When looking for top sales talent, you need to be on the lookout for key skills so that they are able to hit the ground running and make a positive impact in your team.
Understanding how to attract and retain a salesperson who provides value and is able to take initiative can be a difficult task if you aren’t sure on the correct process.
We’ve put together our top tips to help you with your journey!
So, let’s get down to the basics of identifying a great salesperson.
Identifying Candidates
Identifying talent can come in many forms, such as searching for certain personality characteristics. Ensuring that your candidates possess the traits that make them a great fit for the role as well as being a cultural fit for your company are key indicators that this will be a successful person to bring on board.
Now, what are the traits to look out for?
- An outgoing personality
- Driven and self-motivated
- Professional
- Is able to build a rapport with people with ease
- Confident in their abilities
These are all factors in what makes a great salesperson. Every one of the points above need to be used daily to hit targets and drive more sales.
Attracting Talent
Attracting top notch talent to your team is where it might get tricky.
Sales people are naturally intuitive and are driven by like-minded individuals and companies that can offer progression and development to ensure that they are always climbing the ladder.
So, what can you offer?
Firstly, you need to do exactly what you’re hiring the candidate to do: SELL.
Sell your company to your prospects, showing them why you are a great match to help them further their career.
What are your key employee value propositions? These can come in the form of incentives such as bonuses, commissions, company discounts or perks that prove that you are the better business to choose.
A U.K job market survey shows that “employment increased since the previous quarter but there are signs that employment growth is slowing.”
This means that the job market is changing regarding hiring, so tailoring your strategy to employment trends may even help you attract talent further.
Talent Retention
Now you’ve successfully managed to identify, attract and hire your top sales talent, now what?
You also need to start thinking about making sure that they are happy within their roles and continuously improve the environment to ensure that you are retaining your employees.
There are a few things you can do to offer incentives to stay, such as implementing flexible working conditions.
A study from ONS showed that less than 20 percent of employees in the UK worked in businesses that intended to use home working as an ongoing part of their business model, so why not appeal to those who value flexible options?
There are many other ways to identify, attract and retain sales talent. If you are not quite ready to recruit a full-time employee, and in need of guidance in the interim, look no further. Our outsourced sales team are fully established and provide a simple, risk-free solution.
Learn more about our outsourced sales services by contacting Pitchfire today.