Building a team of high performing sales reps isn’t easy, but there are things you can do to set yourself up for success next time you’re looking to hire top sales talent.
Probably not your top five candidates.
1. Post your job in the right places
Workopolis, Monster and CareerBuilder are where people go when they’re looking for a new job, which means the top sales prospects aren’t looking at them. You can still attract interesting candidates, but be prepared for a lot of unqualified applicants. More effective – and frequently cheaper – alternatives exist online with industry associations and LinkedIn, both of which are frequented by sales professionals. Learn more about how to advertise a sales job.
2. Know what you want
There’s no shortage of articles on what makes a great salesperson and most of them make some good points. However, there’s a big difference between selling knives door-to-door and dealing with enterprise software clients. So, what should you be looking for in your next software sales candidate? Look for these three things that make a great software sales candidate.
3. Watch for red flags on resumes
Reading a software sales resume is always a challenge. What do you look for? How do you sort the signal from the noise? When you’ve got a huge stack of them on your desk – how can you start weeding out the ones that aren’t appropriate? Find out what the software sales resume red flags are before you start reviewing resumes.
4. Ask the right interview questions
There are plenty of interviewing techniques to follow and you should use whatever suits your organization and personality best. However, here are some questions you can ask that your candidates won’t have canned responses for and will reveal valuable insights. Make sure to ask these seven software sales interview questions.
5. Check references carefully
Checking references as early in the hiring process as possible is good advice but if you don’t know how to conduct a reference check it’s not adding any value – no matter when you do it. There are two parts to a successful reference check: (1) who you’re talking to and (2) what you’re asking. If you’re on target with both, you’ll get great insight into your candidate. Here’show to conduct a reference check.
6. Avoid common sales hiring mistakes
A good hiring process conveys efficiency, professionalism and respect. A poor hiring process not only alienates high quality candidates but it also wastes time. Learn what the common sales hiring mistakes are and do your best to avoid them.
Do you have any hints that have helped you hire software sales reps more successfully? Share them in the comments.