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Boston’s Sales Hiring Landscape

Boston Sales Recruiters

Are you looking for sales talent in Boston and the New England region? Peak has expertise in recruiting sales professionals in B2B, technology, and industrial companies. The first step to effectively recruiting sales representatives in Boston is understanding expectations.

Sales Salaries In Boston, MA: Market Expectations

Competing effectively for sales talent in Boston starts with understanding the market’s expectations. The following data comes from a May 2021 survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Boston region. Remember that heightened inflation in 2020-2022 has impacted the market in interpreting this salary information. 

  • Advertising Sales Agents: $73,920
  • Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products: $122,430
  • Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel: $84,400
  • Sales Engineers: $114,450
  • Retail Salespersons: $36,240
  • Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: $88,210

Boston has an average household income of $76,298, so the sales profession offers excellent opportunities to thrive. 

Boston Sales Recruiting Success Stories

Peak has successfully helped multiple Boston companies grow faster with sales recruitment. 

Ritchie Bros

Founded in 1958, Richie Bros helps businesses buy and sell heavy equipment, trucks, and other industrial goods. Tim Keane, sales director at Richie Bros, says, “Peak’s process found us great candidates that fit our requirements. We made a great hire who’s continuing to perform.

Uponor

In business for over one hundred years, Uponor offers plumbing and related products for homes and commercial buildings.  “Peak doesn’t waste your time. They quickly send you fully vetted candidates who meet your requirements,” says Jennifer Gies, human resources manager at Uponor.

Avast

Avast is best known for its antivirus software and offers some of the world’s most popular security software. Tina Moon, human resources at Avast, says, “we chose Peak because they proved they understood the external marketing and had an established network.”

The Largest Boston Employers

Peak’s expertise in the Boston job market extends to understanding the region’s major employers. Many of the best professionals, including sales pros, are already working at these large companies. The Boston job market is, therefore, significantly influenced by the decisions of these large organizations.

Over forty companies employ more than one thousand people in the Boston area. These significant employers account for over one in five (i.e., 21%) of the city’s jobs.

  • Massachusetts General Hospital (health care): 11,415 employees
  • Fidelity Investments (finance): 8,000 employees
  • BankBoston (finance): 5,429 employees
  • Liberty Mutual (insurance): 4,657 employees 
  • Gilette Company (personal care products): 3,404 employees
  • Boston Globe (newspaper and media company): 2,250 employees
  • American Airlines (Airline): 1,600 employees

In addition to large companies, Boston is home to more than 1,000 startup companies. In 2021, Boston-based life sciences company Ginkgo Bioworks went public. Toast, a startup software company focused on the software industry, went public in 2021 and raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. These success stories show what ambitious companies can achieve in Boston.

The region also has a pipeline of growing startup companies thanks to support from investors and major companies. The region’s long-established startup accelerators include the Boston Founder Institute, Greentown Labs, and Harvard Innovation Labs. In 2022, Intel announced that it expanded its early-stage acceleration program for startup companies to Boston. 

Companies Investing In The Boston Region

Boston’s growing economy makes it an attractive place to build your sales team. The following companies have recently invested substantially in the region.

  • Amazon. The e-commerce firm announced opening an office with 3,000 employees in Boston in 2021.
  • Boston Sword and Tuna. The seafood company opened a new 50,000-foot facility in the region in 2020.
  • Prodrive Technologies. Based in the Netherlands, the technology business opened a new facility in the Boston region focused on manufacturing and R&D in 2020.
  • Law Firms Expanding In Boston. Multiple law firms, including Akin Gump, Allen & Overy, Barnes & Thornburg, and Fox Rothschild have recently expanded their presence in Boston. 

These expansion efforts mean more business opportunities for Boston sales professionals. Work with Peak today to find the right sales talent for your growth goals.

State of The Sales Profession In Boston

Demand for sales professionals in the Boston region remains high. More than five thousand full-time sales job positions are available in Boston. Roughly 10% of these positions are remote. More employers are offering hybrid positions. Industries currently hiring for sales positions in Boston include financial services, technology, pharmaceuticals, home goods, and many other industries.

Boston’s Growth Prospects

As one of the largest cities in New England, Boston is projected to grow substantially in the 2020s. By 2030, the city’s population is expected to grow to 710,000, a substantial increase from the current population of 654,000. In particular, East Boston, Dorchester, the Seaport, and the Southend are expected to grow the most. That’s not all; the Boston region is expected to add 50,000 new jobs by 2030. This growth means more opportunities for salespeople and growing companies throughout Massachusetts.

Experiencing The Boston Lifestyle

Boston is an attractive place to live because of its history, connection to New England, and outstanding health and education. Founded in 1630, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US. The city’s famous Freedom Trial offers a unique way to experience America’s early history and museums. While proud of its past, Boston is also noted for its innovation, especially in health science.

Higher education is one of Boston’s greatest strengths. Nearby, Cambridge is home to two world-class universities: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. In addition, the city itself is home to more than a dozen universities and colleges, including Boston University, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Boston, and the New England Conservatory. As a place to grow and learn, it’s tough to beat Boston.

Want To Recruit Boston Sales Talent?

Hiring sales talent in Boston is easier when you have the proper support. Learn more about Peak’s Boston office and contact us today. Peak has expertise in recruiting industrial, B2B, and technology sales talent at all experience levels. 




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How To Keep More Of Your Sales Top Performers With A Sales Career Path

We must keep our best-performing sales professionals growing and engaged in your sales organization. Successful salespeople contribute practical value to their employers. They also know that they could work for other companies. They are at heightened risk of leaving. You may never know if your salespeople have reached their full potential.

Keeping your star salespeople engaged and growing takes multiple strategies and creative leadership. In particular, crafting a sales career path for your department is vital. Use these steps to build a career progression adapted to your department and staff’s specific needs. 

Step 1: Evaluate Your Sales Team

Your sales career progression opportunities must be grounded in your department’s realities. Start by looking at the patterns in your sales team using the following reflection questions.

  • What is the turnover pattern in the sales team? Where are my salespeople going (i.e., to other positions in the company or leaving the company entirely)? Are turnover rates increasing over time?
  • What roadblocks and obstacles do your salespeople regularly mention?
  • Does your sales team have any potential up-and-coming leaders?
  • How is your sales team balanced between new vs. experienced salespeople?
  • What are the different sales positions your team has (i.e., are there specialists by market, different levels of sales representatives?)

In addition to the questions above, take a few minutes to review the annual goals documents your salespeople have completed. In particular, look for indicators that your people are seeking growth opportunities (e.g., increased interest in leadership opportunities, explicit interest in promotion). Further, look for people excelling in specific sales areas like retaining customers, prospecting, or working with specific types of customers.

Step 2: Identify The Top Talent To Retain With Growth Opportunities

The next step is to make a list of your best performers. Start by looking at sales performance measures like sales productivity and quota attainment. Next, look for leadership potential, such as evidence of your people supporting new highers or supporting corporate initiatives. 

Keep this list in mind as you transform your sales team with a new career path. Organizational change can frustrate people and trigger anxiety. Take extra time and attention to ensure that your top performers feel appreciated and valued as the sales department changes.

Step 3: Build Out Your Sales Career Path With New Sales Positions 

Now, it’s time to get creative to build new sales positions. Don’t worry – there’s no need to create and fill these positions immediately. We recommend taking a gradual approach to add these positions over months or several quarters. There are a few factors to remember when adding new sales positions: breadth, depth, and leadership.

Breadth of Sales Positions

Breadth in sales means looking at the sales process and customer journey. Many sales processes start with prospecting. The next step is meeting with the prospect and developing a proposal or quote. The final step is customer success or service fulfillment.

Depth of Sales Positions

Depth in sales positions means taking a single position (e.g., account executive) and breaking it into incremental positions. For example, an entry-level account executive position might focus on the small and medium-sized business segment, while the senior account executive position focuses on larger opportunities.

Leadership

The third dimension to consider in building out your sales career path is to look at adding leadership opportunities. For example, what is next on the career leader for a successful account executive with 5-10 years of experience? They might be interested in a promotion to a sales manager role. 

Step 4: Enhance Sales Compensation And Flexibility

Adding new job titles needs to come with meaningful increases in responsibility, compensation, and impact. Likewise, offering flexibility, like the option to work remotely, is critical to retain talent. Use these self-assessment questions to validate the competitiveness of your compensation and flexibility.

  • When was the last time our sales compensation was reviewed and compared to industry benchmarks?

If it has been more than 12 months since you last reviewed sales compensation in detail, it is time to perform another review. Unusually high inflation means reviewing compensation more often is essential.

  • What can we do to improve variable and bonus compensation?

Look for ways to add more rewards to your best salespeople, including more significant bonuses and equity. If increasing the dollar value of compensation is off the table, there’s another option. Look for ways to simplify the compensation formula and create a user-friendly compensation calculator for your staff. When it’s easy for salespeople to see how much they can earn to the dollar, working to close one more deal gets more appealing.

  • Do we have the right technology to support today’s remote and hybrid work expectations?

Your salespeople should never need to struggle to make calls or look good on video calls. Ask your sales employees if they have everything they need, like quality headsets, cameras, and related tools.

Step 5: Launch Your Sales Career Path With Promotions 

Up to this stage, the sales leader has spent most of their time building out the sales career path. In this step, it is time to bring it to life. We recommend starting by promoting your top performers for two reasons. First, offering promotions to your best performers is an excellent way to retain them. Second, launching your new sales career path with promotions signals that your transformation initiative will bring new opportunities.

Step 6: Complete The Sales Team Build Out With Expert Support

After promoting a few key staff to new positions, you’ll see an urgent need to keep building out your sales organization. You may need to hire more junior staff, like sales development representatives. Or you may need experienced staff or even sales leaders to guide the department’s growth further. 

Contact Peak Sales Executive Search to support the build-out of your sales organization.

Selling to Government 101

Government departments and entities represent one of the most significant sales opportunities. In fiscal 2021, the US federal government spent about $637 billion on contracts. It’s not all going to defense either – $250 billion in contract spending came from civilian agencies. When you add in state and local government procurement spending, it’s no surprise that some businesses have dedicated government or public sector sales teams.

Step 1: Assess whether government sales fit with your sales strategy first.

If your company’s sales force is accustomed to working with small businesses, enterprises, or consumers, adjusting to government customers is a significant change. Before you invest the time and effort required to succeed in government sales, assess if this opportunity is relevant to your department with the following self-assessment questions.

  • Is your company based in the United States?

While not a formal requirement in every case, US-based companies often have an advantage in selling to the US government. There is a similar “home team” advantage for other levels of government (e.g., it’s probably easier to sell to the California government if your company has a presence in the Golden State).

  • Are you comfortable with increasing your sales cycle time in the short term?

The government procurement process is known for its relatively slow speed. It’s not uncommon for purchases to take months. In addition, there is often significant upfront work effort required to search, analyze and respond to RFPs (i.e., requests for proposals).

  • Does your company have the administrative capacity for government customers?

The number of forms, reports and other administrators involved in serving public sector buyers is considerable. Think carefully about how you will handle this burden. If this workload falls on the sales team, their productivity will fall.

At this point, it should be clear that selling to government buyers is no good quick fit for a revenue shortfall. However, a patient sales force has the potential to earn significant returns. If you’re committed to further exploring the government sales opportunity, let’s continue.

Step 2: Understand the different types of government buyers

While government buyers have some similarities in mindset and process, there are significant nuances. Let’s consider a few ways to look at potential government buyers. 

Level of government

  • The national government represents the largest sales opportunity. The federal government may be the most complex opportunity. A significant portion of federal spending on contractors goes to defense spending. 
  • State. The following US state governments have an annual budget over $100 billion: California, New York, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Washington, Oregon, and Florida. Whether you’re concerned with infrastructure projects, education, or healthcare, the states represent a significant opportunity.
  • Local. There are tens of thousands of local government entities in the US including large cities and counties. These governments need technology, employees, training, and many other services. 

Specialized government agencies

It’s also helpful to consider if a particular government entity has specialized rules, regulations, or goals that may impact its buying process.

  • Defense. The Defense department is the largest buyer of goods and services. Despite the challenges associated with defense sales, Amazon and Google have faced struggles from their employees related to their defense work. 
  • Regulatory Agencies. The US has over 80 active nuclear power plants, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates these. Such organizations may have technical concerns regarding risk management and safety. 
  • Travel and Logistics. Whether you look at airports or ports, these heavily used facilities all need support from vendors.

Step 3: Research the sales process.

There are formal and informal strategies to prepare your sales team for the sales process. Use both of these methods to give your sales team the best advantage. 

Formal research.

Government websites offer a wealth of information to educate vendors on business opportunities and the selling process. As a starting point, visit SAM.gov. This federal website is an excellent resource – you can also sign up to receive updates.

Informal research.

Simply meeting the formal requirements is not enough to succeed. Informal research is your opportunity to use your networking skills to find out more. Set a goal to speak with 5-10 companies that are currently successfully selling to government agencies. 

Your sales team’s effort in researching how government buyers work will pay off in the next step.

Step 4: Complete the proposal 

In this step, your sales team will prepare a detailed response to the government’s requirements. Attention to detail is critically important because government procurement documents are highly detailed. When you first start government sales, it may take multiple proposals and presentations to make progress.

The insights you discover through networking will also help you to identify which opportunities are worth your time.

Step 5: Manage and grow the account

In government sales, there is considerable upfront investment in time and effort to win a contract. Once you have the account, it’s vital to look for ways to grow the account over time. Fortunately, you can use the same growth strategies that you would use for most more prominent organizations.

Here are some ways to grow a government account over time.

  • Software companies commonly use this sales strategy. You start by selling licenses to a single department. Once that department succeeds, look for ways to expand.
  • Monitor Political Priorities. Long-term success in government sales requires paying attention to politics. For example, recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 focuses on climate change, among other points. Acting quickly to take advantage of new programs like this is essential.
  • Become a thought leader in government. Over the long term, seek out ways to get in front of more government buyers at events. For example, look at the Illinois Digital Government Summit speakers (i.e., leaders from Amazon, Google, and government agencies). Developing speaker presentation ideas and pitching your company to event organizers is one of the best ways to leverage your current government accounts and win more business.

How To Put Your Government Sales Program On The Fast Track

Developing competence in government sales takes time. One way to achieve results faster is to bring in sales talent with a successful track record in government sales. Contact Peak Sales Recruiting today to discuss your sales growth goals. Peak’s success in helping businesses focused on the government sector includes helping GovSpend recruit four successful Account Executives.

Please visit our Blog section for further information.

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How To Manage Rapid Sales Team Expansion

Rapidly expanding a sales team is an exciting time to grow. The expansion opens new markets, allows the sales team to specialize further, and means faster top-line growth. These advantages are only possible if the risks of rapid expansion are well managed. Sales leaders can help to drive growth higher with the following support strategies.

What Got You Here Wouldn’t Get You There

The sales team management processes that worked when you only hired a handful of people simply will not work well at scale. When a sales team grows slowly, the impact of inefficient processes is harder to see. When you recruit 5, 10, or more people to the sales team in a month or quarter, it’s no longer good enough to rely on informal apprenticeship and leadership. 

To prepare your sales organization for rapid growth, use these support strategies. 

Support Strategy 1: Assess your onboarding processes

Imagine a promising salesperson asking you about their first 30 days at the company. What answer will you provide? Relying on each individual’s drive to “figure things out” is unlikely to yield predictable results. The first step to improving your onboarding process is to examine what you currently have in place and identify ways to improve it.

1) Outline your current sale onboarding process

As a sales manager or executive, take five minutes to outline your understanding of what new salespeople get at the organization. To aid the process, consider the following self-assessment questions:

  • What sales training was provided?
  • How was the salesperson introduced to other key departments in the organization (e.g., customer service, finance, and training)?
  • What goals did the organization layout for the new person to achieve in their first 30-90 days?
  • What technology was given to the new person?
  • How was the new salesperson integrated into their new sales team?

Once you have your initial answers to these questions, validate your findings by speaking with the last three salespeople you hired. Take their answers with a grain of salt if they were hired over 12 months ago because they may have forgotten what it’s like to be new at your company.

2) Improve the first 30 days of the onboarding process with a checklist

Based on what you’ve discovered in the previous step, look for quick wins to implement in teh first 30 days. In many B2B sales organizations, it can take weeks or months to close complex deals. Therefore, your newly hired salespeople may have more capacity for onboarding in their first month.

In the first 30 days, look for ways to engage the newly hired salesperson with connections, training and your company culture. To avoid overwhelming new hires with a firehouse of information, use a limited checklist with 10 items or less. By focusing hires on the top 10 most valuable tasks, it is easier to stay focused on the top priorities.

Some potential items to include on your new hire checklist include:

  • Customer stories. Salespeople need to understand how your customers think. Equip them with case studies, testimonials, surveys and other direct feedback from your customers.
  • Sales technology setup. Make sure your salespeople have access to the critical tools they need like a phone, laptop, customer relationship management (CRM) and sales data (e.g. LinkedIn Sales Navigator).
  • Product knowledge. Salespeople also need to know your products work. If you have a large catalog of products, focus on your best selling products. For example, does the company have a library of recorded webinars or videos? If so, these resources may be helpful in supporting new salespeople. 
  • Sales Numbers. Give your new hire some guidance on what is typically involved in closing a deal. For example, let them the average sales cycle time (e.g. six weeks) so they can plan their activity accordingly.

3) Stay humble and get new hire feedback

Rapid growth tends to put pressure on systems, people, and processes. Sales onboarding is no different. Avoid assuming your sales onboarding process is flawless – everybody has blindspots. Invite new hires to give suggestions on ways to make onboarding more effective.

Support Strategy 2: Balance sales team growth across the experience spectrum

The second way to sustain rapid sales team growth is to assess growth in terms of work experience. A combination of junior sales professionals (e.g. sales development representatives) and more senior salespeople (e.g. account executives) is often desirable. 

Adding too many junior salespeople may be cost-effective. However, junior salespeople may require significantly more support to achieve their goals. The opposite is also true – a sales team that overly emphasizes highly experienced salespeople has its own challenges. Highly experienced salespeople can be more difficult to retain since they are in high demand.

There is no ideal ratio between junior salespeople and senior salespeople. Instead, it is a question of finding a balance that suits your sales goals.

Support Strategy 3: Reassessing your technology and process support

The process and technology that works with a sales team of a few people may not work when you add 10, 50 or 100 more salespeople rapidly joining the organization. To assess the quality of your sales processes and technology, use the following self-assessment questions.

  • What administrative tasks cause the most complaints?

For example, do your salespeople complain about how it takes to get quotes or proposals approved and sent? Taking too long to issue these documents may cause lost deals. Creating templates may help to speed up the process. Likewise, review the interaction of the sales team with other company departments. For example, if salespeople are spending significant time following up on service problems, this may suggest you need a better customer support model.

  • What activities keep salespeople away from interacting with customers?

When salespeople have to spend extended amounts of time finding sales data (e.g. prospect contact information), that research effort is acting as a break on productivity. Consider investigating a sales database like Zoominfo or Uplead to speed up the sales process. Alternatively, you may want to hire a sales researcher or sales development representative to support your more senior salespeople.

  • What technology does the sales team ask for?

Salespeople, especially recently joined the company, have probably seen various sales technologies that you may not have in place. They may know faster ways to make sales calls, book meetings, and more. Make it a priority to periodically ask your sales team about processes or technology that could make them more effective. Testing a few new sales technologies that improve efficiency can significantly lift sales productivity.

As a sales team scales up, inefficiencies add up. For example, insisting on paper signatures rather than e-signatures may no longer make sense today. Eliminating paper processes alone may cut days from your sales cycle.

You’re Not Alone In Growing Your Sales Team

Expanding a sales team takes a lot of time if you do it alone. Fortunately, Peak Sales Recruiting is here to help. By helping you outsource some or all of your recruiting process, we can help you add in more salespeople rapidly.

How to Sell Price Increases To Overcome Inflation

High inflation rates have been a reality for over a year. Whether you look at food, fuel, or other costs, the price of everything is going up. Central banks are doing what they can to combat the problem. In the meantime, salespeople have a unique capability to combat inflation: selling price increases.

Why Price Increases Are Powerful

Let’s imagine two companies selling similar products, like home air conditioning units. At first, they both make a gross profit of $250 per unit. When high inflation hit in 2021-22, suddenly, those profit margins shrank to $200. Higher prices for other supplies cause the shrinkage the companies have to pay for, like office goods, computers, and vehicles. One company implemented higher prices and raised its profit margin per unit sold to $275. The other company decides to do nothing hoping inflation will go away.

At the end of the year, the company that raised its prices enjoyed several benefits. First of all, they have a far better profit for the year. That means they can spend more on bonuses and improve customer service standards. If their competitor takes no action for another year, the competitive advantage will continue growing.

Why Don’t Salespeople Focus on Price Increases?

The business value of successfully raising your prices is powerful. Despite those benefits, very few salespeople are eager to pursue price increases. There are a few reasons for that. Sales incentives typically favor winning new accounts, so time spent attempting to get a price increase may feel wasted. Further, salespeople may not see the value or rationale for a price increase. When a salesperson is not sold on the purpose of price increases, they are unlikely to act.

Finally, proposing a price increase usually feels uncomfortable. This discomfort is partially irrational. Yet it is also partially grounded in risk. If you raise your prices, you might anger customers who may seek out other options. Left untreated, the unwillingness to administer moderate price increases erodes profitability over time and makes it tough to remain competitive.

Selling Price Increases Step By Step

The path to successfully selling price increases as a salesperson is fraught with dangers. Use this guidance to minimize the risks.

Step 1: Get Clarity On Pricing Decisions

Pricing decisions work a bit differently in every organization. Some salespeople, for example, have the discretion to offer discounts to retain customers or close a sale. Increasing prices may be a different matter altogether. Ask management about increasing prices significantly if your company has not updated prices in over a year.

Once you find the pricing decision maker internally at the company, ask them about pricing plans. Selling a price increase tends to be most successful when the salesperson has substantial preparation time. Proactively engaging with management early is essential. In all likelihood, you may discover that managers were already thinking about pricing changes.

Step 2: Review Your Pricing For Increase Opportunities

Assuming you have multiple products and services to sell, it is wise to customize your price increase decisions. For instance, increasing prices on a product that sells at a low volume will not help the bottom line much. In addition, consider whether contract-based pricing may constrain how and when your prices are changed.

Your mission in this step is to find two to three opportunities for price increases. Start with your products and services and then identify specific customers second.

Step 3: Get The Price Increase Quick Win

Typically increasing prices is relatively challenging, but there is one exception to this rule of thumb: new customers. Unlike your current customer base, new customers have little or no knowledge of your historical pricing. Therefore, do yourself a favor and increase prices for brand new customers first.

Implementing this step will help to support your case for other price increases – stay tuned for details in the following steps.

Step 4: Create Price Increase Campaigns For Current Customers

The following approach suits companies selling high-value products to businesses or institutional customers. In this setting, a salesperson may have a book of accounts that she regularly works with. These longer-term relationships give you the understanding you need to present a price increase.

To build your price increase campaign, use the following steps:

  • Identify Wins

Start by finding wins for each customer you serve. This could be something like consistently delivering your service by the deadline. Or you might have taken extraordinary steps to meet a customer’s special requests. In each case, list the wins you’ve delivered for the customer.

  • Find and Fix Problems

Poor customer service is one of the fastest ways to fail in a price increase conversation. If a customer has pending issues or unresolved complaints, price increases may fall on deaf ears. Search your email archives, check your customer relationship management (CRM), and ask your customer service colleagues for support. Fixing problems will tip the odds of a price increase in your favor.

  • Design Your Price Increase Presentation

This step is vital if your price increases are substantial. If your prices are significantly more than inflation, creating a presentation and meeting with your customer is essential. The next part of the process explains this presentation further,

Step 5: Develop and deliver the price increase presentation

Presenting a price increase successfully requires knowledge of the account’s history and your plans. Use the following prompts to build the price increase presentation.

  • Review The Account

Set the stage by reviewing your history of performance for the customer. Leverage the wins and customer service improvements identified in previous steps here.

  • Present The Price Increase

In this stage, describe the price increase for the specific products and services that apply to the customer. In general, it is wise to give 30 days or more notice to the customer before the price increase takes effect.

  • State The Reasons For The Price Change

In this section, briefly explain the rationale for the price increase. You can reference the high level of customer service, planned improvements you will be offering (e.g., a new feature that will be released soon), and macroeconomic factors (e.g., cost of labor and supplies increasing).

The customer may want to negotiate the price increase, especially if it is significant. For larger accounts, considering a negotiated increase – like 7% instead of the 11% you planned – may be worthwhile. You may accept a minor increase but mention that prices will be reviewed again in 12 months because all of your new customers are already paying the higher price.

The Fastest Path To Price Increase Profitability

Increasing prices for current customers is possible, but many people find it challenging to do. The best way to grow your business with higher prices is to focus on new customers. Peak can help you find successful salespeople to join your organization. Just imagine you added two-star salespeople in the next 90 days, and they added a dozen accounts at your newly increased prices. That bottom line improvement could change everything for your company!

Contact Peak today to discuss your sales talent needs today – it’s one of the fastest ways to beat inflation!

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What Is RPO? Everything You Need To Know in 5 Minutes

What Is RPO? 

RPO means Recruitment process outsourcing. It is a newer way for companies to access talent quickly by developing a long-term relationship with a specialized recruiting firm. To help you understand if RPO is right for your company, keep reading to learn more. 

The best way to explain RPO is to contrast it with the conventional way of working with a recruitment service provider. For instance, a company’s Vice President of Sales leaves the organization for another opportunity at a different company. This development triggers hiring a new VP of Sales to keep the sales team focused. In this case, the company may reach out to Peak to support filling that position. Once the recruiting process is complete, the company and Peak go their separate ways.

In comparison, RPO is different in a few ways. First, recruitment process outsourcing is usually structured as an ongoing service relationship with multi-year agreements. Second, the scope of the relationship is often deeper. The recruiting provider offers more than identifying and qualifying potential job candidates (though that capability remains front and center). In the next section, we’ll cover why more companies are switching to RPO.

Why Are Companies Switching to RPO?

Unlike traditional recruiting, RPO is a long-term outsourcing relationship. There are several key benefits to adopting RPO.

Hire High-Quality Talent Faster 

In today’s job market, unemployment has reached record lows: 3.7% as of August 2022. 

Some industries are even lower: 3.2% in the information industry and 3.5% in business and professional services. This very low level of unemployment means employers are pursuing new methods to access talent.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that some companies are reducing their background check processes in 2022 to access more talent.

In these conditions, the best job candidates have multiple options. A disorganized or long-drawn-out hiring process can cost you the best talent. With recruitment process outsourcing in place, you will have the edge over your competitors in hiring great talent.

Reduce Time Spent On Recruiting 

Your managers and executives have multiple challenging responsibilities to fulfill each month. For example, we often hear that sales managers rarely have enough time to thoroughly coach their current employees as much as they would like. Given these limitations, it is unwise to waste management time meeting with poor fit job candidates. As an RPO firm discovers your preferences and optimizes its processes over time, companies get even better candidates.

Improved Company Reputation And Candidate Experience

Putting candidates thoroughly through a poorly thought out recruiting experience can hurt your company’s reputation. That reputational hit means disgruntled candidates may discourage others from working with you. This type of negative word of mouth can make hiring much more challenging. By adding RPO support to your organization, every hiring process quietly improves your company’s reputation. 

Gain Advanced Job Market Insights

The job market is constantly changing. A few short years ago, working remotely was relatively uncommon. Today, significant flexibility has become a standard expectation for many professionals. By working with an RPO firm, your company gains up-to-minute insights about what candidates want. That feedback is invaluable in fine-tuning your compensation programs, employer brand, and other aspects of your talent management program.

Accelerate Your Key Human Resources Initiatives 

Human resources professionals face growing demands on their limited time and resources today. For example, many HR professionals leads or provide critical support to their company’s diversity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. In addition, HR is also asked to lead employee engagement efforts and lead training programs. With all of these responsibilities in mind, HR needs a helping hand. When the human resources department is augmented through RPO, it frees up capacity to work on other initiatives.

Who Is Sales RPO For?

At Peak Sales Team RPO Search, we live and breathe sales. If you are looking to grow a sales team, we can help. Some of the industries we have deep expertise in include:

  • B2B Software
  • Software As A Service (SaaS)
  • Professional Services
  • Industrial and Manufacturing
  • CleanTech, FinTech and Clean Tech

In terms of sales positions, Peak helps companies recruit across the sales spectrum starting with junior roles like sales development representatives (SDRs) all the way to sales executives.

What Is The RPO Process?

To customize the RPO process for your needs, we follow a four step methodology every time.

1. Understand Client Objectives

The entire process starts with asking the right questions about what YOU want. For example, some of the questions we typically ask include:

  • What does your sales organization look like today? Where do you want to grow?
  • What worked well in past hiring efforts? What’s not working effectively?
  • What major company projects or initiatives are underway that require new sales talent?

2. Ideal Profiling

The next step of the process is to build a profile of the ideal sales candidates you are looking for. This process weaves together a focus on traditional sales skills and culture fit. A top performer who clashes with your company culture wouldn’t stay long and we aim for long term placements. 

3. Targeted Search

Our sales recruiters are constantly meeting with sales professionals, managers and executives in multiple industries. That means we know far more about candidate capabilities than anyone could discover from browsing LinkedIn and other websites. The targeted search approach means companies only have interviews with the the best of the best.

4. Scientific Testing

While instinct and experience have significant value, our process is also balanced by using scientific methods. We verify the candidates background (including their sales achievements), use role playing and behavior interviewing techniques. All of these techniques give a deeper view in how a candidate approaches sales.

After going through these steps, we build a customized RPO offering tailored to your needs. It may include a targeted focus (e.g. recruiting for junior sales reps, sales talent for a specific office etc) or broader support. 

How To Learn More About Applying RPO In Your Organization?

Adding recruitment process outsourcing to your company means faster access to talent and ultimately more revenue.

Contact us today to find out how RPO can help your sales team grow.

How To Align Your Sales Organization And Sales Strategy

If prospecting, pricing, and training aren’t holding your sales organization back from success, you might be putting a break on revenue growth. As a sales leader, you must direct the sales strategy. That includes making thoughtful decisions about the sales organization structure. 

Four Signs That Your Sales Organization Needs An Update

Changing your company’s sales organizational structure is disruptive. It can temporarily reduce performance. Before embarking on this change, consider whether it is the right move. If you see the following signs, an organizational change may be needed.

  • Significant Changes To Products and Services

If your company has recently added several new offerings, your old way of selling may need an update. Asking salespeople to become knowledgeable on various products is challenging, especially when those products are highly customizable. As you add new products, it becomes more difficult for your salespeople to stay up to date and sell everything effectively.

  • Significant Pricing Changes

Annual price changes are not a concern here. Instead, the question is whether the organization has developed more significant percentage increases in prices, new bundles, or the elimination of older price offerings. For example, an organization might have developed custom price quotes for enterprise customers while smaller customers pay a standard price. If this indicator is present with the next item in the list, it may be vital to reassess the organizational structure.

  • Major Change In Target Market

Changing your target market or distribution model may require a new sales approach. For example, a successful marketing program may significantly increase the quantity and quality of inbound leads. In that case, assigning dedicated sales reps to handle those leads may be worthwhile. Further, pursuing a new target market in another country or seeking institutional (e.g., government or university) customers may need a different approach.

  • Declining Employee Satisfaction

Many factors contribute to a fall in employee satisfaction. For instance, your sales staff may want to avoid long commutes and switch to emphasizing remote work. Another factor might be a perceived lack of career advancement opportunities in the sales organization. An updated sales organization structure may help to address some of these challenges. In addition, boredom may strike some of your employees if they feel there is little or no innovation in the department.

After reviewing the state of your sales organization, you’ve decided that it is time to update your sales team. Use this five-step process to approach the question of updating your sales organizational structure for strategic growth.

Aligning Your Sales Organization And Sales Strategy

Step 1: Review Your Sales Strategy

Resist the urge to start by tinkering with your sales organizational chart. Instead, the first step should focus on your sales strategy. Take a close look at your strategy with the following questions.

  • What type of customer do we want more of?
  • What are the critical steps in our sales cycle?
  • Are we on track to meet the organization’s revenue goals annually or quarterly?
  • Are salespeople receiving good coaching and support to continue growing?
  • Do we have the proper training and technology to support the team?
  • Is the sales team effective at talent management? Are there opportunities for both newer and experienced salespeople to thrive?

In addition to hitting this year’s revenue target, consider if you have the right capabilities to hit next year’s growth goals. For instance, your strategy may include expanding to take on government customers with complex procurement processes. In that situation, ask if your current sales team is equipped to execute the company’s strategy to sell to state and federal government customers.

Step 2: Is the current organizational structure helping or hurting?

The next phase of the process will require some deep thought. You must reflect on what your salespeople tell you in meetings and their behavior. Evaluate whether the team has the capacity and skills to execute your sales strategy.  

In a minor sales team of 10 people or less, the best way to gather information is to set up 1-on-1 meetings with each of your salespeople. Before the meeting, send a summary of the organization’s sales strategy. In the meeting, ask each person for their perspective on what is needed to deliver the strategy. 

In a larger sales organization, gather information by using a combination of employee surveys and meetings with sales managers.

After you receive the responses, look for themes in the responses. For example, if many employees complain about non-sales administration tasks, you may want to add a sales administrative assistant.

Step 3: Develop your ideal sales structure

Now that you have a renewed understanding of your sales strategy and input from the team, it is time to develop your ideal sales organization chart. Don’t let practical considerations stop you from dreaming big! For example, if you want to support each account executive with a sales development representative (SDR), note that on the chart. Note that factor if you see value in segmenting your sales team between small businesses and enterprises.

After you finish the ideal sales structure of job titles and reporting lines, it is time to look closely at your current sales talent.

Step 4: Examine Sales Staff Performance Vs. The Strategy and Organization Chart

This step will call on your judgment and understanding of each person on the sales team. In essence, ask what roles each person should play in the new sales organization you are developing. 

As you go through the process, start with your top sales performers. Retaining these salespeople should be a top priority. How can you offer growth in responsibilities and compensation to your senior staff? Some companies recognize their top performers by giving their sales titles (e.g., enterprise account executive) that carry higher quotas, more complex deals, and higher compensation.

After evaluating your top performers, assigning the rest of your staff to new roles in the organization chart should be easier. If some people in the sales team don’t have an apparent new home in the new organization chart, you have some decisions to make. For example, an outstanding salesperson supporting current customers may perform better in a customer service role. Alternatively, if you see no way to enhance their performance, it may be time to part ways with some salespeople.

Step 5: Launch the new organization structure for sales

By this step, you are ready to announce the sales organization structure. Employees likely know that change is coming because you have already signaled your intentions through meetings and surveys. Factoring employee input into the new organizational structure will help to retain many of your best and brightest salespeople.

As you prepare to announce the new sales organization, remember that this is a sales task. If your sales staff do not see the value in the new way of doing business, they may start heading for the exits and leave the company. Take the time to meet with staff individually and introduce their new responsibilities.

What If You Have Gaps In Your Sales Organization Chart?

Bringing a new sales organization chart to life often takes new employees. Reach out to Peak Sales Executive Search today to discuss your sales talent needs. We’ve helped companies find sales managers, sales vice presidents, and many other roles. 

Are Your Sales Teams Positioned For High Growth?

As a sales leader, significant responsibility rests on your shoulders. You’re accountable for the sales team’s results. It’s also your responsibility to grow, develop and improve the sales department over time with influential professionals, technology and processes. 

Why Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Is Critical For Sales

Constantly looking for new sales professionals for sales operations, sales reps, and business development to join your organization is a necessity for a straightforward reason. The highest performing sales professionals in your team have no shortage of opportunities. They have recruiters contacting them regularly. Also, they may aim to move up to a management role. 

Regularly dedicating time to recruiting new sales talent is challenging. Most of our clients tell us that other urgent priorities keep them from focusing on recruiting. For example, you might need to step in to help a junior sales rep close a complex deal, approve a pricing change or support a company-wide project. These activities mean that recruiting activities are often pushed to the side.

With recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), your sales department leadership permanently shifts to growth. Every quarter, you will meet with new sales talent that meets your organization’s needs. That means growth and recovering from turnover will become far more straightforward. To ensure that growth unfolds smoothly, follow the steps below. 

Step 1: Review The Sales Strategy

The sales strategy should be your North Star in terms of developing the sales organization. Reviewing the sales strategy is especially important if you are newer to your sales leadership role. In addition, deeply understanding the sales strategy is essential because you will constantly need to reinforce and guide your sales staff to meet the strategy.

Review the following aspects of your sales strategy so that you can easily explain it to your sales colleagues.

  • What is the organization’s ideal customer profile? While there is some flexibility in the ideal customer profile, it is important to keep your organization’s capabilities in mind. For example, your organization may want to focus on domestic customers rather than multinational companies.
  • What are the typical sales steps of your sales process?
  • What are the most critical sales technologies, templates, and resources each person has?
  • What are sales training resources available to employees? 

Once you have confirmed your understanding of the sales strategy, take a thoughtful look at the sales organization structure.

Step 2: Evaluate the sales organizational structure

The next step is to evaluate the sales organizational structure. There are a few common situations that may hold your company back from realizing its goals. To measure your sales organizational structure for effectiveness, explore these questions with your sales management peers.

  • Is the sales team focused on achieving our sales strategy?
  • Do we have enough qualified sales people to reach our goals?
  • Do we have the infrastructure in place to support the sales team in terms of people and processes?
  • What is the turnover trend in the sales team?

As you explore these questions, look beyond the wins or losses achieved by any one individual. It’s still possible for heroic efforts to deliver success despite the system. However, our objective is to develop an organizational structure and culture that supports success.

Step 3: What would your ideal sales structure look like?

For example, your sales strategy may have gradually shifted to emphasize winning enterprise accounts at large companies. Successfully earning that business takes a different set of capabilities. You may need sales engineers to explain technical capabilities in detail. In addition, you may need to engage with procurement departments.

In this situation, a sales department made up of generalist sales representatives may have limited effectiveness. To lift win rates further, consider retooling the sales team to include specialist roles like business development and sales engineers. 

While specialized sales roles add a great deal of value, they are not right for every situation. For instance, a small company or a startup may only need two salespeople at the beginning. After a year or two of growth, it may be time to reevaluate that small team and see if it still makes sense.

Step 4: Review The Performance of The Sales Team 

The next part of the process is to evaluate the performance of your current sales team. For example, you may find some salespeople are excellent at account management while others are excellent at prospecting. In that case, reorganizing the sales team into sales and account managers may be a worthwhile step.

In addition to moving people to new roles, it is important to have some difficult conversations. For example, underperforming salespeople may need to be put on a performance improvement plan. If those plans are unsuccessful, it may be time to ask that employee to leave the sales team.

Step 5: Plan the launch of the new sales team organization

Launching your new sales organization is the final part of the process. Take your time to communicate the change carefully so that salespeople and customers have time to adjust to the change. Keep these tips in mind as you plan the change.

  • Focus on the sales strategy

Organization changes tend to cause fear, uncertainty and doubt. Reinforce that the organization structure is changing in order to meet the company’s sales strategy.

  • Make Time For Your People.

When a new sales organization is announced, it is natural to see some changes. Some salespeople will be happy with the change while others may decide to leave. As a sales leader, make more time for 1 on 1 meetings and other avenues to connect with your staff.

  • Get Your Recruiting Process Outsourcing (RPO) Provider Ready

Implementing a new sales organization is a journey. You will almost certainly need more sales talent to reach your goals. You may create new sales positions you have never had before and bring in new sales managers. Recruiting process outsourcing (RPO) is an excellent way to support your growth.

The 12 Best Sales Books For New Salespeople

As a new salesperson, you have the opportunity to thrive in one of the world’s most rewarding professions. Finding success in sales takes focus, discipline, and the right knowledge. Read one book a month for the next year, and you’ll be equipped with the critical knowledge and strategies required to succeed.

Books On Sales Fundamentals

These first few books give you a crash course experience in sales. Each book offers a different perspective on sales and illustrates those principles with various stories and research. Exposing yourself to various sales techniques and ideas is one of the best ways to discover new perspectives. 

1. SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham

Spin Selling - Neil Rackham book cover

SPIN Selling is one of the most famous research-driven sales books ever published. The author studied many successful salespeople to identify the specific techniques and methods. The book’s methodology is particularly well suited to B2B sales and those who like a process-driven approach to selling. 

2. To Sell Is Human by Dan Pink 

To Sell is Human - Dan Pink

In contrast to Rackham’s approach, Dan Pink’s best-selling sales book differs. Pink argues that almost all jobs involve selling in some form. The book offers fresh air to people with an unfounded negative perception of the sales profession. In addition, Pink offers several interesting sales techniques drawn from history, science, and theatre to help connect with buyers. 

3. Sell It Like Serhant: How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine by Ryan Serhant

Ryan Serhant is best known as one of the most famous real estate brokers in New York City. He started his real estate selling career in 2008, right after the financial crisis. While Serhant’s book and stories focus on real estate sales, the principles apply to other types of sales. If you are looking for an accessible and entertaining introduction to sales, Sell It Like Serhant is a great pick.

4. The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes

If you aim to get promoted in your sales career, Holmes’s book is a must-read. He covers fundamentals like time management and sales techniques. He also covers ways to manage employees. The book is famous for the value of pig-headed discipline and determination in sales. 

Books To Develop Specific Sales Skills 

The first set of books serves as your general foundation for learning about sales. This book set goes deeper by covering some of the most critical selling skills. While reading these books is no replacement for practice, they can considerably speed up your learning process.

5. Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount

Prospecting is the starting point of every sale. Yet many newer salespeople struggle to pick up the phone and send emails or other messages to people they don’t know. Blount offers practical tips, advice, and inspiration to help you start making sales calls, week in and week out. In particular, the book is excellent at providing direction for phone prospecting.

If you (or your sales manager!) expect you to make cold calls to get sales opportunities, “Fanatical Prospecting” is your guide. 

6. Cold Email Manifesto by Alex Berman and Robert Indries

Does making fifty, a hundred, or even more daily sales calls make you uncomfortable? In that case, all hope is not lost – there are other ways to set up sales meetings. This short book, published in 2022, reveals the specific techniques for sending cold emails and setting meetings for B2B sales. The authors run a marketing agency, X27, that sells lead generation services based on sending cold emails. 

7. Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering The Art and Science of Getting Past No by Jeb Blount

The last two books will help you get in front of potential customers. As the conversation progresses, you will face objections like “your price is too high!” This book will help develop answers to common objections in sales. In particular, the book provides excellent guidance in understanding the different types of objections: prospecting objections, red herrings, micro-commitments objections, and buying commitment objectives. This book is an excellent intermediate read to lift your close sales rates over time.

8. How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Do you ever wish everyday conversation came with a manual? Carnegie’s classic book has been in print for decades for a good reason. It gives you proven strategies to start and develop relationships. Don’t let the book’s older language or examples put you off. The principles in this book have stood the test of time. For example, Carnegie explains how to become a better listener, which is essential to developing customer connections.

Strategy & Personal Productivity Books

This final book recommendations section moves beyond core sales and gives you a broader perspective. The strategy books will help you to understand executives and your role in the company. The personal productivity books will equip you with the techniques to ensure you get the most out of your work time.

9. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman 

As a salesperson, you may not see or understand every aspect of a business. To better understand how all of the parts of a business work together, read Traction. This book defined the “Entrepreneurial Operating System” (i.e., EOS). It breaks down the business into six essential components: vision, data, process, traction, issues, and people.

Understanding the EOS framework can help you sell better as a salesperson. For example, look for ways to connect your solution to data, processes, and issues. By showing that your solution can improve several aspects of a business, you’re more likely to gain a hearing. 

Tip:

Reading “Traction” is an excellent fit for salespeople who want a broad perspective and aspire to management. 

What if the company leadership perspective isn’t a good fit for you? In that case, look at the author’s book aimed at individual employees instead: What the Heck Is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman. 

10. 3HAG WAY: The Strategic Execution System that ensures your strategy is not a Wild-Ass-Guess! by Shannon Byrne Susko  

Many salespeople are tightly focused on short-term goals like meeting their quarterly or annual sales goals. To get a broader perspective, read the “3HAG Way.” This book is all about setting achievable ambitious three-year goals. For example, your company might have a three-year goal to own a specific market segment. This short book is worth your time because it will broaden your perspective. You will also have better conversations with company leaders already thinking about next year.

11. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

If there were a superior productivity and personal organization book, it would be Getting Things Done. If you struggle to stay organized with your sales tasks like follow-up, developing proposals, and projects, this book can help you. You will get busier over time as you implement the insights from other books in this post. Use Getting Things Done to make you don’t lose track of anything. 

12. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Distractions are all around us. The temptation to squander our time on social media, conversation, and other activities is ever-present. Newport’s book is the antidote. He argues that pursuing deep work – intense focus on your most challenging tasks – for just a few hours per day can change everything. Newport is an author and professor, so it will take some creativity to adapt the principles to sales. For example, your deep work might consist of prospecting, sales appointments, and proposals. Use 

Developing Sales Talent Through Books And Training Takes Time: Need A Faster Solution?

Investing the time to read even just a dozen books can have a life-changing effect on a salesperson. However, it can take several quarters or even longer read and fully apply all of the insights in these books. What if you need to raise sales productivity more quickly? Reach out to Peak Sales today to explore how to recruit high-performing salespeople. We have proven methods to identify successful, highly developed, and flourishing sales professionals. Why not let us bring them to your organization?

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Kyle Fletcher

 
 
 

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How To Run An Effective Sales Contest

Sales contests are a proven way to create excitement in the sales team. They add variety to the year and help to make the day to day of sales more exciting. 

It’s essential to be thoughtful when creating your sales contest. With the wrong approach, it’s more than possible to create harmful incentives and hurt team morale. Use this guide to design a sales contest that delivers excitement without any of the side effects!

What is A Sales Contest?

A sales contest is a time-honored tradition in the sales profession. Typically, a sales contest runs for 30 days. That said, some companies may run contests for longer periods if they have a longer sales cycle.

The sales contest usually includes an incentive beyond cash – it might be a free trip to a resort, gift cards to a great restaurant, or something else. During the contest, it’s common to have leaderboards or reports that show how everybody is performing.

Sales contests work because they tap into the competitive nature of many salespeople. Unlike an annual sales quota, a sales contest usually has a short timeline that is much easier to meet. 

4 Ideas For Your Next Sales Contest

The first step to launching an effective sales contest is choosing the right sales idea. It all depends on the type of sales behavior you’re seeking to encourage. 

1) The Rejection Therapy Contest (“Most Nos”)

A few years ago, Jia Jiang started an unusual experiment – 100 days of rejection. Jiang made a series of unusual requests like asking to play soccer in a stranger’s backyard and making the announcements on a Southwest flight. He later published a best-selling book, “Rejection Therapy,” explaining his insights.

The key principle behind Jiang’s success was a willingness to face rejection. In sales, it’s often necessary to make requests and face rejection to achieve your goals. 

To build a sales contest around this concept, keep the rules simple. For example, your contest may focus on cold call prospecting. In that case, to earn a “no” requires the salesperson to speak to a live person and get rejected. The winner is the person who gets the most no’s on sales calls during the contest. 

This sales contest approach works because it makes rejection into a game. By being willing to face more no from prospects, it’s almost inevitable that your team will make more sales as a result.

2) Most Sales Meetings Scheduled In Two Weeks 

This sales contest idea focuses on a different activity – getting meetings booked! This type of sales contest is particularly suited for sales development representatives already focused on setting meetings. 

Set some rules on what type of meetings qualify for the contest. For example, you may exclude meetings with current customers from the contest.

3) The Most Referrals Contest

A different approach may be valuable for a mature sales team who regularly hit their quota. With this contest idea, you’re encouraging your sales team to look for opportunities in your current customer base. Like the previous contest ideas, this contest reinforces good sales habits – regularly asking for referrals – that will close more sales over time.

It’s smart to put a few rules around a referral contest. Award contest points for each conversation held with a referred person. Simply gathering contact information is not enough! In addition, you might award double points if the referred person progresses to the next step of the sales process like agreeing to a demo of your software. 

4) Highest Sales Contest

We saved the most common sales contest for last: the revenue based sales competition. In this contest, you simply measure the number of new sales (or the dollar value of new sales generated). For this contest to be meaningful, calibrate the contest duration to your typical sales cycle.

In retail sales, it might take less than an hour to close a sale while B2B sales can take much longer to close. If your sales person typically closes 1 sale per day, then a 30 day sales contest makes sense. On the other hand, if a sale usually takes three months, then you might want to focus on the dollar value of the sale. 

The Anatomy of Highly Effective Sales Contests 

Choosing the end goal for your sales contest is the most important decision. Use these tips to fine tune the parameters of your contest. For inspiration, think about major league sports. Every popular sport is defined by a set of rules. Likewise, applying clear guardrails to your sales contest helps to keep the event focused.

Time Your Sales Contest Effectively

Deciding when in the year to hold a sales contest is an important test. Think about existing sales deadlines like year-end and quarter-end as a starting point. For example, if October is typically your best sales month, consider scheduling your sales contest for September to kickstart the season’s momentum. 

Set Clear Rules For Success

Before the contest starts, lay out clear rules for what counts. For example, if your sales contest is based on the number of sales meetings, you may want to clarify meetings with existing customers do not count toward the contest.

Use A Leaderboard For Daily Motivation 

During the contest, share a daily leaderboard report with your sales team. In many cases, it should be possible to run a report from your customer relationship management (CRM) system. Sending daily progress reports is a great way to keep motivation levels high throughout the contest.

Consider Secondary Prizes

Most contests offer multiple rewards – like gold, silver and bronze – and you should consider this principle in your sales contest as well. Keep in mind that there should be a clear distinction in value between each reward level. For example, the gold reward might be a resort vacation trip, the silver reward could be a $200 gift card to a local restaurant and the third place could be a bonus vacation day.

Hand Out The Sales Rewards Quickly  

When the sales contest comes to an end, it is vital to give out the rewards quickly. For example, consider ending the sales contest on a Thursday so that you can announce the winners on Friday.

The Limitations of Sales Contests

While powerful, sales contests do have some limitations. They are typically focused on helping to encourage individual performers to boost their sales effectiveness. A sales contest is not a replacement for a capable and caring sales manager coaching your sales professionals. Likewise, a sales contest is not suited for solving strategic challenges like improving collaboration between sales and marketing.

Hiring a new sales leader is one of the best ways to make progress on your strategic sales goals. Peak Sales Executive Search uses a structured scientific process to identify sales leaders with a strong track record. Contact us today to discuss your sales recruiting needs.