidates must be able to demonstrate with past performance and experience. Adler believes performance profiles work better to get all interviewers better focused, increase interviewing accuracy, and enable more accurate assessment of a candidate’s competency.
Provide Exceptional Candidate Experiences
The best sales recruiters understand that recruitment is akin to a sales process where the company must not only assess candidates but also effectively sell itself as an ideal workplace. They are meticulous in orchestrating a candidate experience that is both engaging and reflective of the company’s values and culture. This involves clear, consistent communication from the initial contact through interviews and onto the final stages of hiring. They ensure that each interaction is structured to reinforce the company’s commitment to quality and respect for the candidate’s time and aspirations.
These top recruiters go beyond basic communications; they create a dialogue where feedback is not only given but also solicited from candidates. This two-way feedback loop helps in refining hiring processes and improving the candidate experience continuously. Recruiters provide detailed information about the role, the team they will be joining, and future career paths within the company, which helps candidates make informed decisions. They make themselves available to answer questions, address concerns, and provide insights into the company culture and expectations. This level of engagement ensures that candidates feel valued and understood throughout the recruitment process.
Moreover, exceptional sales recruiters understand the importance of timely updates to candidates about their application status. They avoid long periods of silence that can create anxiety and diminish the candidate’s perception of the company. By keeping candidates informed at every step, they not only maintain enthusiasm and interest but also build trust and respect. The positive experiences created through such thoughtful engagement not only enhance the company’s attractiveness to potential hires but also bolster its reputation in the industry. This reputation for valuing and respecting potential employees pays dividends in attracting future talent and building a resilient, committed workforce.
In essence, the best sales recruiters create a candidate experience that mirrors the professionalism, efficiency, and dynamism expected in top sales teams. They recognize that every interaction with a candidate is an opportunity to reinforce the company’s brand and values, making it clear why the company is a great place to work. This approach not only helps in attracting the best talent but also in fostering a positive image that resonates across the market, enhancing the company’s ability to recruit and retain top performers in the future.
Sales Recruiters Are Always Learning
The best sales recruiters recognize that the landscape of sales is in constant flux, influenced by evolving market conditions, emerging technologies, and changing customer behaviors. To stay ahead, these recruiters make a continuous effort to learn and adapt. They immerse themselves in the latest industry trends, stay updated with new sales methodologies, and keep a keen eye on the shifting dynamics of various markets. This constant learning enables them to understand deeply what success looks like in different sales environments and tailor their search for talent that fits these evolving criteria.
Moreover, high-performing recruiters actively participate in industry conferences, workshops, and seminars to enhance their knowledge and skills. They are often found engaging with thought leaders, contributing to sales forums, and reading up on recent studies and publications. This ongoing education helps them not only stay relevant but also predict future trends that could affect their recruiting strategies.
Additionally, these recruiters utilize advanced analytics to track the effectiveness of their placements and the evolving competencies of top-performing salespeople. They analyze patterns and outcomes to refine their understanding of which traits lead to success in various sales roles across different sectors. By integrating data-driven insights with industry knowledge, they ensure their recruiting practices are both current and effective.
This commitment to continuous learning and improvement makes these recruiters invaluable as strategic partners to businesses. They don’t just fill positions; they provide insights that can shape the strategic direction of a company’s sales force. Their deep, nuanced understanding of the sales domain allows them to adapt their recruiting practices not just to today’s requirements, but also to tomorrow’s opportunities. In doing so, they ensure that the companies they work with are always at the competitive edge, equipped with a sales team that can thrive in an ever-changing market landscape.
Conclusion
By incorporating the insights from sales recruiting veterans like Roberta Matuson and Lou Adler, you can transform your recruiting process from a guessing game to a data-driven strategy for building a high-performing sales team.
This approach emphasizes hiring for fit over simply seeking candidates with a laundry list of skills. Look for individuals who resonate with your company culture, possess the same drive and work style as your top performers, and have a demonstrable track record of success in achieving similar goals.
Utilize performance profiles instead of generic job descriptions to pinpoint the most critical success factors for the role. Leverage sales performance recruiting metrics to objectively assess candidates and narrow your pool to those who possess the traits and experience that will propel your sales organization to the next level.
By eliminating common sales hiring mistakes and adopting these best practices, you’ll be well on your way to attracting and retaining top sales talent who will consistently deliver exceptional results.
Do you need help recruiting salespeople to your organization? Contact our team today so we can help you!
