This article originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
We keep hearing about layoffs in the tech industry, but for security companies seeking sales talent, hiring is the problem! Recent surveys have found that 75% of sales recruiters say they have had top candidates lined up to accept offers only to have them change their minds at the last minute. Filling entry-level sales jobs is particularly difficult; in fact, 41% of companies – including mine – find most applicants for these positions lack the ideal skill set but still want higher pay than what is budgeted.
New hires want to feel supported and encouraged, not frustrated and discouraged. Glassdoor reports that in 2022, it costs an average of $4,000 and takes 24 days to hire a new worker.
Companies fortunate enough to find a strong candidate to accept a sales position must invest resources to ensure they succeed. New hires need training, support, and tools to develop and manage a pipeline properly, create estimates, and close deals. Most of a salesperson’s pay is based on earned commissions. They will not stick around if it takes too long to start selling and making money.
Sales management software is one of the best ways to increase the probability that new hires will quickly master how to quote and sell their company’s products and services according to their employer’s best practices. It helps them manage the sales process, collaborate effectively, quote accurately, present professionally, and close quickly – based on proven, repeatable processes established for the company’s sales team. It also provides sales management immediate insight into all aspects of sales, including team and individual statistics, and KPIs.
Sales management software can pay for itself simply by its ability to help attract and retain salespeople. Here are three areas where software can help ease the transition for new sales employees:
1. Onboarding
All new salespeople require training – even those with a proven track record and previous experience selling similar products and services. Sales software is a dynamic guide to a company’s unique workflows, parts, labor, services database, and pricing policies. It provides a framework for new hires as they navigate how to design solutions, quote projects, and close deals.
“It gives them another voice showing them how to quote, calculate margins and whatnot,” says Chad Asselstine, VP of Business Development for Fire Monitoring of Canada. “When a rep is building a quote and has a question or needs assistance, we can log into the system together and look at it. We’re not emailing Excel spreadsheets back and forth.”
Furthermore, it helps salespeople save precious selling time by leveraging training tools from manufacturers – including video libraries and webinars – that demonstrate step-by-step processes. Of course, new salespeople also require hands-on training from their employer, but tools available from the sales software manufacturer remove a good chunk of the burden. Asselstine says sales management software is helpful when onboarding salespeople because he can put new hires through the software manufacturer’s training academy.
2. Estimating with confidence
Selling security is complicated, and every project is different. A single quote may include multiple systems with many parts, various labor types, software licensing, subcontractors, permits, and managed services. There are often special circumstances. Some customers have contracts that require pre-negotiated pricing and labor rates. Salespeople must understand how to quote parts, labor, miscellaneous items like travel and permits, and RMR while maintaining appropriate margins. Software allows new hires to begin selling with confidence much more quickly.
“It makes it easy for them to pull together all the necessary elements for a quote and create a professional-looking proposal,” explains Barry Chisholm, Director of Sales for American Alarm & Communications. “It is not a daunting process. Just as important, from a management perspective, the software lets me set different automated approval thresholds for apprentices, mid-level, and senior-level sales reps. I can keep tighter tabs on the apprentices while granting greater autonomy to those with more experience.”
3. Representing the brand
When security salespeople present a quote, they are not only selling technology; they are selling the value their company brings in delivery, services, and support. Understanding how to pitch a company’s unique values can be very challenging for new salespeople.
Sales management software provides templates for automated proposal creation, including all the essential elements to present the company and quoted solutions thoroughly and professionally. It ensures the proposal is brand-forward, using fonts, colors, and graphics consistent with the brand. It also allows salespeople to customize the scope of work specifically for buyers’ needs – key for succeeding in solution sales.
“They can build a very detailed scope of work, so the customer knows exactly what they are signing for, and the operations team and technicians know what the customer expects them to get done,” says Shantel Summers, Director of Administrative Operations at Pye-Barker Fire & Security (formerly Mountain Alarm). “The software allows us to ensure quoting is consistent across the board.”
When prospects compare proposals, they will infer that the most professional and purpose-driven document represents a company that will deliver those same qualities throughout the client experience.
