I’m sharing strategies which have worked for me and I hope this could help you whether you’re finding your first sales job or trying to hire your first seller.
Strategies for hiring your first sales rep:
- Start off with an SDR (Sales Development Representative) doing inside sales.
You can hire an SDR if you’re a small company and trying to hire your first sales rep so they can gain a good understanding about the business.
- More knowledge and experience: This gives you a chance to learn a little bit more about the company because you’re mingling with different departments inside the organization.
- Wearing multiple hats: Now if you’re in a small company, you may have to wear multiple hats. An entrepreneur would love to have some help with things like lead generation, lead development, or appointment setting.
- Find someone to come on board and work just for full commission.
The problem with this is that without any proven process for any sales rep to follow, they’re just going to be winging it. And this could result to a higher turnover.
- Proven process: Have a proven process in place beforehand so once they come on board, they’re able to apply these and see results.
- Proper training: The key is to train the rep on the proper procedures and the proper ways they can close deals so they see immediate results considering you have a shorter sales process.
If you’re trying to find a senior seller, and they’re earning based solely on commission and you don’t have a process in place, this may not just work.
- Develop them from being inside sellers to become a closers.
Start off with hiring an SDR that’s inside. Then you can develop them and have them go in the outside. Fine tune the process. Then hire the next SDR to come in and then that person will be the outside rep or the “closer.” Then repeat the process.
You can grow your company like this pretty quickly. Again, if they’re doing this just for full commission, you have to make sure they make money enough that they can survive. Or you can just give them a declining base + commission that’s gradually leading up to a full commission.
Some great questions to ask when hiring people:
- What was the last book you read? (This gives you an idea if they’re willing to develop themselves.)
- Why must you be successful in this position? (This tells you what their motivations are.)
- What do you enjoy most about selling and the least about selling?
- Why do you do sales?
- Why do want this job?
- How many books have you read in the last year?
- Tell me why you believe in this product you’re going to be selling.
- Tell me about your last sales/last close.
- What is your why?
Check out our Facebook group, The Sales Evangelizers, to search for more questions you can use to ask during the interview process.
Today’s Major Takeaway:
Hiring the right individual is important but have a process in place beforehand.
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