Pursuit

Hiring sales is different from hiring any other position. Why? Recruiting shifts when you have to vet out the soft skills required for sales, rather than matching resumes with open positions. Hard skills are easier to find as they are 'measurable' and soft skills are not; a lot more strategy, preparation, and intentionality are required to seek out the soft skills needed for sales roles. We have placed numerous candidates that weren't a fit on paper but were a strong fit for the actual role. A resume never tells the whole story.

Marketers, know your impact?? If you're interviewing for a marketing role, you should be able to clearly articulate how your previous work has driven results. Did you lower CAC? Boost conversions? Drive revenue substantially? Make your experience measurable and transferable to show how you'd succeed in the role you're interviewing for.

Do You Typically Buy Based on Price or Value? In my 8+ years of selling recruiting services, I’ve noticed a common mistake—many hiring managers think about pricing for professional services the same way they do when buying a microwave or any other widget. You see a microwave for $100, then another for $80, and since they do the exact same thing, the cheaper one feels like a win. But hiring a professional service (or any service for that matter) isn’t the same. You get what you pay for—and when one option is 40% cheaper, there’s a reason for it. Nothing is truly “discounted” in this business. The real question is: what are you giving up when you go with the lowest price? My response is, "put me head-to-head with the competition, and I’ll show you the value-add difference!"

Before you hire a 'jack-of-all-trades marketer' - ask yourself these questions: - What are the company priorities and how does marketing play a role in fulfilling those priorities? - Do you need someone who can drive revenue growth? (demand gen, paid ads, ABM) - Are you looking for someone to build your brand? (content, PR, messaging, positioning) - Does this person need to have technical skills? (marketing automation, analytics, revenue attribution systems) - Are they building the marketing function from scratch or joining a team? (generalist vs specialist) Marketing has dozens of specializations, so expecting to find ONE person who is an expert in everything is setting yourself(and them) up for failure. Figure out which skills are essential for your company's needs and which you’re willing to flex on.

Marketers are storytellers. Your job is to craft compelling narratives that capture attention and drive action. But when it comes to landing a marketing role, the most important story to tell is your own. Can you clearly articulate the impact of your work? Can you connect the dots between your skills and the company’s needs? Landing a marketing role doesn't just require listing experience, but requires the ability to market your skills to that company's specific needs. Convey your ability to market yourself as the solution to the company's pain points.

What TO look for in your next sales hire?? ??High EQ - do they have the ability to read a situation and overcome specific hesitations to still sell to the role? ??Grit - do they have a proven record of success, even after rejection? ??Adaptability - just because they saw success previously, doesn't mean they'll be successful at your company. Do they have the ability to adapt in order to still be successful? ?? Drive to win - do we need to explain this one? The reality is you can't see most of these traits on a resume. Is your hiring process set up to vet these out or are you relying on inbound candidates and resumes?

What NOT to look for in your next sales hire? - Past company logos: just because they succeeded at a big name company, doesn't mean they will succeed without a big name backing them - Years of experience: more experience doesn't always mean they're a better fit for your role - Low adaptability: a performer who has seen success just by sticking to a specific process and isn't able to adjust to the situation at hand might not succeed in the role you're hiring for Hiring managers - don't fall in love with a resume and ignore the candidate's red flags in the process!

If your hiring strategy relies on inbound applicants, you’re only seeing a fraction of the best sales talent. We see time and time again, companies that post a job, cross their fingers, and hope for great applicants. Companies that take a proactive approach to recruiting are landing the best talent. Why? Top sales talent likely isn't applying to your role. They're hitting quota, making money, and getting promoted. They don't have time to scroll job boards and apply to your role. Relying on inbound candidates misses a majority of the best talent.

Closing an interview is one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of winning the role. HOW do you close a sales interview? A sales interview is a sales process, apply the same skills to the interview process as you would the sales process. - Ask insightful questions that help you understand the role - Highlight past achievements that are relevant to the company's needs - Follow-ups should be thoughtful and show genuine interest in their company and the role - Address any hesitations they might have about your experience - don't wait for them to bring it up How you close will set you apart from other candidates and give you a chance to show off your soft skills!

The best candidates won't always have 'the' resume you're looking for. They don't always have the best experience, most industry knowledge, or ideal background. What sets A-Players apart are the soft skills necessary to succeed in the role. Someone with the grit, curiosity, coach-ability, and EQ needed for sales but without the "right" experience can still outperform a candidate with a polished resume and weaker soft skills every time. A resume never tells the whole story, taking the time to vet out those soft skills is necessary to landing an A-Player for your team.