Are you looking to hire sales reps to join your team? Hiring the right people is essential to boosting your company's revenue. However, not every candidate will be able to sell products effectively. 

That's why it is important that you find people who are passionate about what they do and have charisma in their voice when they speak on the phone. Here are some steps on how to hire sales reps for your business!

How To Hire Sales Reps?

If you think about working in sales as a craft then maybe you'll be able to understand it more; we all know we need different kinds of craftsmen for various jobs, right? 

For example: carpentry requires someone who has a certain level of physical and mental endurance and people skills, while construction is more about working under pressure and being on time!

1) Find The Right People For The Job- You have to find the right person with the right skill set for your company. This means you need to know everything about what it is that you are offering so you can accurately judge if someone has what it takes or not. However, you need to explore the important steps of the recruitment process, from reviewing some resume examples to conducting interviews, to finding the right sales talent for the job and setting your organization up for success.

Make sure they have enough experience in sales because this might be why your hiring struggle began in the first place! Give them a trial run just like an intern… but don't pay them anything until there's money coming in from their work.

2) Outline Their Specific Duties & Responsibilities- This goes without saying but every worker should know their job description. This is so they can hold themselves accountable for not doing the work rather than forcing you to be the bad guy! 

Make sure that after x amount of time in this position, their salary will increase because people are more likely to work harder if there is something in it for them.

3) Maintain A Positive & Constructive Work Environment- Everyone should know what is expected of them but when it comes to working with other people there's always room for improvement! 

Even the best salespeople need guidance sometimes; not all managers are good at teaching someone how to sell and most reps don't want to ask too many questions (for fear of looking dumb). 

So do your research and learn everything about your craft before starting… and remember: practice makes perfect!

4) Provide Them With Feedback & Recognition- Give them a pat on the back whenever they do something good and tell them what they did wrong when… Well, they mess up. 

It's important to encourage people so that they want to keep doing their best while working for you; we all need motivation every once in a while and some praise never hurt anyone! Always try to stay positive even when things get hard because this is how it is in sales, unfortunately.

Don't take your reps for granted because nobody is irreplaceable! Do whatever it takes to make your company profitable but don't neglect your employees either or else there is going to be trouble later on! 

Hiring salespeople doesn't have to be difficult as long as you're prepared to do what it takes! Remember, keep these things in mind.

5) Make Sure You Can Afford To Do It- The most obvious thing to do is simply be aware of your finances and know what you can spend on. This way, if a candidate's price tag seems high or too low it might be a good idea to walk away from the deal right there! 

Money isn't everything but if they are under-selling themself then maybe that should raise a red flag as well… unless their potential for selling outweighs that factor which sometimes happens.

Don't get too excited and go overboard when hiring someone. This doesn't mean you need to be an ice-cold pessimist either, just don't hire anyone who wants a million bucks when all they have is the potential to earn that much in three months!

6) Make The Application Process As Seamless & Smooth As Possible- The application process shouldn't be so arduous and take up so much time; if it does then there might be something wrong! 

It's also important not to filter out people because of certain things like sexual preference or race because this will only lead you back to square one where you'll have to deal with your discrimination problem again. 

Just follow the rules and try your best… which leads us right into the next step.

7) Be Objective, Not Biased!- It's important to take into consideration the applicant's background but there is no reason for any discrimination what so ever because of someone's sexual preference or race; this isn't just common sense it is also the law. 

Everyone wants you to be happy with them so don't let your bias get in the way! The best salesperson might be a woman or they might not even want to work for you! This wouldn't be good because they would feel like their efforts were being wasted… 

which brings us back around to point number 1 where we discussed how important it was that applicants know exactly what kind of thing they are applying for and what they will gain from it.

8) Set Specific Objectives & Goals- It is important to set objectives and goals for the future; this will give everyone a clear idea of what they should be doing and also let you and your team know that you're serious about this! 

If someone knows exactly what's expected of them then it makes it much easier for both parties involved. It can also help people feel like they matter if they're given some kind of incentive, bonus plan or anything along those lines; we all need incentives sometimes just to get us fired up!

9) Make Sure They Have A Clear Understanding Of Exactly What Their Job Will Entail- Your salespeople are going to have questions when signing on with your company so make sure that you are prepared to answer all of them; be clear and concise about the situation so there is no confusion. 

If you're on the fence about something, discuss it with your management team before making a final decision because they can help you work through problems as well as provide a unique perspective on any dilemma that might arise.

10) Don't Forget To Follow Up- It's important to contact candidates after their first few interviews just to see how things are going and if they have any concerns… but don't pester them! 

A nice email or phone call once every two weeks should do the trick. This will show them that you care but aren't being pushy or invasive at all which is very important since salespeople need some personal space from time to time! 

Always be professional and courteous during these follow ups as well because you want to be remembered as a positive force in their life not as some weird stalker!

‍

Hire Sales Reps The Best Way

Let's break down what you need to know about the best ways to find and hire top-talent as well as keep them as long as possible.

1) Restless- Every sales rep needs to be the type of person that never gives up.  They need to push back against objections and understand when no is meant 'no but maybe next time.'  

The best way is to ask for a couple references from another employee in the company or a client. You want someone who can also see your goals and objectives in mind with their own goals and objectives. What situations have they come across where they didn't give up?  

This will show if this is a good match for you, especially if it's not working out, this helps both parties move on with ease.

2) Be Active In Calling/Meeting- A sales rep can't just sit around all day, they have to be active and on the phone making calls, emails and schedule meetings with people.  

This can be tough and there is no easy way to say this: your sales rep needs to work hard! A good salesman will devote their time working as opposed to spending too much time on Facebook or Twitter. Some would even call those accounts distractions.

3) Educate The Sales Rep- Company owners might not always think about it but a great salesperson will want to know more than just the product they are selling. 

What kind of problem does it solve? Why would someone use this instead of another company's version? How long have you been around for etc... 

There are so many questions that should be asked before, during and after closing. Who better to answer these questions than the company's owner? Giving this information out will make them better sales reps and it doesn't cost you a thing.

4) Outbound Sales Can Be Difficult- Many marketing teams think that in order for a sales rep to be successful they need to generate their own leads and reach out to prospects themselves. 

This can be true if the salesperson is the only one doing it; however, it's not ideal nor is it scalable. 

It also means your sales representative has less time with clients. They want to make sure they get all of the necessary information from you before demos and calls, especially if they are new/ inexperienced which brings us back to #3: educating them on your company and product.

5) The Demos- This is the most important step in the process of hiring sales reps; it's also one that is often overlooked! When they aren't up to par, you end up losing clients and wasting time.  You don't want this for yourself or your future employees. 

You'll see these demos as an opportunity to iron out any kinks before you start pitching to customers otherwise, what's the point? 

If they can make excuses on why they can't do something like a demo due to technical difficulties (I hate this one!), find someone who wants the job enough where they will come prepared every time! 

It's hard work but it pays off in the long run.  A good sales rep will have a great demo where they can answer all of your questions in-depth. A bad salesperson will try to pressure the client into signing on the spot or simply lead with price before talking about features, functionality and support.

6) Motivate The Sales Rep!- So you found someone that's highly motivated, restless, active in calling/meeting etc... but are they tired? Motivation is needed for any type of job, especially one that requires cold calls every day.  

This part is tricky because it takes time, effort and most importantly patience from everyone involved. Again though it pays off when everything goes right! Don't force them to make more calls unless they tell you otherwise.

7) Behind Every Sales Rep Is The Company Owner- Here's a secret: does the prospect know you're a sales rep?  

If they do, what kind of impression did they get from meeting with you? It doesn't matter if you have a great track record or not, it only matters how the people on the other end perceived you. 

In order to gain trust and ultimately move forward, your superiors should be involved as soon as possible. Show them that their efforts are not going unnoticed. Be supportive and show that there is nothing better than having everyone at one company working together towards a common goal!

Don't wait for a sales rep to generate their own leads, give them as many as you can so they have more time to spend with the client! This will also allow your reps to understand what kind of questions people ask, which is an important part of being a good salesperson. 

They need to know how the product works and how it is different from your competitors.