Recruit an ideal salesperson quickly in 6 simple steps
Congratulations to you!
Your manager has just entrusted you with the task of recruiting a sales representative to bolster the company's sales force.
However, there are a few complications to complicate your task:
- It's sometimes difficult to choose the right candidate when they come from different business sectors to your own,
- Turnover is very high in sales positions.
Fortunately, Appvizer offers a 6-stage sales recruitment method.
When it comes to managing recruitment, whatever the position you want to fill in your company, recruitment mistakes can be very costly. That's why it's vital that you're aware of the 6 steps below to make sure you're recruiting the ideal talent.
Step 1: Prepare for recruitment
Before diving headlong into the search for salespeople, you need to consider two important points :
- The need to define the profile and position of the ideal sales person,
- Knowing the objectives that the sales person will have to achieve.
Defining the sales profile your company needs
Before recruiting the right sales person for your company, that person needs to know the market in which you operate.
In fact, this point is crucial in the selection of your sales representative. Some salespeople are extremely competent in a particular sector, in terms of the services and products they offer.
However, once they leave the area they have mastered, they may perform less well. It is therefore preferable to recruit a salesperson from the same business sector as you.
What objectives should you set for your sales person?
The objectives you set for your sales person should be in line with the sales they make and the amount of turnover they are capable of generating.
To properly define an objective for a sales person, we recommend using the SMART method. This means that the objective must be :
- Specific,
- Measurable
- Ambitious
- Realistic,
- Timed.
Once you've identified the right profile for your sales person and the objectives you want to set, you can start writing the job description for them.
Step 2: Drafting the job description
The job description you draw up for your sales rep will paint a portrait of him or her so that only suitable candidates apply for your vacancy.
The job description generally begins with a short presentation of the company. This is followed by a presentation of the various tasks that will be entrusted to the sales representative , as well as the salary he or she can expect.
The salesperson's tasks
The role of the sales representative is to help the company grow by using prospecting and sales methods and by developing a customer portfolio. Some of the tasks that enable them to do this are as follows:
- Prospecting, to bring new customers into the company,
- sales,
- Building customer loyalty, by monitoring customer satisfaction and proposing similar and complementary offers.
To fulfil these tasks, sales representatives need to know the market in which they are operating.
How much does a sales rep earn?
A salesperson's salary generally averages €50,000 gross per year. This sum should be put into perspective, as it depends on a number of factors :
- Length of service and experience : the salary paid to salespeople depends on their length of service. A junior salesperson is less likely to earn the same as a senior salesperson. What's more, senior salespeople, thanks to their experience, are likely to make more sales and therefore earn more commission on their sales.
- The impact of commission on the payslip: A salesperson's salary will vary according to the sales he or she makes. They are paid a percentage of their sales, as defined by the company, in addition to their fixed salary.
- Business sector : A salesperson working in a B-to-B sector is generally more likely to earn a higher salary than a salesperson in a B-to-C sector.
- Field and office-based sales representatives: Most of the time, office-based sales representatives are paid less than field sales representatives. Field salespeople are often required to travel, which has an impact on their salary. Beyond the salary, it is often more expensive for a company to have field sales staff. Field salespeople often have benefits that sedentary salespeople do not (company cars, petrol expenses reimbursed, etc.).
Once you 've filled in all these details on the job description, all that's left is to distribute the offer via specific channels.
Stage 3: Methods of circulating the offer
Use your network
The Ministry of Labour has carried out a study showing that 55% of recruitment is done through contacts. This makes it the most effective recruitment channel you could use to recruit a salesperson.
Look around your professional circle and ask your contacts about your sector of activity. It's highly likely that they know salespeople who are looking for new opportunities.
As well as being effective, this solution is free. Which is not the case with most recruitment methods.
Specialist sites
There are many sites that allow you to advertise job vacancies. Whether you're looking to recruit a salesperson or any other position. Some of these sites are free , while others charge a fee.
However, before you run to the free solution, you should be aware that most of the paid sites offer more features and make the recruitment process easier.
Free sites:
- Pole-emploi.fr: France's leading employment site, with a wide range of CVs and candidates.
- Apec.fr: Association dedicated to executive recruitment.
Pay sites:
- Indeed: A recruitment mastodon with 7 million monthly users.
- Monster.fr: Offers a huge range of search selection criteria for both employers and candidates.
- Marketvente.fr: Specialises in recruiting sales profiles.
Recruitment agencies
Going through a recruitment agency is an expensive solution, but it has two advantages. They are professionals in the employment market who have developed expertise in a wide range of sectors.
By choosing to go through a recruitment agency to hire a salesperson, you can save time and be sure of maximising your chances of getting the most suitable candidate.
Social networks
Recruiting via social networks is an essential method that is widely used by recruiters. Before choosing a social network on which to publish your vacancy, it's important to know the social network well. For example, publishing a job advert on LinkedIn is not the same as publishing a job advert on Facebook.
LinkedIn is the world's leading professional social network. Widely used by recruiters, people who use this network are more receptive to the job offers you can publish.
LinkedIn offers two paid features:
- a job board that allows you to check the profiles of salespeople looking for a job directly;
- an ATS on which you can increase your adverts tenfold and improve their visibility.
Facebook is the third most visited website in the world. If you choose this social network to recruit, you'll need to use Facebook Ads to optimise the visibility of your advert.
Facebook Ads lets you create sponsored ads using a sophisticated targeting method. With this method, you can reach an audience that is more likely to be looking for a sales position.
Step 4: Select potential candidates
What makes a good salesperson?
To be competent, a salesperson must have a number of skills:
- Technical skills : the salespeople in your company must know your products and services inside out. The more a salesperson knows about the product they're selling, the better they'll be able to sell it;
- Persuasiveness and perseverance ;
- Organisational skills: the best salesperson is often in the right place at the right time. A salesperson with good time management skills will ideally be able to optimise their relationship with their customer;
- Empathy and active listening skills;
- Knowledge of the market, products and customers.
If your candidate's CV shows that they have these skills, they could be the right candidate for you. However, a good CV does not necessarily make a good candidate.
Don't rely on CVs alone
A CV needs to be analysed in detail by your recruitment departments. In the case of sales recruitment, it is often preferable to include figures to determine the salesperson's potential:
- The number of targets achieved,
- Ranking among sales representatives,
- The number of customers added to the portfolio over a given period of time.
You can also look at the companies in which the sales rep has worked. This will allow you to see what sector the sales rep comes from, as well as getting an idea of the reputation of the companies he or she has worked for.
Once these factors have been taken into account, you'll have a good number of potential candidates to interview. This is where it all comes down to recruitment.
Step 5: Conducting a job interview
The job interview is the most important stage in the recruitment process. Dreaded by candidates, it requires recruiters to be fully prepared. As the recruiter, it's up to you to conduct the interview.
Prepare the right questions
Salespeople are generally used to interviews and have the ability to adapt to the person they are talking to. During the interview, take them out of their comfort zone. Ask questions to assess their performance.
Ask them various questions to get to know them better:
- What do you consider to be the most important qualities of a salesperson?
- What was your target achievement rate at the last company you worked for?
- Tell me about a customer meeting that didn't go as planned and how you managed to resolve the situation, etc.
Put yourself in a situation
Test the candidate's abilities to determine whether they would make a good salesperson within your organisation. Put yourself in the shoes of one of your customers in your sector of activity and test the candidate's sales fundamentals.
By comparing the candidate's sales pitch with the salespeople already working for your company, you can gauge the candidate' s abilities.
Once you've done all this, you now have the ideal candidate to recruit. However, recruitment does not end with the signing of a contract, but with the completion of the sales rep's integration process.
Step 6: Welcoming the sales rep to your company
Integrating the sales rep
Once you've recruited the ideal sales person for your company, it's vital not to neglect their induction so that they can get up and running as quickly as possible.
A few days before the employee's arrival, inform the company's employees in advance, especially the team within which the sales rep will be working. You need to make sure that the sales person feels that he or she is expected.
This means preparing all the items that the sales person will use to carry out their tasks (computer, telephone, badge, login and access to the software used by the company, etc.).
As soon as the salesperson arrives, the manager should welcome him or her. It's important to take a tour of the company's premises, with a presentation of the departments and staff. This will make it easier for your new sales person to find their way around.
Monitoring performance
Monitoring the performance of a salesperson who has just joined the company starts with drawing up their programme for the first week. This helps them to know what direction to take.
During this first week, as soon as the sales person has started to find their feet, set them objectives. You'll then be able to measure their abilities and determine whether they're a good fit for your organisation.
As you have just seen, recruiting a sales person is a series of well-defined stages. It takes time and organisation. Following these steps will enable you to recruit the ideal sales person and reduce the turnover rate.
Article translated from French