Overcoming Sales Recruiting Challenges
Sales recruiting is difficult. Attracting, hiring, and onboarding good salespeople can be a challenge that is challenging to overcome. The turnover rate for salespeople is much higher than other jobs in the business industry. But, that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Brendan Barrett, interviewed by John Golden, explores sales recruiting, and how to onboard great people.
This expert sales interview explores sales recruiting topics such as:
- The interview process for salespeople
- How to hire an established salesperson
- How to hire someone new to the sales industry
- Key traits to look for in potential hires
Traits of a Good Sales Candidate:
Several characteristics make for a good sales candidate. The first is having a long-term vision. “Often, salespeople think product knowledge is the ballgame. We know that sales is a martial art of its own, and a skill that needs to be learned alongside product knowledge,” said Barrett. “Make sure that candidates have a long-term vision, and that they’re motivated. Wins make people even more motivated. It’s hard to coach someone unless they’re motivated.” Another indicator that someone is going to be successful is that they ask a lot of questions, not just during their prospecting phase, but throughout their time at the company. “They’re always trying to learn something,” said Barrett. “They get excited by learning new things and connecting new things. Those are, at heart, problem solvers. It’s an admirable trait for a lot of professions, but sales especially.”
The Interview Process:
Many times with sales interviews, they are done in a way where the potential hire is asked to do a sample task. An alternative is to have them tell you about a time when they did a particular kind of task, and have them walk you through the process they took, and the problems they ran into. This allows them to unfold their thought process behind what they were doing. You want to look for someone who has the self-awareness to realize they don’t have it all together but seeks the help they need. As a result, this demonstrates coachability.
Hiring Established Salespeople:
Part of the challenge of onboarding good salespeople is attracting the right candidates. If you have a playbook, and a set in stone path to success for skilled people to execute, word gets around. When potential candidates see salespeople staying at your organization, hitting their number year after year, and getting treated well for it, that’s going to attract promising talent. “If you have that, great salespeople are going to come in. But, you’re going to have a compelling offer to bring them into your organization, and keep them there longer,” said Barrett.
Hiring New People:
Established salespeople can be difficult to find. The people who are great salespeople, and want to continue being salespeople, can be a challenge to bring on board. If this is the case, there are other options. “Often, we have to build an SDR team to create our own pool of talent,” said Barrett. “That can be another great tool for bringing on promising individuals who are motivated, who are hungry, who can follow directions, and who can be developed into these star salespeople.” A playbook is necessary here, too. Having a playbook enables proper coaching and mentorship because sales managers can coach the playbook and best practices.
For more information on sales recruiting, watch the expert sales interview! Or, check out other interviews like Matt McDarby Talks Sales Coaching.
About our Host:
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
Comments