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Tom Reilly Training Home of Value-Added Selling and Coaching for Sales Success |
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Hiring The Right Salespeople—more than a warm body in a hot territory by Tom Reilly ©Copyright 2000
Staffing is a burning concern these days. Everywhere I go and with every sales manager I talk, people ask me, “Where do I find good salespeople?” The short answer is that it is a supply-and-demand issue—it always has been: too much demand for good salespeople and too few good ones to go around. Actually, I believe there are plenty of good salespeople to meet the demand if you know what to look for and where to find them. Staffing is a critical job function area for sales managers yet most sales managers perform woefully in this area. Some are reactive—they wait for a need to surface before they begin their search. More often than not, they settle for a warm body. Other sales managers spot personal qualities that they appreciate in their candidates and hire them. Did I mention that these candidates remind the sales managers of themselves? They hire salespeople that reflect their own qualities. Everyone has an opinion of what makes a successful salesperson and these opinions are generally anecdotal—personal experiences that evolve into selection criteria. There’s more to it than that. You must hire strategically. Beyond staffing You want more than a warm body in the sales territory managing your business relationships with valuable customers. You want to put your best foot forward and hire the best candidate for the job. In a sense, staffing is like a cross-country journey. There are many ways to travel from coast to coast: first-class in a jumbo jet that flies nonstop; hop scotch your way across the country at odd times in the middle seat of coach class making several stops; you could fly general aviation; drive your own car; take a bus; ride a train; or hitch-hike. You arrive by all these methods—one is more convenient, comfortable, and timely than the others. How would you prefer to make the journey? Customers prefer to deal with first-class salespeople. The first question you must ask yourself is, “How much time and effort am I willing to put into my search?’ If you answer this question with something like, “I don’t have a lot of time for this,” you need not read further. If you’re willing to invest time and energy in this area, the next question you must ask yourself is, “Am I willing to challenge my fundamental hiring beliefs and open my mind to some different ideas?” If so, read on. Strategic staffing is hiring and training people that possess the right blend of ability, attitude, attributes, knowledge, and skills (i.e. competencies) to help your organization achieve its goals. Your job as a manager is to direct whatever resources you have available to achieve organizational goals. To create a successful sales organization you must build it from the ground up. Hiring must begin with a clear understanding of your company’s mission. That mission translates into company objectives. These objectives serve as a foundation for your sales department’s goals. You need a staff to help you achieve these objectives. What do you need in and from your people to achieve your goals and accomplish the company’s mission? All of this serves as a backdrop for hiring. Let’s begin with a description of your sales job. Describe the nature of the job and the tasks and behaviors associated with performing this job. What does this salesperson do and how does he go about doing it? From this information, list performance criteria. This answers the question, “How will I know if the salesperson is performing his/her job effectively?” You will use these performance criteria to coach your salespeople. The next step is to determine salesperson competencies for this job: the ideal blend of attitudes, attributes, abilities, knowledge, and skills. This combination of aptitude and attitude is what enables the salesperson to succeed in the job. You can develop this list of sales competencies by examining the demands of the job, talking to customers, and interviewing your top performers. Value added salespeople draw from a wellspring of knowledge about sales, their industry, their customers, their competition, and their companies to master the skills of their profession. These are the skill areas for establishing sales force competencies:
Strategic staffing is staffing for success. It’s surrounding yourself with the kind of salespeople that will help you achieve your company’s goals. Whom should you hire? First, choose salespeople that embrace the attitudes, beliefs, and values that define your culture. If you’re staffing for a value added sales culture you want your candidates to share these attitudes:
Second, examine their knowledge and skills. This is where you look at the candidate’s raw material—natural talents and acquired skills. Ask these questions:
Third, turn to personal attributes. Companies invest significant time and money in this area testing salespeople. These personal characteristics reflect a balance of task and people orientation. Look for the “Three E’s”: Ego-strength: this represents a sense of competence that emanates from a healthy self-esteem. The salesperson has a good sense of herself—strengths and weaknesses. Because of her high ego-strength, the salesperson has the courage to make the tough calls, the assertiveness to meet new people, the confidence to be persuasive, and the ability to work independently. Her inner strength resonates in her determination, perseverance, and resilience. Because she is comfortable in her own skin, this salesperson is willing to risk and explore possibilities. This fuels her creativity. Ego-drive: this is the energy that makes it happen. You see this motivation in the salesperson’s ambition, will to succeed, and initiative. He assumes full ownership for his success and the results he creates. He exudes optimism and a sense of control over his destiny. This positive sense of control extends to his environment and self-control of his emotions. This salesperson has a positive addiction to excellence and takes pride in his efforts. He displays his conscientiousness in his take-charge attitude. Empathy: this is the ability to define the world in terms bigger than oneself. The salesperson that scores high on this dimension is able to view things from another’s perspective. They ask questions and listen attentively. This salesperson will subordinate his or her ego for the greater good of serving. This is the consummate team player. Whether it’s working together with other internal employees, peers, or customers this salesperson realizes that we is greater than me. High-empathy salespeople are perceptive. They understand the impact they have on other people. They are cognizant of the subtleties in relationships. They define value and success in customer terms. Where do you find these candidates? Everywhere. This is where I’m really going to bend your comfort zone. There are some realities that you must accept if you plan to find and attract these candidates. First, some people are naturally better at sales. They bring to the table a host of personal skills and attributes that we see in great salespeople. These people may be in your company or in the general population. Second, many of these people are not currently in sales. They may be teachers, technicians, customer service reps, counselors, hairdressers, construction workers, truck drivers, and waiters. They’re everywhere. If you limit your search only to people currently employed as salespeople, you’re missing the other eighty percent that could potentially sell circles around the twenty percent employed as salespeople. Third, your competition for great salespeople is not your industry. It’s the entire economy. Any company that hires salespeople is your competition. Most product knowledge is teachable. It is a grave mistake to believe that your industry has a monopoly on talent. Some industries are so incestuous that they trade only on each other’s mediocre performers. Things are not different in your industry. Fourth, you must be proactive in your search. If you wait for the need to surface, you will feel the urgency to hire a body. This is one of the ironies of sales management. You expect your salespeople to prospect continuously for new business but you fail to practice this sage advice for yourself. Your selection process goes a lot smoother when you have a file drawer of good resumes and viable candidates. You will make a better strategic hiring decision. Customer relationships are too important to squander with mediocre performers. It sends the wrong message to the customer. You’re saying, “We’re sending you a mediocre salesperson, a body, because that’s how we value your business.” Your job as a sales manager is to achieve organizational objectives with the resources you have available. When you hire the best people you can find for the job it increases the probability that you will succeed in your position. Hire strategically. Surround yourself with salespeople that embrace your company’s mission, share its cultural beliefs and attitudes, have the raw talent to perform the job, and the personal attributes that are instrumental to their success. Look everywhere. They’re there. Tom Reilly is president of Tom Reilly Training, a St. Louis based firm specializing in training salespeople and sales managers. He is author of the books Value Added Selling, Coaching for Sales Success, Customer Service Is More Than a Department, Crush Price Objections, How to Sell and Manage in Tough Times and Tough Markets, and Get Out of the Wagon and Help Me Pull This Thing. For more information contact: Tom Reilly Training, 171 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005 (636) 537-3360 www.TomReillyTraining.com |
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