Over the past few years, business owners have faced a litany of difficulties. But hiring the best sales talent was the biggest concern among business owners, especially startups that operate on a stringy budget. Many times, companies manage to secure top talents but often fail to retain them.
What has made securing top sales talents challenging for businesses? The “Great Resignation” is probably the reason businesses are unable to attract the right talent. Xactly’s recent survey reveals that 58 percent of businesses experienced higher voluntary sales turnover in 2020.
Subpar compensation is cited as the primary reason behind this turnover. Poor onboarding and lack of proper training are also causing sales reps to leave their job. Unlike other cities, Portland’s job growth was among the fastest in the nation. But the seven-county region lost around 8.7 percent of employment in 2020.
How do you attract the right talent for your sales team, then? Well, that’s what we’ll discuss in this guide.
Tips for Hiring Top Sales Performers
A few tips will help you hire top sales performers who will take your business a notch above.
#1 Hire for the Task
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when considering your ideal sales candidate? Without a doubt, traits like empathy, assertiveness, extroversion, and an achievement orientation come to your mind.
While these abstractions will help them communicate better with clients, they are irrelevant to the execution of business strategies. Do not commit the mistake of hiring sales candidates merely on the traits they possess. Skills are important alongside traits when it comes to hiring a salesperson.
Take into account the service or product that needs to be sold. Also, consider the type of people your salesperson will have to contact and the kind of customers they will have to deal with.
In short, understand the sales task relevant to your industry and marketing strategy. Then prepare hiring criteria reflecting those tasks to attract the best talents.
#2 Observe Your Potential Hires’ Behaviors
Managers are often overconfident in their capacity to assess applicants through interviews. In reality, it’s the opposite. Several findings reveal a low correlation between job success and interview predictions. Some have even indicated that the interview process doesn’t matter much when hiring sales candidates.
How do you then make the best decision? It’s easy: observe your potential hires’ behavior through simulations or offer an incentive for self-selection like at Zappos once recent hires exhibit the requisite behaviors.
Alternatively, you can emulate the practices of consulting firms and investment banks when hiring MBAs: a candidate’s ability is observed by multiple people at the organization. A full-time offer is made only when everyone finds them suitable for the job.
Thereafter, you can immerse sales representatives in the chores they will encounter while working with your patrons.
#3 Offer Competitive Incentives
The job market in Portland is highly competitive. If you wish to attract top talents to take your business to new heights, offer competitive incentives. Top talents won’t care to apply if you offer a sub-par salary. This way, you will only attract mediocre sales reps, which won’t benefit your company in any way.
Top Sales Recruiters in Portland
In regard to hiring sales recruiters, one thing’s for sure: it’s quite a time-intensive task. Besides, many quit within a month or so after joining. When that happens, your organization has to go through the time-consuming task again. Why don’t you outsource sales recruiters to save your organization from the hassle? Yes, sales recruiters can help you find the best sales talent while helping you build a better relationship with them, thereby increasing employee retention.
Having said that, here are the top three sales recruiters that you can rely on for filing sales representatives position:
1. CulverCareers
Sitting atop our list is a leading staffing agency in Portland, CulverCareers. Its team of sales reps consists of highly skilled sales personnel capable of contributing significantly to achieving company-wide objectives and supporting business initiatives.
Since its founding, this sales recruiting in Portland has helped fast-growing companies hire professionals for sales, marketing, management, technology, and manufacturing positions. As it focuses on employee experience, it helps nurture relationships between the organization and its potential recruits.
2. SalesFirst Recruiting
Another top employment agency in Portland is SalesFirst Recruiting. With a sales team consisting of sales engineers, marketers, leaders, outside reps, and SDRs, finding your ideal sales representative won’t be an issue. It also offers guidance to help you identify loopholes in your hiring strategy.
3. Scion Staffing
Scion Staffing endeavors to provide organizations with the best talents whose goals align with the unique working culture of the hiring company. From talent recruitment to evaluating skills and scheduling interviews, Scion Staffing takes care of every aspect of the hiring process for your convenience.
A Final Word
How well your organization succeeds in the thriving metropolis of Portland depends on the type of sales reps you hire. Therefore, make sure you spend adequate time hiring talents for your sales team. Or, the best way to hire exceptional talents while saving your time and resources is to partner with a reliable sales recruiting firm. That’s because Portland’s sales recruiting firms can help you build sales teams that drive revenue while improving sales teams or employee retention. Ultimately, it will help improve your company’s bottom line.
