We all know that recruiting and hiring sales staff is challenging. The current job market is very competitive and to our own detriment, we only focus on money when we want to hire top sales talent.

There is so much more to a sales professional’s personality than money motivation. The truth is a natural sales rockstar knows that they can go make money anywhere. Just like any other GREAT employee, they want to thrive in the RIGHT environment. They want the some of the same things that any other team member wants, even if they are out in the field meeting with your customers all the time.

Let’s get to it…here are the 3 things that YOU need to be able to offer sales professionals so they come work for you instead of your competition…

Opportunity For Advancement

Most sales people share the same personality profile as an entrepreneur. So they are alway looking for opportunities to grow, both personally and financially. Top-tier sales professionals usually possess strong leadership skills and ability and enjoy helping others win. They know when the team wins, they win even more. 

Showing that you have a promotion path in your sales department shows that you want them to be a part of your team long term and they have a greater sense of purpose than only generating revenue in their current role. Look at your current structure and see where you can offer slight increases to pay and responsibilities once milestones are achieved in their personal performance. The ability to advertise these growth opportunities and discuss them in your interview process can drastically improve your sales hiring success. 

Support And Mentorship

Sales professionals of any level want to see leadership and organization in companies of any size. Just because they are historically a “closer” doesn’t mean they know anything about your product or service when they join the team. Training, coaching, and mentorship goes a LONG way with your sales staff. They want to know that you want them to win. Sales reps want to know that the office and support staff have their back. That orders are going to be fulfilled, services are going to be provided with top quality, and that communication is going to be clear. 

Positive Company Culture 

Company culture is everything! Everyone wants a positive work environment, but the personality makeup of a sales professional is more emotionally dynamic than most other people on the planet. This means that negativity, gossip, and drama can affect their productivity more than other people in the organization. Sales reps also want an environment that celebrates winning. A high five goes a long way with this personality type as well. Being very conscious of your company culture’s integrity is important as well. Just maintaining the standard and ensuring that no toxic or negative behaviors are tolerated or sneak in, is very important. In most cases a company culture is not entirely toxic, but there may be aspects that need to be changed, to get things back on track. 

What else to think about…

Sales representatives are opportunistic. Their tenure with most organizations are going to be shorter that other roles and departments. The goal is to keep them on the team as long as possible by having the most ideal environment for them to thrive in. If you’re trying to attract talent from your competition or within your industry, you need to be open-minded and innovative. So here are some other tips:

• Avoid saying “this is what we have always offered” 

• Try offering something a little bit different than what the competition is offering

• Know what you’re competition is offering and see how you can improve upon that

• Anything above and beyond the compensation is considered a benefit, so you may be able to make your “benefits” package look more attractive by listing everything together

• Talk about your core values, culture, and support in interviews 

• Remember, sales reps like to be courted and sold to as well, so keep your conversations and interviews personable. Avoid being robotic and conducting interviews with the SOLE intent to disqualify. 

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