Recruiting has never been more challenging and whilst not a recruiter myself, I am one of the many recruiting for new roles in my organisation. Since we launched, the labour market has seen significant changes, the economic climate has shifted considerably and the expectation from both sides has changed. Our organisation has gone through a number of reiterations as we all have, our principles when hiring sales professionals has whilst adapted, remained steadfast.
The default method for an organisation looking to grow is to hire a sales professional, often one with their own contacts in the industry – still referred to as a ‘little black book’. This individual often comes with an eye watering renumeration package, growing expectations, a fundamental dislike for using a CRM system and can vastly over promise and unfortunately then under deliver after an expensive twelve month-plus stint. The counter opposite is to grow your own, hire without experience and train up but this takes time and if you’re in the mindset of growth – patience is not something many of us possess.
So, whilst I can feel your eye rolls, you sharing stories of poor performing sales people, stories about things that can only be discussed over a large glass of red (and believe me I have my own!) just give me a second… We ultimately hire salespeople to help grow our business, be it a particular market or sector. We have and be honest with ourselves here, and check our expectations are not wildly unrealistic – we expect immediate results often in a market where our brands are unknown and unproven. We expect a sales professional to defy the odds and achieve what we couldn’t in a matter of weeks. And we expect them to do this often without guidance, without the tools to be effective, efficient, productive and generate a return on investment within the first quarter.
Side note – when recruiting, if a sales professional with experience ever asks you what ROI is – run! (yes this happened to me).
Like with any role, we’ve got to give our people a fighting chance to achieve what we envision. We have to provide the tools, the processes, the systems – the infrastructure to succeed for it really is in both our interests that they do!
We launched The Just Williams Sales Academy to professionalise the sales industry, creating a standard for sales professionals because we all have ‘those’ stories – my other business is a sales and marketing business so believe me I know! Start with the end in mind – if this is your first hire, and that can be the most challenging as often you don’t have a tried and tested platform to review; have a business plan of 12 – 36 months, some clearly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIS) and a profiled target audience/client profile/ideal customer.
Ensure your sales professional’s role is well defined and the targets set are realistic, you have a customer journey mapped out, an established CRM system and a marketing team ready and waiting. If you don’t have this – outsource or create it asap!
Shortlisting – we have a multistage approach to shortlisting and now using a blind recruitment technique. Our interviews consist of four parts from online, to vlogs to face to face and finally an internal assessment. Thorough, yes, essential, absolutely. Keep your eyes peeled for those who have role hopped, those without any form of social media presence – in sales in this era, taking an omnichannel approach is simply essential. References are of course essential and do your research!
Why not send your questions to your candidate before they arrive? Or ask them to produce a vlog as part of the final interview process and combine this with an internal assessment – covering all bases.
Interviews – We have a front desk at Fusion Hive and will always pre warn the Facilities Manager if we have interviewees coming in to ensure they engage with everyone in the building in
an equal manner, to see how they interact and
ensure they are communicative in multiple ways
(cats out the bag – I’ll keep you posted how are
next lot get on!) I always like to ask questions surrounding current reading material, ask them to discuss their Continued Professional Development plan, voluntary and charitable activities, where their networks lie and how they’ve achieved returns. Do they have a mentor and who do they turn to for guidance. Producing a 30/60/90-day plan at the final stages provides you and them with a clear overview of their abilities to plan ahead and a ready-made action tracker and overview of activities.
I am not a professional recruiter so to those who are, I apologise but I do know what makes a great salesperson and whilst haven’t always got it right in my own organisations, have learnt
how to spot those who possess what it takes (well, most of the time!).
With up to 66% of time spent on administrative related activities (Hubpot, 2021) it’s vital you provide the system, process and administrative support where possible to enable your salesperson to do what they should do best. So be prepared to answer questions from them as well. Hiring a sales professional requires time, effort and resource but they could be your most valuable asset. You are looking to grow your business and this person possesses the key to enable that.
But what happens if you don’t have the infrastructure, if you don’t know your future market, haven’t got all your systems and processes mapped out, or can’t afford an experienced professional or maybe you’ve had a bad experience? Hiring is not always the option, and, in this market, no one would blame you for considering alternatives. So, can you train up existing members of your team or outsource your sales provision?
Even if you have hired someone and you are looking to succession planning on a customer service and sales front – without doubt THE most essential element of your sales strategy is to ensure continued professional development of your customer-facing team. The way we engage with people is changing, the expectation of our customer is growing, and the market is getting tougher. Investing in the development of these individuals is crucial to both their success and that of your organisation.
Hiring and training come hand in hand – we have a range of face to face, online and mentoring programs to support your sales process, sales professionals and sales managers. From 2023 we will be launching monthly webinars and roundtables for those looking to learn, connect and grow within the customer service and sales industry.
If you’d like more information, get in touch or follow us on socials to find out more. If you are recruiting and looking for advice, we are always happy to help so do reach out.