Sales Recruiting Today

A Talent Fit for Your Organization

 By: Lance Cooper

Most companies do not know how to do find a “talent fit.” And, here are reasons why:

1. They do not know the top six traits in order of priority necessary for a good “fit.”
2. They do not look for the important character AND personality traits of a top performer.
3. They have not been trained to use a best practice recruiting system: funnel process, skills, and tools.
4. They do not think about how fast people need to ramp up - and the aptitude necessary for success.

How do we find the traits we require for a high-activity salesperson (as opposed to a major accounts sales team)?

1st ... Identify the top character traits: - Honesty - Personal Responsibility - Hard Work Ethic Next, know the top personality traits that align with prospecting, closing, presentation, and high activity.  They are: Goal-Orientation, Social Confidence, Social Drive

For free, here’s a brainstorming process for determining the character and personality traits required for your sales position

1. Ask current managers, “What are the major changes in the last 1-2 years affecting sales (flip chart)?”

2.  “What are the challenges of the job position as a result of these changes (flip chart)?”

3.  “What actions need to be done to meet the challenges (flip chart)?”

4. “What will be the traits of high performance salespeople who can meet today’s challenges? in this position?”

2nd ... Sourcing Methods ... Find best sources for candidates most likely to fit the character and personality traits targeted.

3rd ... Recruiting Funnel ProcessStage One: Screening (resumes, by phone: 5-12 minutes, by email, references) Stage Two: Personality Profiling (with EEO validated CraftProfile see http://www.craftprofiles.com) Also, Oxford Learning Inventory for learning style (also see http://www.craftprofiles.com) Stage Three: Structured Interviewing (a interviewer-scored 100 point questionnaire structured to look for the character and personality traits)

4th ... Recruiting Process Tools and Skills (all of which should work toward identifying the necessary character and recruiting skills)
- Phone screening scripts
- Resume screening skills
- Profile analysis
- Interviewing skills
- Matching sheets showing +’s and -’s with regards to character and personality traits desired

Recently, we installed this type of recruiting system in a company whose industry is showing a 22% drop year-to-date in sales.  This company is presently 18% up year-to-date in sales, primarily due to recruiting more effectively right “talent fits” for their company. So, work at using the ideas you find helpful in the post.  And ... Do GREAT. 

Lance Cooper is the President of SalesManage Solutions http://salesmanage.com/. Take a peak at Lance's other excellent blogs and browse the website to see the great resources to help you out in your recruiting needs.

The New Face(s) in Sales Staffing

By: Peter Marinilli

Human Resource departments, or anyone involved in the hiring process, put a great deal of emphasis on work experience, and for good reason. However, a single sheet of paper often forces candidates and recruiters or hiring managers to condense experience and skills into just one number for the purposes of a résumé. Screening candidates on the basis of years is a dangerous practice, especially in sales staffing.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as higher-level positions where some of the experience and talent required can only be gained with time. However, for most positions a young hire can be the smart choice, for a number of reasons. Major companies have only begun to see the value in hiring recent grads and self-starters, and now the media is taking notice as well. It’s time sales staffing firms take a cue from some of the smaller businesses and give “the young” the respect—and jobs—they deserve.

What makes this younger generation so valuable? Here are just a few of their very desirable qualities:

Adaptable
Younger hires are very willing to learn, and usually quick to catch on. They also don’t need to be broken of bad habits or another company’s differing methods.

Driven
The expectation of being underestimated fuels younger employees with the desire to prove themselves, creating a strong work ethic and a willingness to tackle challenges.

Cheap
Fewer years does often mean lower pay demands, as higher salaries are seen as something to aspire to. 20-somethings also have fewer responsibilities (read: bills), so they can afford to start at a lower rate.

Loyal
A younger employee has more time to stay with a company since they have more years ahead of them. They are also more likely to feel a connection or commitment to their first job.

Of course, you can’t base a hiring decision exclusively on age any more than you can on years of work; my whole argument is not to define a candidate by one narrow number. Think long term and look at all candidates with an open mind. Over and over again we are seeing college age "kids" do amazing work because of their go-getter mindset. And as anyone in sales staffing knows, that is the key to success.

 

Peter Marinilli is the CEO and founder of Target Consulting Group LLC, a Canton, Massachusetts-based employment firm specializing in the placement of sales executives in

New England and throughout the nation. Take a look at their homepage

http://www.targetconsulting.com/ and check out how Target Consulting can help you.