Does your company rely on sales professionals to generate new business, sell to existing customers, and drive revenues? If so, we do not need to remind you that the best salespeople can make the difference between your company being a success or a failure. The right salespeople go above and beyond the soliciting function. They nurture business leads and use excellent interpersonal communications skills to turn prospects into long-term customers and ambassadors of your brand.
In addition, they maintain contact with existing customers throughout the year and try to upsell them on additional products or services that your company offers. There is an abundance of talented sales professionals out there. However, finding and hiring a sales professional who can help take your small business to the next level is not an easy task. Balboa Capital hopes this blog post can help. It features some helpful tips on how to hire a sales superstar for your business.
Write a strong job description.
Nobody understands your business, or what it needs to succeed, better than you do. After all, it is your company, and you know when it is time to scale up and expand your sales team. If you are looking to hire one or more salespeople for your company, your job postings need to stand out and not appear generic. Write up a strong, detailed job description that includes a full overview of the position, the desired amount of experience, and a complete list of sales-related tasks, responsibilities, and expectations.
Then, come up with verbiage that gives job seekers an inside look at your company’s culture. Briefly tell the story behind your company and its position in the market. In addition, explain some of the reasons why your company is a great place to work. For example, the ability to work from home, company events, and extra vacation time can be real game-changers for salespeople. They view perks like these as the perfect complement to competitive salaries and sales commissions.
Avoid the standard job interview.
Nothing is more frustrating to a job prospect than an interview that is prepared poorly, involves generic and predictable questions, and ends up wasting their valuable time. A recent survey conducted by a leading job search company reveals that 35% of job seekers were dissatisfied with at least one of their face-to-face interviews last year. So, avoid conducting standard job interviews that follow the same format and questions.
When your best candidates arrive for their interviews, do not keep them waiting, and start by giving them a short tour of your company. During the interview process, keep it conversational and avoid asking the standard list of rehearsed questions that just about everyone uses. If you are conducting the interview online via video chat, ask your IT specialist to confirm that everything works properly, and send your candidate all of the necessary login information well in advance.
Ask about deals they could not close.
By nature, sales professionals are highly competitive and driven to succeed on an individual basis, which means they will probably mention their many successes during the interview. However, what about their failures? To find out how a candidate handles failure, ask them to tell you about a deal they could not close, and to describe what they think happened.
A candidate who makes excuses or blames others is one who does not accept responsibility, and therefore might not be a good fit your business. On the other hand, a candidate who responds, “I was outsold by someone else” or “I should have handled the deal differently” is one who is accountable and able to turn a negative into a positive.
Do not forget customer service.
Salespeople who use overly aggressive sales tactics can annoy customers and be a recipe for disaster. Today’s shoppers are more likely to take their business elsewhere if they encounter a pushy salesperson, or one with a big ego and poor communication skills.
Your salespeople are the voice, and face, of your company’s brand. Because of this, you want to hire enthusiastic sales professionals who can balance good customer service with fiscal responsibility. Look for salespeople who listen to customers and offer solutions rather than jumping straight into selling. This approach helps generate sales and build lasting business relationships.
Summary.
The buyer journey has changed dramatically. People look online to research products and services, check pricing, and read customer reviews before they visit a store or showroom. That said, great salespeople are still needed to close deals. We hope you found this information to be helpful.
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