Recruiting Your Sales Team

When recruiting for your sales team, do you do it yourself or go through a recruiting firm? Do you put ads online or in your local newspaper? There are many sales recruiting events that offer the opportunity to meet and interview large numbers of qualified candidates. But which of these is the best for finding good people? Which is the most cost-effective? Well, that depends on how good you are at writing and placing your own ads, the pool of job seekers in your area, and the amount of time you have to spend doing it.

Recruiting Events
Recruiting events offer you the opportunity to see a lot of qualified candidates in a short amount of time. If you use a company like The Thomas Group, you can expect to pay about $3,000 to attend an event. But what do you get for your $3,000? You get two expense-paid nights in a luxury suites hotel setting. You get your company ad written and placed for you in key recruiting-based publications. You get pre-screened applicants, and you DON'T have to spend time calling applicants and setting up interviews. Because the recruiting firm places your ad in key publications, you draw in the best candidates.

Recruting events can draw in hundreds of potential candidates.

The event will pull in several hundred job seekers, but the recruiting firm's sales recruiters will monitor and direct to you only the candidates meeting your preset qualifications. All resumes are available for you to review online one week prior to the event. You then interview your key candidates in a suite at the event.

Recruiting Firms
Recruiting firms screen and place sales representatives with companies, managing the entire process from start to finish. They even offer continuing services like sales management and training. You'll be charged either a fixed price or a percentage of the first year's salary.

Outsourcing
If you are in a new company or are moving into a new market, you may prefer to focus your resources on your core product or service rather than on developing a sales team. If this is the case, then outsourcing your sales efforts may be the answer. Save yourself some time and effort and get a seasoned sales team to boot. A sales management group will implement your sales strategies within the team, provide training, management, and handle the administrative side as well. There will be pluses and minuses, but it may be the answer that makes the most sense for your company.

Do It Yourself
If you're handling the recruiting and screening yourself, then here are some tips. The first step is to write a spectacular recruiting ad that really makes people want to sell your product or service, or work for your company. Describe your company in the absolute best light possible (without stretching the truth -- you don't want a new hire to be immediately disgruntled by the company not meeting his expectations). Make sure any benefits and perks are listed, such as company cars, flexible hours, on-site daycare, etc. These can sometimes make the difference between getting the best applicants and getting the not-so-hot ones. State your requirements for experience so that you get candidates who have the skills you need. Emphasize the possibilities of the job: If it is very likely that these sales reps can make X dollars per year and a nice cash bonus each quarter, then make that stand out in the ad. Remember, the people you want to attract should be motivated by money! Include the things that will get their attention.