Sales hiring made simple-an exclusive guide for b2b startup founders
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 10:00 am
For the founders of a B2B startup, the first few steps towards growth are perfect planning and it’s successful execution.Once that’s done, and you have financially stabilized yourself, it’s time to spread your wings wide and hire sales experts for reaching the peak of success.An extra pair of hands means new ideas, more creativity, and increased productivity.Sales professionals are an asset to a company so hiring them is a crucial step that needs to be taken wisely. On the one hand they can dramatically boost the revenue of your company but on the other hand hiring wrong sales personnel can even jeopardize your business.So, the question that arises here is how you should hire the right sales people?To help you out, below I have listed few essential points that will guide you in your sales hiring:
Step 1 – Before hiring, get in the field and check what’s working
You need to step forward and present your product on the sales ground before you hire sales reps to do this job.Think from a sales rep’s perspective for having a better understanding of the sales scenario Bahrain Phone Numbers Analyze and understand the market, your target audience and the sales challenges to lead the team you hire on the right path.Define a proper sales process to follow.Start customer journey mapping to gain a better understanding of the clients.Identify the obstacles and be prepared with the right sales tools and techniques to address them.
Step 2 – Define your criteria
What are your expectations?
Create an ideal candidate profile to understand what are you expecting from the sales personnel.To avoid hiring mistakes, have a clear outline so that you can stay on track and bring the right talent on-board.Below is the checklist of characteristics that you can refer while creating your ideal candidate profile:
Good listener
For startup sales success, you require someone who can listen to the prospect’s business issues and present your product as a solution to their problem.Only when they listen, they will be able to uncover important information about the prospect and provide a good buying experience.To ensure they are a good listener, test their listening skills by briefing about your company and ask a related questions to see how attentive are they to details.
Persistent
Sales for a startup is tough and the difficulty level escalates where sales reps give up easily.Often sales reps tend to abandon a prospect after first few calls.Salespeople need to be persistent for converting a prospect into a customer.So, drill deeper with relevant questions to understand if the candidate possesses the quality of persistence. Consider talent mapping as a subtle compass, guiding you to candidates with an innate capacity for persistence in the realm of startup sales.
Level headed
Impulsive sales reps can not only ruin an opportunity but also spoil the business image as they are the face of the company.Salespeople shouldn’t retaliate angrily to a criticism instead take it positively and work on it.While interviewing a candidate, put them in a situation where they need to deal with criticism to see how they tackle it.
Passionate towards selling
Salespeople need to be passionate sellers.Otherwise they will find this job mundane and uninteresting.Only when they are passionate, they will willingly learn and adapt to new technologies and techniques.For example, if you plan to implement a sales CRM in the future, your sales reps need to use it regularly to leverage its benefits.A dedicated sales rep will show interest in learning and adapting the CRM to improve their sales performance, unlike some sales personnel who look at it as a time-consuming task.Test the candidate’s sales knowledge to determine their interest in their job.
How much can you spend on the sales resource?
Figure out the amount you can afford to spend on the sales resources; this help in determining if you can target a fresher or an experienced sales professional.More the experience higher will be their salary expectation.However, in some cases, candidates with few years of experience are ready to work at a low package if they can see a career growth with your company.
Create a job description
To add clarity to your hiring process, create a precise job description to give the candidates a hint of what their job and responsibilities will be.Analyze your sales process and create the points accordingly.Research and browse various job portals and online resume examples to find job description for similar roles.Below are few points you can include while creating the job description:
Capture high potential leads to build strong sales pipeline.
Engage with prospects and build lasting customer relationships.
Address customer’s problems and queries.
Maintain records of customer contact and account updates.
Meet and give presentations and product demo to prospective clients.
Create proposals.
Analyze competitors by garnering insightful market-related information.
Prepare and submit sales activities and results reports to keep the management informed.
Meet or exceed revenue targets.
Step 1 – Before hiring, get in the field and check what’s working
You need to step forward and present your product on the sales ground before you hire sales reps to do this job.Think from a sales rep’s perspective for having a better understanding of the sales scenario Bahrain Phone Numbers Analyze and understand the market, your target audience and the sales challenges to lead the team you hire on the right path.Define a proper sales process to follow.Start customer journey mapping to gain a better understanding of the clients.Identify the obstacles and be prepared with the right sales tools and techniques to address them.
Step 2 – Define your criteria
What are your expectations?
Create an ideal candidate profile to understand what are you expecting from the sales personnel.To avoid hiring mistakes, have a clear outline so that you can stay on track and bring the right talent on-board.Below is the checklist of characteristics that you can refer while creating your ideal candidate profile:
Good listener
For startup sales success, you require someone who can listen to the prospect’s business issues and present your product as a solution to their problem.Only when they listen, they will be able to uncover important information about the prospect and provide a good buying experience.To ensure they are a good listener, test their listening skills by briefing about your company and ask a related questions to see how attentive are they to details.
Persistent
Sales for a startup is tough and the difficulty level escalates where sales reps give up easily.Often sales reps tend to abandon a prospect after first few calls.Salespeople need to be persistent for converting a prospect into a customer.So, drill deeper with relevant questions to understand if the candidate possesses the quality of persistence. Consider talent mapping as a subtle compass, guiding you to candidates with an innate capacity for persistence in the realm of startup sales.
Level headed
Impulsive sales reps can not only ruin an opportunity but also spoil the business image as they are the face of the company.Salespeople shouldn’t retaliate angrily to a criticism instead take it positively and work on it.While interviewing a candidate, put them in a situation where they need to deal with criticism to see how they tackle it.
Passionate towards selling
Salespeople need to be passionate sellers.Otherwise they will find this job mundane and uninteresting.Only when they are passionate, they will willingly learn and adapt to new technologies and techniques.For example, if you plan to implement a sales CRM in the future, your sales reps need to use it regularly to leverage its benefits.A dedicated sales rep will show interest in learning and adapting the CRM to improve their sales performance, unlike some sales personnel who look at it as a time-consuming task.Test the candidate’s sales knowledge to determine their interest in their job.
How much can you spend on the sales resource?
Figure out the amount you can afford to spend on the sales resources; this help in determining if you can target a fresher or an experienced sales professional.More the experience higher will be their salary expectation.However, in some cases, candidates with few years of experience are ready to work at a low package if they can see a career growth with your company.
Create a job description
To add clarity to your hiring process, create a precise job description to give the candidates a hint of what their job and responsibilities will be.Analyze your sales process and create the points accordingly.Research and browse various job portals and online resume examples to find job description for similar roles.Below are few points you can include while creating the job description:
Capture high potential leads to build strong sales pipeline.
Engage with prospects and build lasting customer relationships.
Address customer’s problems and queries.
Maintain records of customer contact and account updates.
Meet and give presentations and product demo to prospective clients.
Create proposals.
Analyze competitors by garnering insightful market-related information.
Prepare and submit sales activities and results reports to keep the management informed.
Meet or exceed revenue targets.