How to Attract Top Sales Talent

I am lucky enough to spend my days speaking with some of the best sales talent within the technology sector who have helped many of the most respected and successful companies grow. Steve Jobs said, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” This means it is possible to deconstruct success and understand what has had the biggest impact on these individuals. This allows us to extrapolate the foundation of a successful salesperson and identify the trait the top 10 percent have in common. We can also look at how past decisions were made and put these in context.

Everyone has dreams, and everyone tries to make them come true

Starting with the end in mind means we need to spend time to get to know and understand the motivations of a salesperson. What they are looking to achieve professionally and how this will help them bring success to their personal life. There has been a shift in the understand how what makes people tick and this has expanded behind the traditional Maslow’s hierarchy and back to the individual. If we really understand the people we want to hire, it will allow us to better engage and connect on the issues that are important. It also plays a key role in successful on boarding and putting together a 30, 60 and 90 day plan that will help them to settle into the role and become an integrated and valued part of the team. I would therefore recommend spending more time in understanding the journey people have taken to get to where they are now and how they would like to evolve in the coming years. This will allow you to identify how you can help them achieve these aspirations and connect on a deeply personal level.

The candidate journey is the same as a customer buying journey

Candidates are now much more informed on a company’s reputation and how their software stacks up against the competitors before any opportunities are presented. Great salespeople want to sell great products and buy into the value proposition that is being offered. It is therefore important to spend time talking about and showing the solution to candidates so they can feel confident that there will be a demand and therefore opportunity to sell. As well as understand the technology, candidates will want to know the story behind the company and its plans. Sharing the company’s road map and target for the next couple of years will build up confidence and show where opportunities for career development will emerge. If you think about all the touch points in the candidate journey, you can help inform and educate.

People like to buy from other people

It is important to spend the time so candidates can get to know the management team and be introduced to their potential colleagues. This should be done as part of the formal induction process, although taking time off and having a casual conversation over lunch/coffee can pay dividends. Once people let their guard down, they often show what they will be like on a day to day basis which is important as you are seeing and understanding the real person.

Show me the money!

A good salesperson will love what they do and earn good money as part of their success. Having a clear and transparent commission policy will allow good candidates to visualise the money that they can earn from landing a big deal. Talk about how other people at the company in a similar position have joined and what deals they have won in their first, second and third deal in a role. Meritocracy is easy to talk about and very difficult to deliver but vital in attracting the right talent and creating future leaders that will be there as they have the right skills and handwork to deliver results.

A real time will work for the great good and celebrate individual success

Salespeople are often individual players and single minded, so their integration into a team may be difficult but important to get the best out of them whilst adding to the overall capabilities and results of the business. Think about the time you spend together as a team and the opportunity will provide to learn collectively and get input into a deal. Are there team incentives in place and opportunities for real friendships to be built up that will make your business formidable like an Alex Ferguson with enduring success over 26 years.

How do you coach your sales team?

If you are a top footballer like Cristiano Ronaldo you are already at the top of your game and don’t take your chances in joining a poorly run team and will want the best coach possible to keep you at the top. A top coach will allow talent to develop whilst creating the best possible environment that allows your players to focus on the job at hand. If you think about the success team Sky had with David Brailsford as performance director, he looks at every aspect of the operation to consistency take the 1% improvements in performance. If done correctly and consistently these small gains in improvement develop a winning team and create a competitive edge that is difficult to replicate or beat. The management style you have and develop will have a direct correlation on performance, and this approach needs to be sold correctly to key players so they can buy into the philosophy before getting on board.

What tools and support will you provide?

Higher performing companies will have robust systems and processes in place. The process driven environment is super charged using cutting-edge tools and technology that will allow a good salesperson to spend their time on engaging and supporting their prospects to solve complex business problems. Having a forward-looking team who is always trying new things, breaking things and iterating, will be music to the ears of potential hires. The best software and tools will allow top salespeople to leverage their time and increase the likelihood of overachieving and having longevity in their roles. The discussion you have with high performing candidates will also allow you to learn on what developments are taking place in the market and learn about new ways of working that can be implemented. If you are thinking like a business owner, you will also be open minded about investing to support your sales team with a focus on return on investment (ROI).

Closing the deal and getting that Win, Win!

Securing the services of the top performing to join your team will be dependent on the hard work that has been done to present and sell the story that you will create in the coming years. Preclosing the deal to ensure that the candidates have bought into the role and business, will be a good way to get to yes before the question has been asked. If there are concerns, these should be uncovered and thoroughly addressed. If the concerns are real, it may be a wake up that it is time to make real changes to ensure your workplace is where the top talent want to work.

If you are looking for help in attracting top talent to your business, please get in touch today and I will be pleased to help.

[email protected]

www.wahoo-recruitment.com