Hiring a senior salesperson from a big company is not the best way to expect success for a smaller business.
Hiring the right salesperson can have an immense impact on the overall growth of your business. Business leaders must have in place a strategy to hire the best salespeople and avoid mistakes as a wrong hiring decision can prove to be worse than one may think. To ensure your business flourishes, it is imperative to have the right people around you.
While it is true that the demand for high-quality professionals in the field of sales may be lower than supply, it is also hasty hiring decisions and a bad hiring process that is often to blame. The first step in hiring a sales professional is to start by assessing the market and the remuneration you can realistically pay in par with the market.
Suppose you find that the market worth of a suitable candidate is more than you can afford to pay, then be ready to adjust your expectations regarding experience and skills. Once you decide the amount, you are prepared to pay, have an honest discussion with the candidates and their salary expectations early on in the hiring process. While it is not uncommon in Canadian culture to avoid disputes about remuneration until the final stage of the recruitment process, it can be a good idea to have a glance at or a quick discussion about the person’s salary at their previous job. It can be a significant waste of time if you go through rounds of interviews and decide to hire the person but disagree on the salary.
Remember, those good salespeople are usually ambitious and strong-willed. Do not engage them in the hiring process unless you are ready to hire them. While building a network of potential hires is good, candidates could head over to your competitor if they feel the hiring process at your company is not worth the hassle.
Apart from remuneration, other important factors include being specific and clear about financial targets, working hours expected, location of workplace and anything specific to the position being offered. It is also essential to be realistic and practical. You could also ask potential employees to present a 30 day or 60-day plan relating to their plans and revenue expectations. This can prevent disgruntled employees and employers and help save time in the long run.
Other things to look for during an interview include the sales training that a potential candidate has received their previous job and negotiation skills. Knowing what type of deals they have finalized in the past, the revenue levels they have achieved and orders they have brought in can give you a realistic view of their capabilities.
Hiring a senior salesperson from a big company is not the best way to expect success for a smaller business. They are probably used to working with a big brand name that helped them make better sales and relied on the brand’s name for customer decisions. They could find selling for a smaller brand and the different tasks they must perform themselves in a smaller business restricting. It would, therefore, be more realistic and practical to find the right fit from a similar company or a person who has worked in the same environment.
Time is essential to hire. Ensure that time spent on interviewing and other recruitment processes is not time wasted. Another idea is to give your selected candidate a written offer letter that should be accepted within 24 hours of being received. This could prevent people from using your offer to elicit a better offer from their current employer or a competitor. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to hiring, but remember that if your gut doesn’t feel right about a person, then don’t hire them.
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