Welcome to the Sales Management Workshop Podcast

(Updated February 19, 2018.

The show notes for this podcast have been updated from the original but not the podcast itself. I wanted to include more information than initially posted. I felt it would be helpful as we look back at some of the most important and useful concepts for a sales manager.)

In the last podcast (Sales Recruiting – Hiring The Right Sales Person Part One) we examined the first four steps in the sales recruiting and hiring process:

1. The legalities of employee vs. independent contractor
2. What makes a ‘winning’ salesperson?
3. Know the type of salesperson you are looking for: recruiters, prospectors, inside sales, outside sales, one-call-closers, technical or nontechnical, etc.
4. The last critical factor is: Developing the job description

In Sales Recruiting – Hiring
The Right Salesperson Part Two, we examine steps 5 through 10:

5. Refining And Executing The Hiring Process
6. Finding Your ‘New Star’
7. Preparing For The First Interview – (telephone screening, including preparation and the call itself)
8. Selecting Your Interview Team
9. The 2nd Interview – (In person)
10. Making An Offer

Step Five – Refining And Executing The Hiring Process

Developing the hiring process is a step that is often missed by hiring managers. It’s necessary because, as I said, hiring is something you don’t do every day and it’s something that most managers do poorly. The hiring process consists of a checklist to follow, so you don’t get off track or miss something. So, what then, does the hiring process actually look like?

Hiring Process Checklist

We’ve done the first part, and that is to make sure that you understand what type of salesperson you are looking for and what you want them to do. This is the development of the job description. I’ve outlined a process that covers 13 points for you to consider in the hiring process.

Step Six -Finding Your ‘New Star’

Your success is the result of the talent you have on your team. You should always be on the lookout for good talent. Don’t wait until the last minute before you look for someone to fill a position. Always look for additions to your sales team before you need them.

If you find a good salesperson and don’t currently have an opening, that’s ok. Take the time to start building a relationship. Get to know them. It’s called ‘networking.’

If you see them in the field, strike up a conversation or possibly arrange an informal meeting for coffee. Stay connected.

Now, when you have an opening, you should be able to reach into the drawer and pull out several prospects for the new position. That’s what a sales manager does.

Sales Recruiting Within The Organization

First, start the sales recruiting process from within your organization. Post the job opening so everyone can see it. Go out of your way to ask if any of your current employees know of anyone who could fit the position.

Some companies offer a bonus to any employee who recommends someone who is hired. Look at your competition. Is there a salesperson who’s been taking sales away from you? If you know them, give them a call. If not, call them anyway. They might already have a reason to leave their current employer.

Does your organization have something to offer over the competition? The competition is a great place to look. The key is not to take on their ‘old baggage’. If they’re not a worthwhile upgrade, then leave them where they are.

Some managers aren’t comfortable going after someone from the competition.
Also, consider an outside recruiter. Their fees are often based on a percentage of the first year’s salary. Recruiters offer a more discreet way to approach a candidate, negotiate the salary. They can be very useful.

Talking With Current Customers

If you have a good working relationship with a customer, let them know that you’re looking to add a solid salesperson. They may know somebody.

Advertise

Today your best source for job candidates is the internet. Try ZipRecruiter. You can place an ad on hundreds of sites, and it’s free. Also, take a look at LinkedIn. You could run your sales recruiting ad in your town, state, or nationally. You can also look through hundreds of resumes on these job sites that have been posted by candidates searching for sales opportunities.

Hiring A Sales Recruiter

Professional search firms can also be invaluable. Recruiters there will take the time to research and uncover talent, often in places, you might never think to search. They can save you time (which is money) and usually only charge if they are successful in finding your candidate. Lot’s of managers have told me that they don’t use search firms because of the cost. These are usually the same organizations that typically have trouble-finding candidates. These are the same managers that commonly leave open sales slots on the books for months. This means lost revenue and lost opportunity. If you have prospects in the drawer, you never need to worry about paying someone to find that right prospect. If you don’t, consider using a search firm that is familiar with your industry, your market, and your needs.

Step Seven – Preparing For The First Interview – Telephone Screening

In this stage we get ready to conduct our first interviews:

• Collect and review all the resumes
• Filter out those that are not a good fit
• Select only those that you want to interview
• Schedule available time slots for the interviews
• Develop a list of key questions

The First Interview

The first interview is usually a telephone interview. Set aside at least 30 minutes for this interview. Before you schedule the telephone interview, have your list of questions prepared. For consistency, use the same list of questions to ask each of the job candidates. If each candidate is asked the same questions, you can compare the responses, review the results and see how the responses match up.

What type of questions should you ask? Ask questions that help you to narrow the field. Ask questions based on the information in the job description. If they read the job description and felt qualified for the position, they should already have answers. If they don’t have good answers, how well do you think they would prepare for a sales call?

Step Eight – Building Your Interview Team

One of the things that I’ve found really helpful in the process is to form a team of trusted coworkers and get them involved in the interview process. If you have salespeople that are top performers and have a thorough understanding of your sales program, I might even use them to interview the candidates.

It’s also a good idea to involve your boss in the interview process. Also, bring in others in the organization who understand and support achieving your sales goals. Make sure that they have a solid understanding of what you’re looking for. You can’t include everyone. I would suggest no more than a few capable supporters.

Once you’ve selected the people for the interviewing process, schedule time to coach them. In the coaching sessions, review the key elements that you’re looking for, the job description and discuss the questions you decided on in the telephone screening process.

It’s also a good idea to share the questions that you’ll use in your in-person interview. Work together to develop questions along with how to take notes on the responses.

This is also a good time to role play in the interview process. Once complete, you’re ready for the interviews.

Step Nine – The 2nd Interview – (In person)

In the interview process, focus on the goal: finding the best person for the job. We are going to address, in future podcasts, the subject of hiring. We are only looking at the basics here, but here are some different things to remember in the interview process.

Make sure that everyone in the office is also on their best behavior. When candidates arrive, make sure they are greeted professionally. If they arrive early, make sure someone is there to offer them coffee and shows them where the restrooms are located, etc. Make sure interviewers are prepared and have their questions ready.

Have a copy of the resume in front of you and make sure that you’ve reviewed it again before the candidate comes in.

Have a list of five to six questions prepared. Make this a mix of questions related to their resume and the job function. My suggestion is that you have one sheet of paper for each question. That way, you won’t run out of room when you’re taking notes.

Make sure that you’re not interrupted while in the interview.

When the candidate arrives, make a note of how they are dressed. When people go on an interview, they should be at their best. Even in today’s casual business climate, I expect a salesperson to show up with a coat and tie, or at least a tie. If they can’t dress for their one on one interview, what kind of first impression will they create when they visit your clients?

Start the interview with ‘rapport’ building.

When you start moving onto the prepared questions, make sure that you’re also prepared to listen patiently, and take accurate notes.

Make sure that you have time at the end of the interview for them to ask you questions.

After the interview is completed, escort the candidate to the next interview and properly introduce them.

After all the interviews have been completed, coordinate with each of the people who were involved in the interview process and review their notes. I like doing it this way so that one person doesn’t have too much influence over the rest of the team. Some managers like to meet as a group. That’s up to you and your style. Whatever the case, thank them all for their help. Once their decision is made on which candidate to hire, go back to the team and let them know who you would like to see in the position and why.

State your case using your notes and compare it with the team in support of your choice. Ask questions, especially of those who wanted to go with a different candidate.

Step Ten – The Offer

Once you have come to a decision on your new salesperson, it’s time to make an offer. This is also the time when you send a rejection letter to the candidates who were not selected.

Before you send the letters, first call the candidate who you selected and let them know that you have made your decision and that you would like to have them as a member of your team. Let them know that you will be sending them an offer letter, and at this point, it’s good to review what it will contain. Once they have given you the verbal commitment, you are ready to send both the offer letter and the rejection letter to those who were not selected.

If you have one, talk to your HR person or someone involved in employment law to review your offer letter. You also want to look at any clause they may want to include. These would be items related to employment screening, their eligibility to work in the United States, drug testing, whether they are an employee or a contract employee.

What’s Next?

In part three of “Hiring The Right Salesperson,” we’ll explore the on-boarding process and ways to get your new salesperson integrated into your organization and developing revenue.

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