Attention Idiots: Re-education for those looking to hire quality sales people.
This article is written in an attempt to provide a little guidance to all of the prospective employers out there who are struggling so hard to find good sales people. Whether your company sells a product or a service, your sales force is a huge part of what determines whether or not you’ll be in business next year. Let’s look at five common mistakes.
1. Don’t exaggerate what a perspective employee will be able to earn on average.
Example: Saying that a person will be able to earn five to six thousand dollars per month when your average earner is between two and three.
Reason: This is sales – if you have any kind of commission structure, we understand that the sky is usually the limit for earnings potential. We want the reality of what we’re going to make while working for you for the first three months to a year, not what your most seasoned sales guy earns.
2. Don’t structure a sales position as an independent contractor.
Example: Self explanatory.
Reason: You choose to let a sales person represent your business when you hire them either as an independent contractor or an employee. However, quality sales people are not going to respect you for weaseling out of (at the very least) an employer’s share of taxes. Nobody likes a cheapskate.
3. Don’t assume that commission only jobs are going to attract the real go-getters.
Example: Posting a job description that includes something like “Compensation is extremely attractive commission. Seasoned veterans will no have no trouble bringing home large weekly paychecks.”
Reason: Even great sales people have bad days (and possibly a bad week) too. They are a lot more likely to apply to a job if you offer even a small stipend or base salary. Nobody wants to worry about being able to pay one of their bills in case things aren’t clicking for them for a short period of time.
4. Don’t be vague about what the position entails.
Example: Providing job details that just read “We are looking for a sales person to join our team selling a great product to high-end consumers. Qualified candidates will have experience selling business to business. Minimum 3 years experience required.”
Reason: If you’re not proud of (or confident enough in) the product or service you sell to name it in the job posting, then it’s probably not worth selling. Good sales people don’t want to have to interview you just to find out if the position is worth submitting a resume.
5. Don’t patronize your prospective employee’s intelligence or experience.
Example: “Family owned auto dealer. We sell cars. It’s that simple. If this sounds like the job for you, please apply.”
Reason: This is obviously insulting. Nobody wants to work for someone who has no respect for what they do, especially if they’re making you money. Good sales people are NOT a dime a dozen. They know this. You should acknowledge it too.
Hopefully this helps some of you out there. While there are some exceptions to these points (very few, but they do exist), you will see a lot higher quality of candidates if you avoid the common pitfalls. Good luck.