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Recruiting!
posted: Friday, January 22, 2010
A sales manager's success is only going to be as good as the people with whom they surround themselves through recruiting, hiring and training, all of which should be an on-going process. The more skilled a sales manager is at performing these functions, the better your sales team will be at performing their tasks. You've heard of the circle of life? Well recruiting, hiring and training compose the circle of life for a Sales Manager.
In recruiting salespeople make sure you are selecting from a large pool of people. It's basic mathematics-the more people you have to choose from, the more likely you are to find the quality you are looking for.
It's also important to understand that your staff is going to change, maybe not constantly, but it is going to change. People are going to leave for a variety of reasons: they are not suited for sales, they move away, get offered another job, or they are so good at what they do that they become a sales manager themselves. The bottom line is you must always be willing and able to quickly replace those who leave without missing a beat.
Because you already know that you are going to have at least some staff turnover, it is important that your recruiting effort is non-stop. There are many different sources you can use to recruit. The first is to use the resources you all ready have, which is your staff. Offer your existing staff bonuses if they are able to refer someone to you who you end up hiring. The bonus should be divided so that some amount is given upon hiring, a second amount given after six months and a final amount given after the new hired has been employed for a year.
Another recruiting tool is to simply place a recruiting poster, or have a recruiting brochure that you give to customers in your place of business. You never know when a customer comes in to buy something; they may also be in need of a job. This goes back to continuing to expand your potential employee base, a simple poster goes a long way to increasing that base. I am not saying a help wanted sign or poster that indicates you are desperate, but a classy "We are always looking for quality people to help us grow our business", type of statement.
In addition all owners and managers should place a recruiting statement on the back of your business card. Whenever you come across someone who you think may be a good potential employee for you, hand them your business card with an invitation to talk. There are great people out there, you just need to find them. I would also suggest that you talk to placement counselors at your local high schools and colleges. The counselors know their students and may be able to find the perfect person for you. Recruiting is a job that great sales managers perform all day everyday.
In recruiting salespeople make sure you are selecting from a large pool of people. It's basic mathematics-the more people you have to choose from, the more likely you are to find the quality you are looking for.
It's also important to understand that your staff is going to change, maybe not constantly, but it is going to change. People are going to leave for a variety of reasons: they are not suited for sales, they move away, get offered another job, or they are so good at what they do that they become a sales manager themselves. The bottom line is you must always be willing and able to quickly replace those who leave without missing a beat.
Because you already know that you are going to have at least some staff turnover, it is important that your recruiting effort is non-stop. There are many different sources you can use to recruit. The first is to use the resources you all ready have, which is your staff. Offer your existing staff bonuses if they are able to refer someone to you who you end up hiring. The bonus should be divided so that some amount is given upon hiring, a second amount given after six months and a final amount given after the new hired has been employed for a year.
Another recruiting tool is to simply place a recruiting poster, or have a recruiting brochure that you give to customers in your place of business. You never know when a customer comes in to buy something; they may also be in need of a job. This goes back to continuing to expand your potential employee base, a simple poster goes a long way to increasing that base. I am not saying a help wanted sign or poster that indicates you are desperate, but a classy "We are always looking for quality people to help us grow our business", type of statement.
In addition all owners and managers should place a recruiting statement on the back of your business card. Whenever you come across someone who you think may be a good potential employee for you, hand them your business card with an invitation to talk. There are great people out there, you just need to find them. I would also suggest that you talk to placement counselors at your local high schools and colleges. The counselors know their students and may be able to find the perfect person for you. Recruiting is a job that great sales managers perform all day everyday.
FINAO - Failure is Not An Option
Brad Huisken
