{"id":1373,"date":"2016-07-06T09:04:14","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T13:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.comblog\/hr-sales-effectiveness\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T16:40:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T21:40:59","slug":"hr-sales-effectiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/hr-sales-effectiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Things HR Leaders Need From The VP of Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"10<\/span><\/p>\n

To enhance the ability of HR to find qualified, proven sales talent, sales leaders need to provide deep insight into the sales organization including: team performance, culture, hiring timelines and ideal profiles, compensation plans, and individual development plans.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

In the most successful organizations, human resource and sales leaders partner to drive their company forward. They share mutual respect, have structured and transparent communication practices and standards, and are fully aligned with the corporate strategy. However, without a clear structure to facilitate an effective sales and HR relationship, problems can arise that undermine the performance of both departments when trying to achieve their human capital objectives.<\/p>\n

Sales Vice Presidents<\/a>\u00a0can prevent problems between the two departments by providing HR executives with a clear vision of their team and objectives, and empowering them with the information they need to do their job.<\/p>\n

This detailed outline of 10 things HR leaders need from Sales VPs creates a shared foundation for effective sales recruitment and retention initiatives.<\/h2>\n

1. Performance of Sales Team to Date <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The performance of a sales team to date gives HR leaders a clear understanding of what\u2019s working and what\u2019s failing on the personnel side of sales and gives recruiters a key reference point to leverage when courting candidates. <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Boston Consulting Group<\/span><\/a> found that of 22 HR functions, recruiting and onboarding had the biggest impacts on both revenue and profits. If a company experiences growth stagnation and sales teams experience high turnover and low quota achievement levels, HR leaders need to assess the potential gaps in their recruitment process and implement changes that support better outcomes. This often starts with how candidates are assessed during the <\/span>interview phase<\/span><\/a> and if <\/span>third-party tools<\/span><\/a> are being properly leveraged \u2014 or leveraged at all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Alternatively, consistently high performance from new sales team members confirms for HR leaders that their hiring practices are working. Moreover, elite salespeople always want to join teams that exhibit an outstanding record of quota achievement. Information about the performance of sales team to date empowers HR with the statistics to substantiate the organization as a market leader while speaking with prospective candidates.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Clear Communication and Agreement on Hiring Process and Timelines<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Clear agreement on hiring processes and estimated timelines creates a mutually beneficial framework for the recruitment process. VP of Sales should advocate for a rigorous three-tiered interview process that eliminates average and below-average salespeople. This approach leaves only candidates who exhibit the skills, experience, and sales DNA to excel in the specific sales environment.The first interview qualifies the candidate; the second interview measures skill-level and experience; the third interview analyzes behavior, including role play scenarios and a psychometric assessment.\u00a0\"Sales<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding proven sales talent takes longer than recruitment for other roles. Our data shows that across the technology, professional services, and industrial and manufacturing industries, the average time to hire the top 10 percent of gainfully employed salespeople is between 95-125 days. Use this benchmark as a guide, working toward a timeline that works for HR personnel and sales. <\/span><\/p>\n

3. An Onboarding Strategy<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

For HR leaders to create a top-notch onboarding program, they need a clear strategy from VP of Sales that aligns with revenue goals. Research from <\/span>The Sales Management Association<\/span><\/a> indicates the importance of this alignment; B2B sales organizations with excellent onboarding programs exhibit a 10 percent higher sales growth rate and 14 percent better performance than competitors with poor or misaligned onboarding strategies. In these firms, new-hire salespeople also reach productivity 3.4 times faster than counterparts in ineffective onboarding programs. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Onboarding<\/p>\n

There are three primary components of an <\/span>onboarding strategy<\/span><\/a> that VPs of Sales need share with HR: clear objectives for onboarding, pre-hiring materials, and a sales playbook. Each aspect of the strategy ensures alignment across sales and HR around a pivotal process for both teams.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By sharing clear benchmarks and objectives, VPs of Sales give HR leaders a bird\u2019s-eye view of the goals of the onboarding program. Sales-specific reading materials provide HR with a tool to educate new recruits before their first day. And once a new hire arrives at an organization, a detailed sales playbook serves as a textbook during the onboarding process.<\/span><\/p>\n

By giving HR leaders the resources they need to conduct a thorough onboarding, sales leaders create the optimal environment for new employees to reach productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. A Strong Sales Culture <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Without strong <\/span>sales culture<\/span><\/a>, HR personnel can\u2019t attract and retain top salespeople. The best talent wants to work and grow in a sales team that is engaging, competitive, and respected within the larger organization. VP of Sales need to diligently work to ensure that these characteristics are a part of the fabric of their company, or HR will struggle with recruitment and retention.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

First, a VP of Sales needs to incentivize managers to support the success of their reps every day. <\/span>Harvard Business School<\/span><\/a> found that managers of high-performing teams offered five to six pieces of positive feedback for every criticism. Combined with a healthy dose of competition and <\/span>regular performance reviews<\/span><\/a>, this positive foundation develops a culture of continual progress and high achievement.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Second, VPs of Sales need to champion the role of their teams in the wider organization. As sales expert <\/span>Troy Harrison<\/span><\/a> suggests, if a CEO asks sales to grow the revenue stream by 15 percent but decreases the production budget by 10 percent, it\u2019s setting up the two departments for conflict and failure. Top sales leaders advocate for their department as the source of revenue for an organization. By championing their team within a company, VPs of Sales contribute to a culturally integrated company that appeals to candidates and seamlessly partners with HR.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best talent wants to work and grow in a sales team that is engaging, competitive, and respected within the larger organization. VP of Sales need to diligently work to ensure that these characteristics are a part of the fabric of their company, or HR will struggle with recruitment and retention.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. Profile of Current Top Performers <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

A profile of current top performers serves as a blueprint for HR as they seek ideal candidates for sales roles. Mark Roberge, <\/span>Hubspot\u2019s<\/span><\/a> Chief Revenue Officer <\/span>refines<\/span><\/a> this profile with a predictive index that he developed during the company\u2019s first year. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Before hiring any reps, Roberge wrote a list of 12 criteria for reps that he thought would correlate with high performance and weighted them by importance. He marked each candidate with scores (from 1-10) in every criterion. After a year, Roberge conducted a regression analysis that correlated interview scores to on-the-job performance. Every year, Hubspot repeats the process, ensuring that recruiters continue to recognize the profile of top performers as the company scales.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sales leaders who want to adapt Roberge\u2019s method can start with a list of their top salespeople and <\/span>the characteristics that set these reps apart<\/span><\/a>. Pass these criteria to HR leaders, and ask internal recruiters to rate candidates according to these metrics.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. Identified Skills, Experience, and DNA<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

These three characteristics \u2014 skills, experience, and DNA \u2014 help recruiters to narrow a group of potential salespeople to those who are most likely to excel in their organization\u2019s unique selling environment. Since over <\/span>80 percent of employee turnover<\/span><\/a> results from bad hires, the more specific VPs are with HR leaders about the exact characteristics of an ideal hire, the lower the chances of a hiring mistake. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Primary Skills:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of skill sets of an outstanding salesperson:<\/span><\/p>\n