A good sales team will help you develop your business. It doesn’t matter whether you have a product, a service or a purely online business, sales people make the business world go round.
Finding great sales people can be a little tough though because it is a personality trait that makes a great salesperson not the degree they carry.
They usually have a high level of EQ – emotional intelligence, have the ability to sell ‘ice to eskimos’, but mostly it is someone who understands your client’s pain points and can sell focused on easing those pressures. The simple fact is that great salespeople can be hard to find.
So what can you do to ensure that you attract great salespeople for your business and more importantly retain them?
Here are 3 areas where you can do just that:
The recruitment search:
Most hiring managers will think they need someone with previous experience selling exactly the same product/service to be great. Whilst this does make sense so that you see a quicker return on your investment, the recruitment search can become too narrow that you exclude talent who could pick up the product/service quite quickly and might even be better sales people to start with. Think skillset not product knowledge.
Sales Employee Retention:
When adding to your sales team, remember it is unrealistic to expect them regardless of their previous experience to outsell all other members of your sales team from the get-go.
Set a target that is achievable for your new salesperson. You will be surprised what it means to them to be properly onboarded within the business and gives them time to learn the ropes and develop their own sales strategy.
Cultural fit. Mostly, sales professionals are unique. They require high levels of stimulation, they enjoy the hunt and they are typically quite sociable people. Provide them with an environment where they are rewarded for their hard work that fosters a positive work culture.
Career Progression:
There are three traditional career steps for a sales professional. Firstly as a Sales Representative, then Business Development Manager and later on a position in Management. It is important for salespeople to feel like they are working towards something besides sales targets. Offer a clear development path, learning opportunities and/ or financial rewards to stay with you, encouraging them to keep developing and to foster a great sales team environment for others to learn from.
Need help recruiting your next great salesperson, contact me to discuss your recruitment strategy.
