Sales reps are an extremely important part of any business. If you happen to find the right one – they could take your business to a completely new level and help you expand your customer base. The hiring process is always hard for any position, but this one is going to be especially so. There are literally thousands of applicants and their resumes often sound similarly appropriate. However, distinguishing the one that’s perfect for your business both temperamentally and professionally can take a while.
Hire for a specific task
Most job interviews are pretty broad and don’t really focus that much on the job at hand. They are usually about qualifications and general attitude of both the employee and the employer. It’s a wrong way to hire a sales rep. Their job is going to be to up your sales by a specific margin in a specific timeframe or to focus on a target demographic that you want to sell to. That’s why it’s important to let the candidates know what their exact job would be and what tasks they would deal with on daily bases.
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is very important in this business because it relies on people skills. Use your friends and coworkers to get references, about those who are making a name for themselves lately. Start with the businesses in your industry. Competitors are the first that come to mind and it’s always good to keep an eye on how the employees are treated in companies that you’re competing with but don’t stop there. Ask your clients, customer and suppliers do they have someone in mind. They know you and your business from a specific perspective and can help you find someone more suitable than you could.
Recruitment companies
Sometimes it’s best to leave the recruitment process to the professionals. Companies dedicated to this task focus especially on high standards and have both the interest of the companies and the candidates in mind. Sales recruitment in Sydney allows you to hire graduates or provide training for recruits so you can mold future employees to the specific needs of your company. That way you help a young person start their career or even create one just for them.
Think about company culture
Once you’ve found the person with right references who could see themselves working for your company for the foreseeable future – it’s time to think about the more elusive parts of hiring. The question of whether is someone is right for your company culture is hard to answer (especially right away). First, you need to know what your company culture really is. It’s about more than dress codes and how often you organize team building meetings. The company culture is about a vision of what your business is and should be in the future. Convey this to the future employee (or better yet show them) and you can start a dialog about how they fit in your business.
Ongoing assessment
The recruitment process shouldn’t stop once you’ve found the candidate you want to hire. The job can change drastically over time and so can people. Let the employee know that their work is being evaluated on a regular basis. It’s also important to keep the process transparent at all times so that everyone knows what metrics are being used and has the right to defend their record on the job.
A sales rep is an important addition to your team, so take the time to find the right person for the job and you’ll save the company a lot of trouble and possibly make it a lot more successful.