{"id":6967,"date":"2014-10-23T10:45:28","date_gmt":"2014-10-23T10:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.comblog\/the-top-10-factors-for-a-successful-sales-recruiting-project\/"},"modified":"2023-04-11T10:45:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T10:45:28","slug":"top-10-factors-successful-sales-recruiting-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/top-10-factors-successful-sales-recruiting-project\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 10 Factors for a Successful Sales Recruiting Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7175 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1-300x200@2x.jpg?strip=all 600w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1-300x200.jpg?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1-250x166.jpg?strip=all 250w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1-250x166@2x.jpg?strip=all 500w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all&amp;w=60 60w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all&amp;w=120 120w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all&amp;w=180 180w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all&amp;w=360 360w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-1.jpg?strip=all&amp;w=420 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><noscript><img alt=\"Optimized-Top 10 Factors\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13867\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"399\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors.jpg?strip=all\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors.jpg?strip=all 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1_Optimized-Top-10-Factors-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Optimized-Top-10-Factors-500x333.jpg 500w\" width=\"600\"\/><\/noscript><br \/>\nRecruiting\u00a0high achieving sales professionals onto your sales team is no simple task for a few simple reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They are rare,<\/li>\n<li>They are employed, not looking for a new job, and are\u00a0constantly receiving offers from competing employers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Overcoming these challenges takes significant effort and commitment, but the investment is justified by the superior results that top sales talent\u00a0delivers.<\/p>\n<p>Leading employers understand the value of attracting great salespeople and leverage\u00a0many tactics to tilt the odds in their favor.<\/p>\n<h2>Here are the Top 10 Factors for a Successful Sales Recruitment Project:<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Ensure Decision Maker Alignment:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Before approaching and engaging candidates, it is critical that your hiring team is aligned on the hiring criteria that all candidate\u2019s must possess in order to be considered for the role.<\/p>\n<p>It is imperative that the decision makers involved in the hiring process be united around:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The key performance metrics and success criteria associated with the role\u00a0and;<\/li>\n<li>What the long term expectations for the new salesperson will be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having a concrete understanding of these requirements from the start\u00a0enables the hiring team to be more efficient and\u00a0results in engaging the right salespeople, faster.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Create an Ideal Candidate Profile:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Once you and the rest of your hiring team are\u00a0100% aligned on the role\u2019s KPIs, working to construct the \u2018ideal candidate profile\u2019 becomes one of the most important factors that will determine the success of your recruiting project. This profile, which paints a picture of the perfect candidate and breaks down the required competencies into 3 sections (skills, experience, and DNA), should direct not only where you look for candidates but also influence how you evaluate them.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Properly\u00a0Articulate\u00a0the Opportunity:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In order to attract the best, you must be able to present the opportunity as just that \u2014 an opportunity for the candidate to advance their career and achieve their financial objective.\u00a0Many job descriptions include both a list of duties and qualifications, however Peak endorses job descriptions that are focused on key metrics, goals, and quantifiable objectives (for an example, check out our <a title=\"Job Description of an Account Executive \/ Sales Hunter \/ New Business Developer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/job-description-various-positions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Job Description of an Account Executive<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>We strongly advise, however, that you don\u2019t let your opportunity profile (we don\u2019t support the use of the word\u00a0\u2018job description\u2019) speak entirely for the role. Instead, have direct managers and senior company leadership speak to candidate about what makes this an exciting role that a candidate cannot pass on.<\/p>\n<p>Identify the opportunity for professional and personal growth that can take place, and if your company isn\u2019t a name brand, articulate how it is disrupting the marketplace and working to become one of the world\u2019s top companies. As Aaron Ross correctly states, \u201cignoring softer but more powerful forms of rewards such as respect, appreciation, and fun,\u201d represents\u00a0one of the fatal mistakes CEOs, Sales VPs, and HR executives make when hiring new talent.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on what attract companies need to do to attract top sales talent. <a href=\"\/attract-top-sales-talent\/\">Read this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Be open to different backgrounds:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We often find that job descriptions are created that\u00a0require candidates to have certain qualifications. Experience tells us that the typical hiring requirements of most firms have little to do with sales success. In fact, some of these \u201cneed to have\u201d conditions adversely limit the pool of candidates and reduce the chances of making a great sales hire.<\/p>\n<p>Put your focus on the exact profile that determines success within your selling environment and set aside\u00a0unnecessary metrics or qualifications that might allow under-qualified candidates to enter your hiring process. And remember that the right sales\u00a0DNA \u2014 character\u00a0and behavioral traits \u2014 often outsell the right career credentials, so be open to salespeople who can achieve or exceed your targets vs. the ones with the right resume.<\/p>\n<p>You can read more about what great\u00a0<a href=\"\/right-sales-dna-vs-right-resume\/\">sales DNA is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Have a Strong Sense of Urgency:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Since top salespeople get a lot of attention from potential employers, they will quickly lose interest in an employer that doesn\u2019t fight for their attention. You risk compromising your chances of hooking the best sales people if you act like they are lucky to be in contact with you.<\/p>\n<p>Do court the candidate. Do not fail to proactively express positive interest, cancel interviews (or not show up at all), not follow-up after the interviews, provide little or no positive feedback, make the candidate wait a considerable time before meeting them, and\/or anything that says that making a great hire or hiring them is not a priority.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s our <a href=\"\/sales-recruiting-resources\/ten-deadly-sales-hiring-mistakes-ebook\/\">eBook on the top sales hiring mistakes<\/a> we consistently see companies make.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Practice Patience:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Great salespeople are actively and gainfully employed and aren\u2019t typically looking for new opportunities. It takes time to not only find the best, but convincing them that making a career move would be in their interest is a difficult task in and of itself. Not to mention the time it takes to further assess them to ensure they fit with your selling environment. Unfortunately, there is no quick way around this, but the return on your investment is considerable so it literally pays to be patient.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. Embrace Regular Communication:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Regular and open communication with\u00a0your\u00a0internal and\/or external\u00a0recruiters about changes in hiring requirements, the quality of candidates you are seeing, or even about things such as your availability to interview candidates can make or break your sales hiring efforts. When communication is made a priority in your recruiting plan, necessary changes can be made in real time and solutions to challenges can be actively developed and deployed.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>8. Embrace a Structured Interview Process<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<p>Most interviewers prepare for interviews in the moments right before an interview takes place. This introduces the risk that lack of preparation, mood, and other emotional or irrational, non-related factors will\u00a0compromise an objective assessment of the candidate. By\u00a0having a set interview process that asks strong\u00a0<a title=\"Sales Interview Questions\" href=\"\/sales-interviewing-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sales specific questions<\/a>, you\u00a0mitigate the risk that arises from an unstructured, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants interview process.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>9. Provide Above Market Compensation: <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While financial compensation is not the only factor when top salespeople consider a change of employment, it is certainly a major factor and often the most significant. Enticing a top performer to leave\u00a0an employer to join your company will often require paying at or above market. Ensuring that your team has agreed upon a compensation package that is inline with the market\u00a0(and\u00a0not overly complicated) makes it easier to\u00a0land \u2018A\u2019 level talent while saving you time and effort.<\/p>\n<p>Need instant help ensuring your sales comp plan is mistake free?<a title=\"Three Reasons Sales Compensation Plans Fail\" href=\"\/three-reasons-sales-compensation-plans-fail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0See \u2013 Why Sales Compensation Plans Fail<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>10. Set up New Hires to be Successful: <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>World class employers understand that the best salespeople will only work for them if they are able to articulate how the salesperson will be set\u00a0up for success. This means\u00a0being able to demonstrate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How other reps achieve targets and how they have performed against their sales targets to date;<\/li>\n<li>A structured on-boarding process that establishes key accomplishments to be met over the first 30,60, and 90 days;<\/li>\n<li>Mapping\u00a0out what new hire development and support activities will be undertaken to ensure the rep becomes productive as quickly as possible;<\/li>\n<li>Providing training on your organization, products, the market, sales systems, branding and marketing strategy, tools and support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/effective-onboarding-process\/\">6 Ways to Onboard New Salespeople Successfully<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Take these factors into consideration prior to engaging in your sales recruiting project and commit to not cutting corners, and your chances of success will increase tenfold.<\/p>\n<p>To your sales hiring success!<\/p>\n<p>relpost-thumb-wrapper<\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\">\n<h3>Related posts<\/h3>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-container\">\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Vice-President-of-Sales-Job-Criteria-751x500-1-150x150.jpg') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"sales hiring covid quiz\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Post-COVID Sales Hiring Quiz<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/PSR-150x150.png') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Peak Sales Secures U.S. Sales Team for Fetch.ai<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sales-Recruiting-in-Atlanta-150x150.png') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Sales Recruiting in Atlanta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Sales Recruiting in Atlanta: How Growth is Impacting Employers<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close filter class --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>close relpost-thumb-wrapper<\/p>\n<div class=\"abh_box abh_box_down abh_box_business\">\n<ul class=\"abh_tabs\">\n<li class=\"abh_about abh_active\"><a href=\"#abh_about\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"abh_posts\"><a href=\"#abh_posts\">Latest Posts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"abh_tab_content\">\n<section class=\"vcard abh_about_tab abh_tab\" style=\"display: block;\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><a class=\"url\" title=\"Eliot Burdett\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/eliotburdett\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" src=\"data:;base64,<svg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 80 80'><\/svg>&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;80&#8243; height=&#8221;80&#8243; data-src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s80ampdmmamprg.png&#8221; data-srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s160ampdmmamprg.png 2x&#8221; \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s80ampdmmamprg.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s160ampdmmamprg.png 2x\" width=\"80\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\">\n<div style=\"clear: both; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; width: 85px; margin: 0 0 2px auto; line-height: 20px;\">Connect:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h3 class=\"fn name\"><a class=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/eliotburdett\/\">Eliot Burdett<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"abh_job\"><span class=\"title\">CEO<\/span> at <span class=\"org\">Peak Sales Recruiting<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\">Before Peak, Eliot spent more than 20 years building and leading companies, where he took the lead in recruiting and managing high performance sales teams. He co-founded Ventrada Systems (mobile applications) and GlobalX (e-commerce software). He was also Vice President of Sales for PointShot Wireless.Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.<\/p>\n<p>He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"abh_posts_tab abh_tab\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><a class=\"url\" title=\"Eliot Burdett\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/eliotburdett\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" src=\"data:;base64,<svg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 80 80'><\/svg>&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;80&#8243; height=&#8221;80&#8243; data-src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s80ampdmmamprg.png&#8221; data-srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s160ampdmmamprg.png 2x&#8221; \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s80ampdmmamprg.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1cfb2152f763e6118839d97c16339339s160ampdmmamprg.png 2x\" width=\"80\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\">\n<div style=\"clear: both; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; width: 85px; margin: 0 0 2px auto; line-height: 20px;\">Connect:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h4>Latest posts by Eliot Burdett <span class=\"abh_allposts\">(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/eliotburdett\/\">see all<\/a>)<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"abh_description note\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/books-about-sales-management-and-sales-leadership\/\">20 Of Our Favorite Books About Sales Management and Sales Leadership<\/a> &#8211; October 20, 2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-make-progress-on-your-sales-goal-without-a-sales-leader\/\">How To Make Progress On Your Sales Goal Without A Sales Leader<\/a> &#8211; September 15, 2021<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-cmos-can-retain-talent-during-the-great-resignation\/\">Augment Your Recruiting Strategy During \u201cThe Great Resignation\u201d<\/a> &#8211; July 26, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recruiting\u00a0high achieving sales professionals onto your sales team is no simple task for a few simple reasons: They are rare, They are employed, not looking for a new job, and are\u00a0constantly receiving offers from competing employers. Overcoming these challenges takes significant effort and commitment, but the investment is justified by the superior results that top<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"text-primary mt-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/top-10-factors-successful-sales-recruiting-project\/\">&#8230;continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;The Top 10 Factors for a Successful Sales Recruiting Project&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"limit_modified_date":"1","last_modified_date":"2024-02-16T10:45:28","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-hiring-recruiting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6967\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}