The Difficulty in Hiring Top SaaS Sales Talent

A recent Manpower study revealed that the most difficult position to fill is the sales representative. As of 2024, the challenge in sourcing the right sales rep for the job is still on the rise. The question is: Why is finding top-performing sales talent so tough? ??Let’s be honest: hiring is tough. There are a tremendous amount of jobs still out there with a historically?low 3.6% unemployment rate.

If you're tired of the tedious job of finding the best sales talent, Mprove Sales can help you identify what it really takes to find a top-performing sales representative to add to your team.

?The Challenge of Recruiting Sales

When recruiting salespeople, all too often, employers trust their "gut feeling" about the energy and potential of a person. But in truth, it's all about the details. Those gut feelings are not a reliable guarantee for success. The key to apt sales hiring is to carefully define what you want in a sales representative, ask the right interview questions, and listen until you find someone with all the right answers.

After all, the stakes are too high to gamble. Filling an open sales position with the wrong person takes months to correct and can cost your company an incredible amount in lost revenue of your new hire is not the right fit.

?The Time Lost (and cost) for a Bad Sales Recruit

On average, it takes three to four months to recruit, interview, and hire a new salesperson. It may take as much as six months after that to complete onboarding and training so your new hire can begin producing. If their performance is low or their cultural fit is misaligned, it may take another four to six months to document the problem, phase through probation, and get them out the door - only to start the process over again.

This is why it is vital to find the right sales representative the first time, with a value-driven recruitment process that can identify what you really need in your new hire.

This is why it’s so important to take the time to find the right person for the job, rather than just hiring anyone who seems qualified. The cost of a bad hire can be devastating to your business, both in terms of money and morale. Bad hires cost employers at least 30% of their employees’ annual salary.

?If you’re not sure how to go about finding the right candidate, consider working with Mprove Sales. They can help you sift through applications and narrow down your options to find the very best fit for your company.

The Mprove Sales Hiring Method

At Mprove Sales, we are fully aware of the common pitfalls of sales hiring. We have seen them all, and the trouble that can come from hiring the wrong person. We have found that setting the right priorities and never compromising on them is the core element of sales rep hiring built to last.

Structured Hiring Process

We use a structured hiring process. before we start looking for ideal candidate, Mprove Sales consults with the client to define the job requirements. We take the time to agree on the structured interview questions, select assessment tools, and clearly define the interview process from first contact to job offer.

Drill-Down into Sales Skills and Knowledge

Mprove Sales knows how to identify the difference between bluster and skills, which is vital when hiring for selling performance.

Salespeople can always "talk the talk," but very few resumes cross our desks in which candidates do not boast that they were the "number one" or "never missed their number". Resumes are almost always embellished, in any industry, but knowledge of key sales skills cannot be faked.

Our decades of leading sales organizations give us the ability to question a candidate's real skills. How do they develop a quality pipeline? How strong is their business acumen? How do they frame and conduct negotiations? It is a candidate's answers to these questions that will mark a true professional.

Validate Track Records

Hiring a sales rep, you are making a serious investment. Mprove Sales makes sure that investment is worthwhile by investing our own time into validating a sales candidate's track record. We have several people interview the person and estimate their answers. Our combined decades of experience in sales allow us to easily validate a candidate's claims in selling skills and capabilities.

Don't Settle or Hire Emotionally

Objectivity is a critical element to successful hiring. Hiring salespeople on a gut feeling, the old-fashioned way, doesn't work. You might hire someone with confidence that you get along with, but that doesn't guarantee that they will be a high-performing salesperson.

You want to fill the position quickly, but never settle for less than someone who fulfills the objective requirements for skill and experience. Hiring the wrong person will cost you time and money and, in the end, you'll find yourself in the interviewer's chair all over again.

Hire for Selling, Not Sector

One of the most common mistakes we see is hiring salespeople who more heavily weigh experience with your product or industry. In truth, the most important factor is whether they can sell. It can take years for someone to learn the essential skills of being a good salesperson, whereas it takes weeks or months to learn your product and industry.

Hire someone with a successful sales background. They will know how to ask the right questions and they won't hesitate to get started quickly once they complete onboarding with your product.

?Successful Sales Hiring with Mprove Sales

Mprove Sales can shorten your hiring cycle and more importantly increase the quality of your team. We welcome the opportunity to work with your organization and building the best team for success!? www.mprovesales.com or [email protected].? 303-697-6416