Some companies focus on hiring from their competition almost exclusively and I am not exactly sure why. I realize they believe they are bolstering their sales department while depleting their competition’s. But taken too far, this approach becomes a detriment to a successful hiring campaign. I’ve seen it with one of our customers who has become infatuated with hiring someone away from a certain competitor. His desire to do so is driven by the fact that a third competitor recently hired someone from the second competitor. It doesn’t matter if you tracked that last sentence, the fact of the matter is still the same. I now refer to this approach… Read More
Continue ReadingDefinition Of Insanity-ATS And Sales Hiring
According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. According to a recent post on Recruiting Trends and a 2007 survey from DDI & Monster regarding corporate hiring systems: Less than 50% stated that they were satisfied with current selection systems. At least two-thirds expressed dissatisfaction with the efficiency of hiring systems, even with access to automation technology to help organize and track applicant information. From our experience in the sales world, I would have to say those dissatisfied numbers are much higher when it comes to the results of their hiring system or process for salespeople. So why not… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Need For Speed In Hiring
ERE’s daily article hits a chord with me today – Understanding Why Fast Hiring Is Critical to Recruiting Success. We have been beaten down of late due to some slow-moving hiring processes. The author, Dr. John Sullivan, provides many suggestions for putting metrics to your hiring process. However, I found these stats to be the compelling reasons why you should worry about the speed of your hiring process: One large accounting firm recently found that if they didn’t act within 22 days, their chances of landing “high-demand” candidates decreased by nearly 90%. A large electronics firm researched the issue and found that the very best in their field (the top… Read More
Continue Reading“You Can’t Grow If You Aren’t Selling”
Isn’t that the truth? Entrepreneur.com has an excellent archived article (from 2002) titled Hire and Hire that discusses hiring salespeople during a recession (no, we’re not in a recession). The point is valid – economic downturns are the best time to upgrade and/or expand your sales team. Pick the right talent, and your new salesperson will pay for himself or herself many times over. After all, Buckley points out, because your ability to make sales is the “engine that drives growth,” salespeople are “pay-for-themselves-type expenditures.” That “pick the right talent” piece is not so easy, but it is the keystone of the approach. Run a hiring process and make sure… Read More
Continue Reading3 Sales Hiring Inhibitors
Even bad salespeople can appear to be strong in a face-to-face interview situation. This reason is why sales recruiting is truly different than any other form of recruiting. Reviewing resumes and assuming abilities is is a fool’s errand. Yet, there are certain aspects of general recruiting that can that hinder effective sales recruiting. The Resumes. Yes, resumes. I have sat through far too many discussions where hiring managers or recruiters attempted to divine incredible insight from a sheet of paper. Granted, you can probably eliminate the retail salespeople from your B2B Sales manager process. Sales is still a people-oriented profession so overanalyzing a document is not the most effective technique… Read More
Continue ReadingTop 3 In-Demand Positions
From RecruitingTrends.com (my emphasis): Manpower Inc. releases the results of its third annual talent shortage survey, revealing that 31% of employers globally are finding it increasingly more difficult to fill jobs. The top three candidates most in-demand are skilled manual trades, sales representatives and technicians (technical workers in the areas of production/operations, engineering and maintenance). What would it be if they put a qualifier on finding the right salesperson? I keep saying this – a strong salesperson is always in demand no matter what the economy is doing.
Continue ReadingThe Urgency Of Hiring
BusinessWeek.com has a terrific article about executive recruiting that applies to more than just executive positions. Sales hiring mirrors the same issues from the article. The pull quote: Not surprisingly, corporate bosses usually want to play a role in interviewing and assessing top candidates’ experience, qualifications, and fit with senior leadership. The problem arises when those leaders just don’t commit to the executive recruiting process. Often they fail to appreciate its urgency, the fact that candidates may be weighing other offers, or that candidate interviewing can be a process that’s unpredictable, and one that isn’t completely in their control. Even the hiring of a top-notch executive recruiter can’t guarantee there… Read More
Continue ReadingIt Ain’t Experience
BusinessWeek.com discusses recruiting strategies based on who you are trying to attract in Recruiting Today: What Are You Promising? There are some excellent examples of different programs initiated by different companies. However, this one jumped off the screen: In some cases, offering young employees a unique opportunity can have special appeal. DHL, which used to hire only experienced salespeople, offered nine recent college grads a shot at sales last year (and a comprehensive training program to support the move). The company, which is expanding the program this year, says the program not only attracted nine top candidates, but the new hires generated more revenue and more shipments per sale. Many… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat Qualifications Determine Sales Success?
Here’s what we often see from hiring managers or recruiters that focus on a wide variety of positions. They tend to look for qualifications in their sourcing activities. Obviously, this approach is warranted and required when sourcing for positions like accountants, medical personnel, IT, engineers and so forth. But what about sales? What qualifications determine sales success? A college degree? 5, 7 or 10 years tenure? Industry experience? The difficulty in sales is that there are so few, if any, verifiable qualifications that properly filter applicants out. The better approach is to list the skills that the sale requires. Notice I didn’t write “position?” The typical sale is what needs to… Read More
Continue ReadingSimulation Training And Hiring
Lee and I recently attended certification training for one of the assessments we use and found the training to be quite good. The part that made it memorable is the fact that we were asked to use the assessments in real-life scenarios. That type of training sticks, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Simulation Shows What It’s Like to Be Boss: That realistic feeling is a big reason companies such as NetApp use simulations to help train managers in complex subjects such as strategic thinking. Experts say adults absorb information better when they use it, not just hear it. There is a quote from earlier in the article that is… Read More
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