One of the biggest challenges faced by hiring managers and sales leaders looking to hire is how to get exposure to top sales talent. Creating more sales candidate flow won’t necessary get the right person to show up at your door, but the more people you are exposed to certainly increases the chances that you
Dana Lewis is the Director of Human Resources at the Tomlinson Group of companies and has almost 20 years of experience as an HR professional, hiring top talent and building high performance teams. We recently had a chance to speak to her about hiring sales people. Peak: How has hiring sales people changed over your career? Dana: In the
Sales people always face objections. Selling for a start up means facing objections and a tremendous amount of resistance. The customer is unfamiliar with the business and has no reason to trust you. You have few (if any) references, no proven merchandise, reputation, or extended track record. The product is usually more expensive and buyers
According to the 2010 US Census, almost a quarter of the population is aged 45 to 64 years old. The median age in more than seven states is 40 years old. Some consider sales a young person’s sport. Salespeople work long hours, travel extensively and have a considerable amount of pressure. What is the impact
How many times have you had this debate when you have an open spot on your sales team? Should you recruit a seasoned salesperson that knows his or her way around, or new blood that you can train? We get asked this question everyday. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and we suggest you don’t
The economy is improving. Job creation is increasing but unemployment remains high. So why is it so difficult to find and hire good salespeople? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS), in May 2010 there were over 13 million wage and salary sales workers in the United States. The BLS also stated the
Next month, we will be publishing a new guide entitled The First 90 Days – How to Get Your New Sales Hires Producing, Fast. Here is a teaser from the introduction. Most companies take months or even years to determine whether a new hire is successful, but often all the evidence to indicate whether a
Have you ever gone on a date without combing your hair, taking a shower or wearing clean clothes? You probably wouldn’t expect to be asked on a second date, yet many companies court sales hires as if appearances don’t matter. Top performing sales people are very picky about which employers they will work for, because
Finding salespeople who will perform exceptionally well is a big challenge for many sales organizations. When dealing with sales people who are trained at selling themselves, it can be tough enough simply knowing who to speak with so it can be extremely valuable to have a method of quickly deciding who is worth your time
Interviews are the staple method for most companies when hiring sales staff and often there are multiple interviews conducted by different team members of the hiring company. Some companies will take the screening process a step further and conduct in depth reference checks. All of this is done to ensure the new hire is the
