So, you want to attract and retain the best sales people and increase your company’s profitability? Then you’d better get creative…
With wage budgets squeezed as salaries increase, a market short on skills and unemployment at a record low, trying to find the best sales people right now can feel like searching for a tiny needle in a world full of haystacks.
With a market short on skills and unemployment at a record low, trying to find the best sales people right now can feel like searching for a tiny needle in a world full of haystacks.
The small glimmer of hope is, even though salespeople are typically drawn to big ticket salaries and bumper bonuses, in this economic climate your competitors are also feeling the pinch, so they can’t always pay the hefty wage packages either.
That said, this fact also means you’ll need to work even harder to entice the top sales talent away from their current jobs. And without the right people to sell your products and services, your company runs the risk of sliding down the profitability slope, fast…
But wait, don’t throw in the towel just yet, we have some suggestions for the kinds of perks that might make even the most hardened salesperson turn their heads:
Offer a company car
A cliché we know, but it works. Field salespeople spend a large proportion of their time on the road and want to feel comfortable in the car they drive. A good car also signals status, something sales staff can be very motivated by.
How your sales employees present themselves is important too, so arriving in a decent motor can help them feel and look their best. City dwellers might not use a car for business, but they could still appreciate being rewarded for great sales with a fancy run-around at the weekend.
Invest in professional and personal development
Salespeople are often money-motivated but, just like the rest of us, they also want to progress in their careers. Consider what kinds of conferences, training days, networking events or mentoring your employees can take part in. Perhaps you could offer new recruits an annual allocation of development days?
Salespeople are often money-motivated but, just like the rest of us, they also want to progress in their careers. Consider what kinds of conferences, training days, networking events or mentoring your employees can take part in.
Time out of the day job can be valuable to the business. It can help staff pay attention to their wellbeing and re-focus on their working goals and priorities. Longer-term, you’ll most-likely increase motivation and loyalty to the company too. What was it Richard Branson said? “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Recognition and competition
Make the most of the competitive and ambitious nature of your sales teams by pitching them against each other in friendly-but-fierce competitions to win the highest number of new sales leads or client conversions, you can keep staff energised, motivated, and feeling valued.
Recognise effort as well as achievement to help spread the love further and offer trophies, write-ups in internal company comms and financial rewards or gifts for the winners.
Don’t forget to shout about how you go above and beyond recognising hard work and success to potential recruits when it comes to advertising and interviewing.
Company away days
A team that plays together, stays together. Keeping teams working together happily takes time and effort, but well-thought-out departmental or company trips, locally or abroad, can help create bonds between workers and will look impressive to candidates when recruiting.
If you can combine fun teamwork with a socially-responsible activity, then all the better, because research shows employees want to work with businesses that share their ethical concerns.
In our recent Q&A with Sage’s Talent Acquisition Manager, Fiola Mytherall, she pointed out that the Sage Foundation, which is committed to building and supporting opportunities for local communities, plays a major role in attracting and retaining top talent. She highlighted that staff now find giving back to the community just as important as monetary incentives.
Ask your employees to nominate good causes that appeal to them. Then make sure that a slap-up meal, drinks and accommodation are on offer afterwards to reward their good work.
Wellness perks
Private healthcare, dental cover or discount gym memberships. Who would say no? Being actively involved in employee wellbeing will most definitely turn heads.
Think about the value that gym membership discounts or private healthcare can bring to the workplace. Or what about yoga and meditation workshops to help sales teams de-stress? As well as being fun, the organisation will benefit from fewer sick days and a happier workforce.
Flexible working and extra leave
Flexi-time is no longer the luxury it once was – top sales talent will expect it. Of course, have your core hours in place, but try and be as flexible with your workforce as possible.
Flexi-time is no longer the luxury it once was – top sales talent will expect it.
Linked to employee wellbeing is having the freedom to flex the nine to five routine a little. Salespeople in particular desire independence and are self-motivated, so if they’re hitting their targets, relax the rules about working hours, offer more remote working or even give them an extra day off a month to recognise their efforts.
Give comfort on earnings
Incentives, beyond salary alone, can only go so far. The very best talent in the market is usually pretty happy where it is, and it takes a specialist with power of persuasion to coax and nurture talent away from their comfort zone and into your business, particularly in sales as those that are “comfortable” and regularly hitting quota are unlikely to want to risk a move to a company that represents the unknown to them. You have to address this upfront, give clear examples of other reps hitting targets, a soft build up, and ensure your On Target Earnings are achievable.
The recruitment process
We spoke with Box’s EMEA Recruitment Manager, Micheal Kenway, to learn how a company, whose growth and billion-dollar revenue was a result of their enviable and accomplished B2B sales operation, recruit sales people.
He pointed out they test for three key things; one is technical ability. The second is cultural fit and if they link to their values. The third is to find out if they have a ‘learner’ mind-set.
But, the differentiator is unearthing if they have the deep-rooted drive that isn’t just about money. They need to be a natural evangelist of products. To truly believe in what they are selling and to invest totally in the sales methodology.
Finding the best sales recruitment agencies
So you’re armed with everything you need If you need to attract and motivate new sales people, but how do you go about finding them in the first place?
Try all the usual things: add the vacancy to your website and social feeds, post it on LinkedIn and some paid job boards, incentivise your current sales team to offer referrals (who have they worked with in the past that they’d recommend?), and then consider working with one or two specialist sales recruitment agencies, who’ll be able to take your brief and conduct a thorough candidate search.
If you need help finding good sales recruitment agencies, check out Hiring Hub’s recruitment agency marketplace. It’s free-to-use and super simple: just post your vacancy, say what you’re willing to pay a recruitment agency if you hire their candidate, and recruiters you approve will send you their best sales people for you to consider.
If you need help finding good sales recruitment agencies, check out Hiring Hub’s recruitment agency marketplace.
To get a demo of Hiring Hub and learn how it works, and how others are using it to find great sales people quickly, click here.
