Memo to Managers

It may be tough to find the right salesperson for the job, but it’s even tougher if you don’t. A crystal ball would be good to have, but failing that, how do you know for sure if you’re hiring an achiever or a deadbeat, a winner or a loser?

As the old saying goes, time will tell. You’ll know soon enough if you’ve hired a winner. The numbers and performance will be there. It may take longer to find out if you have a loser. It often takes a new salesperson several months to reach his or her stride, so make sure your letter of offer includes a six- to nine-month probation period. In addition to these givens, here are a few steps you can take to maximize hiring and managing results.

Hire Smart!

Not everyone’s suited for sales, and hiring the wrong salesperson can end up costing you a lot. Be sure to conduct at least two, if not three, interviews with the individual.

Determine if the candidate has the temperament, desire and skill to succeed in your particular field. Whenever possible, hire experienced people. This means experienced in selling and experienced in your field. Seasoned individuals with previous sales experience will get up and running in a much shorter time. They may cost you a bit more but they’ll give you a higher return on your hiring investment.

Don’t bother checking references but do check with previous employers. Find out if the person can sell or is just a good talker. Take the time to do it right and you’ll increase your odds of hiring a winner.

Train, Train, Train

Here’s where most companies fall down. They don’t provide training in three key areas.

– Corporate Procedures. Your new salespeople need to know the ins and outs of your particular business. Show them how you want things done. Explain internal processes and procedures carefully. Give them some sample forms to complete.

– Product Knowledge. Give them training on your particular products and/or services. Make sure they understand the benefits of buying from your firm over your competition.

– Selling Skills. Provide them with sales training. Most salespeople haven’t had any formal training on how to sell. If you don’t provide any formal sales training, at least show them how you sell your product or service, but be careful about the blind leading the blind. Over 70 percent of salespeople sell by accident, and in this economy, you can’t afford too many accidents.

Set Targets

Tell your new salespeople what you expect from them. Sit down with them and set mutually acceptable sales and performance targets. What should their sales be for the first 30, 60, 90, 120 days on the job? If you have outside salespeople, how many calls do you expect them to make in an average day? If they’re in telemarketing, how many calls a shift do you want them to complete? Then hold your salespeople accountable for reaching the targets. If they aren’t on track, you may have hired a dud.

Monitor, Motivate, Manage and Lead

Monitor their performance. Are they meeting the sales and performance goals that you both agreed upon? Are they doing the things that will lead to more sales or are they getting bogged down in unproductive, nonselling activities?

When they do well, pat them on the back. Nothing motivates more than recognition from someone you respect.

If they’re not doing as well as you want, manage them. In fact, manage them even if they are doing well! This will help them do even better. Too often, managers only get involved when something goes wrong. Manage by leading. Leaders are always involved, but their involvement is in an unobtrusive, supporting function – more of a coach than a boss. Remember, we manage processes but we lead people, and we lead by example.

Make sure you have a structured sales meeting at least once a month, more often if appropriate. The meeting should review past successes, current challenges and future opportunities. These meetings are also an excellent opportunity to provide both sales and product training. Make them informative, fun and motivational.

Cut Your Losses

Poor salespeople can be an incredible drain on your time and financial resources.

That’s why monitoring and managing them is so important. If they don’t, won’t or can’t perform, find out why. Perhaps more training is the key. Perhaps a different management style might do it. Whatever the problem, if you’ve done all you can to repair it and it still isn’t working, it may be time to replace it.

Well, there it is. Finding and keeping good salespeople isn’t easy. These hints and tips should help you find and keep those salespeople who don’t just make a living but who make a difference – a difference to themselves, their clients and your bottom line. n Brian Jeffrey

Strategic

Interviewing

We have found that interviews, when conducted scientifically and in depth, provide the best information about how well a sales candidate will do on the job at your company. The following questions will help you determine whether an applicant is right for your sales job.