Great salespeople are an invaluable asset to any company. They’re the ones who bring in new customers and revenue, help their teams achieve goals, and make everyone around them better at their jobs. But how do you know if someone is going to become one of those great salespeople? How do you find the ones who will sell more, make more, and love what they do? I’ve been hiring salespeople for over 20 years now, so I’ve come up with some tips that have helped me find great people with the right attitude and drive—and keep them motivated once they’re on board:

 

Understand what you’re looking for.

When you’re hiring salespeople, it’s important to understand what exactly you’re looking for. Here are some key questions and considerations:

• What do I want from this position? Is it someone who can sell more than any other employee in the company? Is it someone who will be able to generate leads in a way that no one else can do? Or do I just need someone who knows how to talk on the phone and get through their cold call list each day (and hopefully close some deals). The answer depends on what your business needs most right now–and if there’s something specific about your industry or company culture that makes one kind of person better suited than another at performing these tasks well.
• What skills does my ideal candidate possess? For example, if there are very few technical skills required for this role (like being able to use Microsoft Word), then perhaps having good communication skills is more important than having technical expertise when hiring salespeople

Attract the right kind of people.

Attracting the right kind of people is the first step in building a sales team that sells more and makes more.

Here are some ways to attract the right kind of people:

• Target your marketing efforts towards those who have already shown interest in working for you. If a job posting for a Salesperson has been up for a week, but hasn’t received any applications yet, try changing up your marketing strategy and see if that helps boost response rates. A good place to start would be reaching out directly through email or social media channels where your target audience spends time online (LinkedIn groups are often good places). You could also try posting flyers around town promoting this opening specifically so potential applicants can easily find it when they’re looking online later on down the road when they’re ready to apply!
• Make sure everyone knows about open positions within their respective departments; don’t limit yourself just because someone might not fit into yours very well–you never know what kind of talent might pop up elsewhere!

Make your pitch.

Make your pitch.

Once you’ve identified the job and the company, it’s time to describe the position and role. Make sure that you know exactly what kind of salesperson you need for this position. If it’s a startup, do they need someone who can sell on their feet? Or do they need someone who can sit down with clients in an office setting? Are there specific industries or verticals where they want their salespeople focused on? Next, describe the benefits: how much will they make (and when), what kind of commission structure are we offering, how many days off per year do we give our employees (and when), etcetera ad infinitum! Then talk about challenges–what will be difficult about working here? What skills will help them succeed at this job? How long does it take most people to ramp up to full productivity level and why? What is our career path like after getting hired as an entry-level employee here at Company X; where can one go within five years if all goes well within those five years…

Set goals for each hire.

Set goals for each hire.

As you’re hiring, think about what you want each person to accomplish. What is their goal? What result do they need to achieve? How will they know if they have hit the mark or not?

One of the best ways to do this is by setting metrics that measure success in terms of revenue generated or profit margin improvement. You can also set benchmarks around other important factors such as customer satisfaction and employee retention rates, but these are harder to measure objectively since they depend on subjective opinions instead of hard numbers (which makes them less reliable).

Set the right expectations.

Setting the right expectations is essential. You need to make sure they understand what is expected of them, and that they know what they’re getting into.

• Set goals: It’s important for both parties to set goals for what will be accomplished in the first 30 days, 60 days and 90 days on the job. Make sure these are clearly defined so there aren’t any misunderstandings later on down the road when your new hire realizes he/she needs more training or support than initially thought necessary.
• Make sure they understand the job: When hiring salespeople who sell more, make more and love what they do (aka “star performers”), it’s vital that you take time upfront with each potential candidate during interviews so that everyone understands exactly what will be required from him/her during his/her tenure with your company–and don’t forget those aforementioned metrics!

 

Know what makes a good salesperson great.

Before you begin hiring, it’s important to understand the role of a salesperson. In the most basic sense, they are responsible for bringing in revenue by making sales. But there’s more to it than that:

Salespeople are also responsible for educating their customers about their product or service and helping them understand how it will benefit them. They must be able to identify potential opportunities within each customer account so that they can present solutions that meet those needs specifically–and then close on those opportunities by getting agreement from both parties involved (the buyer and seller).

In addition to these responsibilities, good salespeople must have certain traits that make them successful at what they do:

• They’re great listeners who ask questions rather than just talking about themselves all day long (this shows people value what others have to say).
• They’re persistent when things get tough; if someone says no once or twice during a conversation with him/herself then maybe try again later because maybe now would work better than before!
• They’re persuasive yet humble enough not to try too hard when making their argument known through facts instead of emotions alone which helps build trust between himself/herself as well as between him/herself and another party involved such as customer(s), colleagues etcetera.”

 

Don’t become complacent with your best people; keep them motivated and engaged.

If you have top salespeople, don’t become complacent with them. Keep them motivated and engaged by giving them more responsibility and challenging them to do better.

• Don’t just pay your top performers; give them more responsibility. You can’t expect your best people to keep selling if they don’t feel like they’re contributing or moving up in their careers. They need recognition, rewards, praise and recognition for their work–and one way of doing this is by giving them more responsibilities so they feel like they’re growing in their positions at the company while also making an impact on the bottom line (which leads us into our next point).
• Challenge your top performers with new challenges that will help keep them interested in their jobs long-term: This could be anything from introducing new products or services into an existing territory; taking over an entire territory from another rep who’s leaving; starting up a new region for yourself etc…

Hire the best salespeople and get rid of the ones who don’t perform by using these tips

Hiring the best salespeople is a crucial step in building a successful business. In fact, it’s one of the most important decisions you can make for your company. If you’re not careful, hiring bad hires can be extremely costly and even damage your brand’s reputation.

To help you avoid this fate, here are some tips on how to hire better salespeople:

• Be clear about what kind of person you’re looking for before starting the search process
• Conduct extensive interviews with candidates and their references so that everyone understands what they’ll be getting into if they join your team

Conclusion

This is a simple, but effective way to hire great salespeople. Take the time to understand what you’re looking for and make sure your pitch is clear and compelling enough that only the right kind of people will come forward with interest in working for your company. Then set goals for each hire so that you know exactly what kind of performance level they’ll need to reach within their first year on board–and keep them motivated and engaged by knowing what makes a good salesperson great!