Attracting Top Talent: What Top Salespeople Are Really Looking For

Attracting top talent to your sales team is key when it comes to staying competitive in today's ever-shifting business landscape. That's why more and more companies are thinking strategically about how they attract, retain, and reward the best salespeople out there.

In this article, we will explore what makes a successful salesperson truly tick - from their career goals to how they evaluate new opportunities - so that you can identify and attract the right profile of candidate for your team.

By taking all these factors into consideration, you can ensure that you're effectively positioning yourself as a sought-after opportunity for top performers.

Salespeople Know How to Find a Good Opportunity

Salespeople are some of the most tenacious and persistent individuals in any industry. They know how to spot a good opportunity when it presents itself and are not afraid to put in the extra effort to close a deal.

Just as they strategize to connect with potential customers, salespeople are discerning when choosing their work environment - seeking out companies where they believe they can be successful.

Various elements come together to form this ideal setting including an organization’s overall strategy, leadership, organizational structure, sales process, etc.

While not the only factor, the potential for high earnings is obviously a major draw for salespeople. A competitive compensation package would include base salary, commission, bonuses, and other incentives that demonstrate how much you are invested in their success.

By creating an attractive sales environment, companies can not only attract top sales talent but also ensure they stay and contribute to the company's long-term growth.

Simultaneously Boost Your Revenue and Recruiting

It is already hard enough to make your company attractive to customers in the marketplace, let alone salespeople. Recruiting can be a daunting process. Between job postings, sifting through resumes, and scheduling interviews, the time and effort it takes to find the right candidate can add up quickly.

If your sales team has been a revolving door of people who didn't work out, check out my article, "Why Can’t I Find the Right Salespeople?".

If you are having trouble bringing in and retaining good salespeople, it might not be entirely the fault of bad hiring. By taking time to review and improve on your sales strategy and processes, onboarding new candidates can generate much faster results.

In addition, your existing team should start to see almost immediate impact because leads convert to meetings, and meetings into new opportunities, more often. This boost in revenue could possibly even mean you don't need to hire someone.

With your team focused and accountable through a successfully designed and implemented sales system, you can start to effectively guide your team to success.

Once you have your company heading in the right direction, hiring a new salesperson becomes less about fixing revenue shortfall and all about strategically expanding to drive your company to the next level.

Scale Rapidly with an Effective Hiring Plan

In business, a well-oiled sales system is essential for rapid scaling. It's what enables you to onboard additional salespeople into a structured sales methodology that generates predictable results. And when it comes time to grow your sales team, the hiring process is just as crucial.

Successful growth relies on finding the securing the right people and keeping them in the right seats. That’s exactly why an intentional sales hiring plan is so important.

By slowing down to define, attract, and secure the right sales hire(s), you’ll see results faster because you are plugging the right salespeople into your sales engine.

I've written an article on the topic that can help you maximize your ability to attract top talent called, "Unlock the Rewards of an Intentional Sales Hiring Plan."

I have helped several companies fix the foundation of their sales organizations to position themselves for sustainable, scaling growth. It takes work but it usually has a larger impact than the perceived quick fix of hiring more sales manpower. Ultimately, it has a profound impact when existing and new salespeople are operating in an optimized selling environment.

If you are interested in learning more about how a Fractional Sales Leader can help your business, you may find a previous article I wrote insightful called, “How Does a Fractional VP Sales Make an Impact?”.

Whether you’re looking for hands-on involvement or a sounding board to guide your steps, I’m here to help. Contact me at (918) 409-9559 or [email protected].

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I am part of a national group of Senior Sales Leaders who collaborate to share insights like the examples shown in this article. We formed because of our shared passion to help business leaders exponentially grow their revenue.