The world has changed. Buyers are researching and forming strong opinions well before they enter the traditional sales funnel, and sellers need to adapt. So do recruiters. With roughly 30 percent of businesses having vacancies for full-time sales positions in 2014, this is a dynamic market and you cannot afford to sleep if you want to hire the best.
With that in mind, here are a few developments that all involved in sales recruitment should pay attention to, as they will likely be part of the conversations you will be having this year.
Fortune Favors the Bold
As emphasized in “The Challenger Sale” by Dixon and Adamson, the salesperson who brings value through challenging the customer wins. Yes, firms still need those who can forge strong relationships through multiple contacts. (And when I say contacts, and you can forget about the old “3 to 5” standard, if your sales recruits can’t name off ways they will make at least 12 contacts per lead…drop ‘em). But once a relationship is started, salespeople need to “bring it” with intel, best practices, etc.
Let’s get a little more in-depth.
Subject Matter Authorities Wanted
Businesses will be looking to hire sellers who have greater specialized knowledge on subjects related to a certain line of products, niche or industry. Companies will be entrusting sales hiring to recruiters who can find experts capable of offering insights far and above the customer’s superficial research, putting the seller back in the driver’s seat during the sales process.
These authorities will be able to use subject matter expertise not only to create superlative sales presentations but also to produce online marketing content as lures for prospects. Businesses will be more willing to use these hires to create official and authoritative content websites and share in-depth knowledge online instead of keeping them tightly reigned in. They will also be willing to pay these experts the highest salaries.
Customers Seek Salespeople Who Can Help Build Their Businesses
The growth of smart, informed buyers will also lead to the expansion of collaborative selling, whereby a sales associate works with a buyer as sort of a personal agent, finding them deals on products needed from vendors and even overseeing entire parts of a buyer’s business.
Businesses seek sellers who will consistently engage with them to discover just the right vendor or product to handle their operational or growth targets. Can you deliver this kind of candidate as a recruiter? If you have a list of mere order takers on your list, you’d better get a new list.
Sales Managers Will Need to Have Proven Coaching Ability
In the past, businesses often promoted a top seller to sales manager, thinking he can inspire staff through his own demonstrated skill as a salesperson and leading by example. In other cases, businesses sway towards hiring sales managers who are good overseers that enforce rules and sales processes.
In 2014, businesses will likely consider motivational and coaching skills to be the top asset a sales manager can possess, especially those who can “motivate the middle,” where the majority of salespeople live according to Inc. Magazine and many other experts in the sales field. Notice, this doesn’t involve managers being stellar salespeople themselves, just as football coaches don’t have to be able to run plays themselves to get their teams to. This will prove an interesting shift.
More Companies Offer Incentives Linked To Customer Outcomes
Salaries will continue to expand at the same rate as incentives for the average sales department (roughly 3 percent). However, the trend will be more toward incentives that are dependent on how much the customer is fulfilled. Recruiters will be helping businesses negotiate contracts with sellers who agree to bonuses linked to customer satisfaction, the customer’s sales growth or the customer’s perception of a high return on their investment.
Increases pay for measurable improvements and results, not just for dollar volume. Novel idea.
Anyway, let’s see how all of this plays out in the rest of the year. Are there any other sales hiring trends you think we should know about? Comment below.
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