This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Security Business magazine. Don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter if you share it.
Maintaining a sales team fully staffed with the right people will silence many other flaws within a business; however, this metric is rarely measured or analyzed as something that management can control.
After many years of working with security integrators, I have concluded that leadership isn’t intentionally ignoring this area of the business; however, they don’t know how to effectively hire salespeople.
Here is our list of eight best practices for hiring salespeople.
1. Appreciate the complexity.
Hiring salespeople is more complex than hiring for other roles. They impact your business greatly, and they will have more autonomy than others, so a large piece of your company’s success will be dependent on the person you are interviewing doing the right things when no one is looking. In addition, note that people who interview better than anyone else tend to be bad salespeople. Why? Most bad salespeople have made a career out of finding a new job every year or two – so they are constantly in interview mode, and they are experts at nailing the interview!
2. Create an interview process.
Many companies meet with candidates once or twice, ask some random questions, and hire the first person they like. This plan doesn’t work well. Create a multi-step process that can be executed within a couple of weeks. Include many people in the process to gather multiple perspectives on many factors like culture fit, capabilities, desire, etc.
3. Include simulation exercises in the interview process.
During the interview process, ask candidates to conduct exercises like the activities they will be expected to perform. For example, deliver a seven-minute presentation on any topic, schedule the next interview like a sales appointment, or ride in the field with a current salesperson. You will learn a lot about the person beyond the results of the exercise – their preparation, experience, enthusiasm, etc.
4. Use a Behavioral Assessment Tool.
I don’t believe in taking gut feeling out of the equation, but I do believe that behavioral assessments are necessary to fully understand interviewees. We prefer Predictive Index – and for full transparency, we are certified resellers – but we encourage clients to use any of the credible tools that are available. When salespeople interview, they can take on different personas. Unless you know their tendencies, it’ll be difficult to accurately anticipate their behavior at work.
5. Do your due diligence.
Do a social media check, pay for a background check, and check references. Start the call with: “We like Jane, but we want to make sure we’re a good fit for her, so please answer as candidly as possible.”
6. Deliver the offer with class.
When you decide to make a job offer, I like the idea of emailing the offer ahead of time, taking the candidate to dinner, giving them the official offer in an envelope, and being prepared to discuss all the details. This is the first step in a long-term relationship – make sure you do it with class.
7. Build a bench of candidates.
It is a terrible feeling when you have to keep a poorly performing salesperson because you need a body to take care of accounts. It’s worse when a strong salesperson leaves a huge hole to fill; however, if you have a bench of two to three candidates waiting to be put into the game, then those awful situations become manageable. A strong sales leader is constantly recruiting.
8. Work with a recruiter.
Don’t call a recruiter just because a salesperson quits. Establish a relationship with a trusted recruiter who will help you build a bench of candidates.
Chris Peterson is the founder and president of Vector Firm (www.vectorfirm.com), a sales consulting and training company built specifically for the security industry. Use "Security Business" as a coupon code to receive a 10% lifetime discount at www.vectorfirmacademy.com. To request more info about the company, visit www.securityinfowatch.com/12361573.
