A few days ago the Velvet Hammer provided some pointers on putting together offer letters and I wanted to chime in on the topic. I have just a couple of general reminders as you deliver the offers to your sales candidates:
- Your position is probably not the only opportunity they are looking at so keep the process moving along – timing is everything.
- Qualify the total compensation package with the candidate. Will the offer be in the candidate’s range or will it be out in left field?
- Expect to have some negotiation with the candidate on the offer. Again, this is probably not the only opportunity they are pursuing.
- Make sure the offer has a date the candidate needs to respond by, do not leave it open ended. As we like to say, it doesn’t take longer to say yes. The longer they take to respond, the more likely they will decline the offer.
- This sounds rudimentary, but make sure you follow up with the candidate after the offer has been given. We had one customer, who after tendering an offer and telling the candidate they would follow-up in a couple of days, never did. They almost lost a very strong candidate because they got busy and forgot to make the call.