When Hiring for Sales, Hire Smart to Grow Fast

When hiring for sales roles, you’re entrusting someone else with the most critical function in your business. Let that sink in for a minute.

Time and time again, clients come to me eager to expand and ready to outsource their sales because they feel uncomfortable with the process. They often say, “I hate selling; it feels so pushy and inauthentic,” which prompts my critical follow-up question: “So you want to hire someone to do that for you?”

It’s a question that always stops them in their tracks and sparks a deeper discussion about the need to redefine what sales means and how to best execute it within their business. By rethinking sales, you can transform it from a dreaded task into a positive opportunity for building lasting customer relationships and achieving your business goals.

Reframing the Concept of Sales

The first step to hiring the best salespeople for your company is to change your perception of sales, which often brings to mind negative stereotypes of pushy, ‘sketchy,’ uninvited sales tactics. In reality, the best salespeople do far more than just pitch; they excel at solving problems and building relationships. The most successful sales professionals understand that truly listening to a prospect’s needs and concerns is far more impactful than a hard push to close a sale. They recognize that customers are more willing to make a purchase when they feel the experience is personalized to their needs.

A study we recently conducted with over 1,000 consumers showed that 92% of buyers are more likely to make a purchase when a salesperson personalizes their approach. To build a consultative, relationship-driven sales team, we advise our clients to look for candidates who are good listeners, good problem-solvers, and good long-term thinkers.

Where to Begin

Traditional thinking involves creating a job description, posting it on job search engines, hiring someone with a sales background, and you’re on your way to achieving sales growth! Not so fast. Before you post that job requisition, it’s critical you have a clearly defined sales process and strategy that you can articulate in simple terms to your candidates. This ensures you find candidates who are aligned with the vision and goals you have for your business.

Here’s how to weave your company’s vision into the very fabric of your team before the hiring process begins:

• Define Your Core Vision: Before writing a single job description, be crystal clear about your vision. What are you striving to achieve beyond sales targets? Whether it’s creating loyal customers or transforming the industry, this vision will guide who you bring into your team.
• Craft a Vision-Centric Job Description: Job descriptions should speak volumes about your vision, enticing candidates who resonate with your goals. Use language that conveys both the tasks AND the purpose behind them.

Building a sales team that thrives on authentic connections and shared vision is so much more than a hiring strategy; it’s a growth engine that can get you to your goals faster than ever.

Hiring for Impact

Creating job descriptions focused on tasks and interviewing candidates based on their ability to perform tasks is surface-level. You want someone who can grow and change with your business. Speak to the impact your business has on customers’ lives. When you find candidates who are excited about this impact, they’re more likely to be invested in the bigger picture.

To find the right salespeople, focus on how their role directly contributes to your company’s mission and vision. Highlight the opportunities for them to make a real difference in the customer experience and the company’s success. Look for individuals who are not only skilled but also passionate about being part of something bigger than themselves. This passion and alignment with your company’s goals will drive them to exceed expectations and help your business thrive.

Value Philosophy Over Tasks

When interviewing candidates for sales positions, focus on your company’s philosophy and values over the day-to-day tasks of the position. Tasks can be taught and often evolve over time, but a candidate’s alignment with your values is timeless. Ensure you are hiring someone who fits what you believe in and what you and your company stand for.

From the first interview question to the final evaluation, weave your company’s values into the conversation. Ask candidates to share experiences that demonstrate their alignment with these values, giving you insight into how they’ll contribute to your team’s culture and goals.

Show candidates how your company lives its vision. Share stories of team achievements, customer feedback, and how each role contributes to the greater goal. This attracts the right talent and starts their integration into your culture from the beginning.

To help uncover whether they can align with your company’s values, ask fewer task-based questions, such as, “Have you sold products like this before?” or “Tell me about your biggest sale.” Those answers are less important than responses to questions such as, “What’s your sales philosophy?”, “Tell me how you build a relationship,” or “How do you like to be sold to?” Your goal should be to find someone you’re excited to have talking to your potential clients.

You’re ultimately looking for candidates who are good listeners and relationship-builders who have a natural curiosity and are long-term thinkers who can see the impact beyond the immediate sale.

Hiring the best people for your sales roles is about more than finding candidates with sales experience. It’s about finding people who align with your values, understand your sales process, and are committed to making an impact. Reframe how you think about sales, design a customer-centric sales process, and hire for alignment and impact. By doing so, you’ll be laying the foundation for an unstoppable team who can drive your business forward.

Ready for More? The Coffee’s On Us!

Join our FREE WEBINAR: “2024 Sales Trends Every Business Needs to Know”

Tue. Aug. 20., 2:00 pm ET

Register here (and don’t forget to sign up for your free Starbucks gift card—the coffee really is on us!)

https://thesmartsalesacademy.com/flip-the-funnel-registra