23SepHow to Recruit a Good Sales Person
Posted on 23/09/2014 by Nine2Three
Sales are hard. It is no easy feat to influence a buyer’s decision to purchase certain goods or services. The best sales people will always be the business owner or product creator who has an inbuilt belief in the product, knows it inside out and a passion for the item that no one else can come close to. Initially when tying to find investors, business partners or form a strategic alliance, the owner or creator is the best person to easily manage this sales function – it comes with the territory of being the owner/creator.
However once the networks and infrastructure are in place, the owner/creator, needs to employ external sales staff to bring the product/service to a wider audience. Is it possible to find that person who has the same internal passion, knowledge and belief? – Probably not. What you can find however is the person, who has the natural aptitude to adopt a product, learn its key selling points, display a passion for it and influence buyers.
If, as we have stated, that sales are hard work, finding the right sales person is even harder. Some interesting facts from Harvard Business Review state that only 9.1% of sales meetings result in a sale, and just 1 out of 250 salespeople exceed their targets. As an employer, looking to recruit sales people to develop our business/products we need to be realistic about the sales environment and just how successful we can expect our sales person to be.
Certainly there are external factors that we as employers can implement to assist our new sales staff to be more successful. Onboarding them correctly and giving them training and tools needed to perform their roles is of paramount importance. A good sales person needs good tools to use and these are generally supplied by the business. This may include printed media, websites, statistics, technical information etc. Thorough training in the product including the business and its history is equally important.
I have been interviewed by prospective clients, who have wanted to know all about my business, when it started, what our culture is like, even what our ‘catch phrase’ stands for. Any business owner can answer these questions in their sleep; after all, they created the business. However would your sales person know how to answer?
You may have all the ground work in place to support your sales person, and yet, they are still not reaching their targets. Perhaps you have the wrong person in the role!
So let’s go back to the beginning of recruiting that sales person. What should you be looking for?
Over my many years in recruiting and placing sales staff I have found that my thoughts on what I am looking for in a sales person have changed. In the past, I have looked for a person who could develop a passion for the product. In order to sell the product, they have to believe in it 100%- right. They would come to interview, prepared to dazzle me with their product knowledge gained over careful internet research and influence me in their ability to sell this product, that of course they personally believe in. Coupled with resilience, optimism, confidence, intelligence and of course high level communication skills, I could be on the right track.
However, these days I am far more interested in their underlying personality type. No it is not the extrovert that I am seeking. Research shows us that it is not necessarily extroverted personality types that perform best in a sales environment. What I am searching for is the person who continuously challenges themselves. That’s right – sales are about challenging yourself. It is about wanting to naturally beat your own sales targets from last month, it is about wanting to improve your technique, and it is about feeling the internal satisfaction, when you have cracked the big one!
I am looking for the person, who though hopeless at swimming butterfly, never-the-less aims to complete 10 laps in butterfly – why? Because it is a challenge. I am looking for the person who seeing others successes, automatically wants to reach the same goals. I am looking for the person who puts themselves out of their comfort zone all the time – the male non dancer, who takes up Salsa lessons; the individual who feels the adrenalin kick in when cold calling a really high level contact – and loves it! The person who doesn’t give up, not because of money or commissions, but because it is inherent in their personality to continually challenge themselves and achieve.
This person, will automatically aim to beat their last months sales target, they will be fearless in where they go to achieve their goals, they will get knockbacks, and get up again looking for an alternative road to take. They will always try to do better – why, because it is an integral part of their being.
And how do you find out if your candidate has this quality – ahhh, that’s where you use a skilled recruiter!
Important Note: These articles have been prepared for general circulation and are circulated for general informational purposes only; these articles should not be regarded as business or investment advice. The articles represent the views of the writers and are subject to change without notice. Additionally, while every care has been taken in the preparation of the articles no representation or warranty as to accuracy or completeness of any statement is given. An individual or organisation should, before any business or investment decision is made, consider the appropriateness of the information in this document, and seek professional advice, having regard to objectives, situation and needs. This document is solely for the use of the party to whom it is provided.
Posted in Building Business | I Need Staff
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