Your guide to creating the perfect team · 2020-03-12 · Your guide to creating the perfect team...

Your guide to creating the perfect team

The recruitment process can be a tricky one to get right. When it comes to snapping up the toptalent and finding someone who will be the best fit for your sales team, the stakes are often

high - get it right and profits may soar, get it wrong and your company could be in trouble.

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Not all sales reps are created equallyand even fewer of them may be theright fit for your company. While asparkling, well-presented CV maydazzle you, it’s only ever going to behalf the picture. Ticking a few boxes onpaper is just the start, as the best ofthe best – the sales people you reallywant on your team - will do far morethan that, they will have sales in theirblood and be a great team player.

A successful recruitment process will be onethat takes the wider pictured into accountfrom the start. It’s never a good idea to carryit out in isolation, or to jump to hire at speedas a knee-jerk reaction. Think about yourcompany, its place in the market, where itsheading and your existing team before youeven begin a recruitment drive. This widerview will help you be clear on the type ofcandidate you need, as well as the right rolefor that candidate within your company.

Reviewing the data you have on yourexisting team will also help you in markingout a wish list for any new recruits. Who areyour best sales performers and why? Whatattributes do they have that is driving theirsuccess? Very often the answer isn’t a simplyone, perhaps they bring out the best in thepeople around them, or it’s their aboveaverage technical ability. Really drill down towhat it is that makes them so successful.

Don’t forget to look at the whole picture when you hire

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Timing is everything

According to a study by Harvard Business,the kind of sales team you need will largelydepend on what phase your business is in.

Is your company a start-up? Or in a moremature phase? The team you need to drivesales when you first launch will be verydifferent to the team you need furtherdown the line. The expertise and skills thatyou hold within that team will need to adjustand develop to match your company’s orproduct’s life cycle.

According to the research, companies thatdo adjust their sales team in this way areoften more successful than those who don’t.

The best salespeople are good at selling.When they sit opposite a lead that isqualified they secure the deal.

The C word: Change

Change is probably the least popular word in a sales force, but it’s always worth re-evaluating your current structure to see if it would benefit from any changes.

Your existing sales structureTake a step back and evaluate your currentsales structure. Is it still relevant? Is there abetter sales model out there for your type ofbusiness? Naturally making big changes toyour sales structure can be daunting, but inthe long run it is always going to be the rightdecision if it will improve performance andresults.

Some of the most common changes youmay need to make are specific to:

• the size of your sales force;

• the compensation model; and

• specialisation.

Size of your sales forceOften managers underestimate howmany more sales people they will need.They overlook the fact that even the mostconfident and experienced sales personwill naturally start out slower and be lessefficient in the beginning. It will take aperiod of time for them to bed in, do theirtraining and find their feet.



The compensation modelWith a new recruitment drive often comesthe need to review current compensationstructures. This may prove important if yourcompany intends to employ sales people whoare at the top of their game. (We will look atcompensation models in more detail later onin this document).

SpecialisationDo you need well rounded generalist, or is ittime to increase the specialisation in yoursales force? While a start up business willbenefit from the efforts of a generalist salesperson, the more mature company willrequire more specialist sales representativesto look after existing clients as well as grownew business.

The buyerAnother critical area to consider is thechanging behaviour of buyers. In the digitalworld we live in, a buyer is often coming to youvery well informed. They will have read up andgathered in a lot of info before making theirfirst contact with the sales force of acompany. One recent study estimates thatthe average buyer will read 10 items ofcontent before making a purchase, and thehigher the product cost the more researchthey’ll do. Your sales team and any newrecruits will need to understand this buyerbehaviour and know how to work it.



Hire for fit first

Think about your current clients and thefuture prospects you are aiming for.Depending on the context, you may needdifferent sales people to fit different buyers.

Experienced sales reps will have solid salesskills and know how to close a deal. But howthey ‘fit’ can prove as important as their skills.

Is the candidate going to be a good fit for:

• your industry?• your organisation? • your existing team? • your company’s strategic goals?

Types of sales representatives(a non-scientific, but relevant list)

Selecting the right candidate for your business is going to be key to its future success. Andno-one will know your business and what it needs, better than you. Do you need the drivensingle-minded hunter to pull in business, or an informant type that will win clients over with thefacts and figures? Below, we’ve highlighted some of the main types of sales people.

HunterEverywhere is an opportunity to sell,everyone is an opportunity. They will not giveup easily and are the classic, thick-skinnedsales types. They often need proper trainingto use their stamina in the most effective wayand not end up in the frustration pit i.e. burntout from things not moving fast enough.

ServantAlways at everyone’s service. “Can I bring youmore coffee?”. They don’t see themselves assales people, they are first and foremostservice oriented people. They love gettingpraise and attention by doing somethinggood. They’ll continue doing it again andagain as long as they get love and attentionback.



Star-networkerThis is the one who has the biggest networkof contacts, knows everyone and everyoneknows them. They know about the latestgadgets and never miss an opportunity toconnect with people. They presentthemselves very well, are highly intelligent andmaster communicators. They also makeexcellent marketers as they always look fornew ways to reach the most people.

InformantThe ones who have all the facts. Technicalwizards and know how to drive home a pointwith facts and figures. Very passionate aboutthe topics they are knowledgeable about.Great at working out presentations andfinding information.

CompanionYou can’t help but like this person. They areinstant rapport builders and are very loyal.They hardly stress out and are veryconsistent in their work. Emotional sellers,meaning they can elicit emotions from theircounterparts easily and close the deal in thisway.

Top DogThis is the one who only chases the bigdeals, the big money and is him/herself alarger than life personality. They love to takethe younger ones under their wings and showthem how it’s done, thereby revelling in thestories of their own successes. Veteran salesrepresentative.

Mixed TypeThe sales representative that demonstratesaspects of all the above mentioned qualities.They usually have one more dominant way ofhow they approach a sale, but the mostsuccessful ones out there are those that canharness the strengths of all the typicaltypes of sales people.

But which one is for you?As a hiring sales manager your role is tounderstand what the best mix of all thesetypes is going to be for your business. Forexample, if your sales process is long thennot make energetic “Hunters” happy. You’llprobably be better off with a mix of the“Servant” or “Informant” type sales person.

“... understand what the best mix of all these types is going to be for your business.”



“... prepare questions that will help you gain a greater insight”

Typical traits of the “A” player

Although it’s a challenge and a skill in itselfto be able to gage the true nature of aperson in an interview situation, you canprepare questions that will help you gain agreater insight. See if you can tally theirresponses positively to some of thesewinning traits, which are found in a greatsales person:

• Coachability: do they know it all or will theybe open to coaching?

• Curiosity: how much do they want toknow? Do they show signs of wanting toincrease their knowledge?

• Prior success: Can they provide evidenceof their past successes?

• Intelligence: (in some sales teams this isneeded more than in others) how quicklycan they grasp complex concepts andcommunicate it in an easy manner?

• Work Ethic: what will their degree ofenergy and activity be? Are they a lone wolfor team player?

Your “A” player will set himself apart from the rest with these 5 provencharacteristics:

• they have the mindset of a problem-solver;

• they are respectfully confident and notafraid to politely challenge inaccuratestatements made by a customer;

• they are always prepared;

• they ask great questions; and

• never fail to follow up.



“... start to piece together the ‘story’ of the buyer long beforethe initial contact or phone conversation is made.”

Other factors to consider when hiring for sales

Technology savvyThere are many tools out therewhich can aid and simplify thesales process. Find out howmuch knowledge of the varioustools they bring to the table,and how willing they are to usethe technology available.

Compensation modelWhen hiring a new sales force itis a good time to review and re-evaluate your existingcompensation model. Howmuch should the basicremuneration be? What is thebonus scheme? And howshould it be structured? Areexisting performanceindicators still relevant?

The Market /CompetitionDevelop an understanding ofhow other sales teams arestructured, compensated, etc.,especially in your immediatevicinity. This is particularlyimportant if you are a brandnew business.

Evaluation strategyHow will you evaluatecandidates? What are youlooking for in the candidates?What are the best questions toask? How will you measurethem?



Forethought and preparation for conducting an interview are critical.

Here are some key questions to ask a candidate in a sales interview that will provide you an insight into their selling style and personality.

What’s your opinion of the role oflearning in sales?

What you are looking for is someone who comesacross as a keen learner, not just a ‘going throughthe motions’ response. Ongoing learning isbecoming increasingly important in sales.

How do you keep up to date on yourtarget market?

Even if the target market of their last job is totallydifferent to the one you’re interviewing them for,their response will show you how committed theyare to being up to date, and that they understandits importance.

When do you stop pursuing a client?The right answer here will depend on your

company and its target customers, but in general

the more positive and persistent a rep is, thebetter. Trish Bertuzzi, founder of The BridgeGroup, recommends six to eight attempts beforethrowing in the towel.

What’s your least favourite part of thesales process?

If their least favourite part is the most importantpart at your company, that’s probably a red flag.This question can also alert you to weak areas.

What motivates you?

Money, achievement, helping customers, being#1 – there are a lot of potential answers to thisquestion. What makes a good answer vs. a badone will hinge on your company culture. Forinstance, if teamwork is paramount within your

sales team, a candidate who is driven by internalcompetition might not be a great fit.

Have you ever had a losing streak?

How did you turn it around? Everyone has badspells, so beware of someone who claims they’venever experienced a downturn. Nothing’s wrongwith a temporary slump as long as the candidatelearned from it.

If you were hired for this position,what would you do in your first month?

The answer to this question doesn’t have to blowyou away. However, the candidate should havesome sort of action plan to get up and running.No matter how much training you provide, it’s stillsmart to hire a self-starter when you can.

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Where to find top-performing sales people

Definitely not on job boards (because goodsales people never need to advertise).Instead, you need to adopt a passiverecruiting strategy.

Conclusion

Mark Roberge advocates building your ownrecruiting agency within your business. His book“The Sales Acceleration Formula” explains howthis is done. One of his suggestions is to leverageLinkedIn by using an advanced search togenerate a list of candidates. Ideas of filters toapply include geographical area, job title, schooland company.

Check if you have any contacts in common whomay be willing to introduce you. If not, then sendthem a well formulated introductory email.

Often the best sales recruits are found within theorganisation itself, or are wooed from thecompetition or suppliers. Personal referrals fromcolleagues, friends or even family are alsoopportunities not to be missed.

Hiring the right sales team is a dauntingtask not to be taken lightly and is certainlynot for the faint hearted. It is well worth thetime and effort to think the entire processthrough in detail and decide on your longterm strategy before you get stuck in.

Remember: your sales force are therainmakers. If they don’t bring in the sales,the entire company suffers. At the sametime, don’t be afraid to try new strategies andtest, test, test. So many improvements canbe brought about with proper training andcoaching - and this is especially true in sales.


Recruiting the perfect team is just the beginning...

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Your guide to creating the perfect team · 2020-03-12 · Your guide to creating the perfect team...

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