How to: Hire a great salesperson

It’s quite possibly the most important position in your company, but it can also be the hardest to fill – even in a bad economy. “People are seeking work with some level of security and they do not perceive sales jobs to provide guaranteed income,” says Jean Seawright, president of Seawright & Associates, a management consulting firm. But as a landscaping company, you need to generate leads, but you don’t have time to be the one rounding up all the business.

“If a company hires a dedicated sales person, he or she can focus exclusively on generating leads, contacting and meeting with potential customers, increasing visibility in the community, providing proposals and other sales functions,” she says. “A company that hires a dedicated sales person who is knowledgeable about the value of the service, motivated to sell and able to close deals can, and usually will, increase revenue faster than a company that passively waits for the phone to ring.” So, read the tips below and get active finding your next sales star.

– Brian Horn

1. Develop a creative classified ad. You wouldn’t be interested in bidding a job if the details were murky and didn’t sound all that appealing. The same goes for those applying for jobs. “Use words that sell, and design an ad that makes the reader want to work for you,” Seawright says. “Remember, classified advertising is like fishing; the bigger the bait, the better the catch.”
    
2. Use your network. While placing the ad online is helpful, Seawright says you should distribute your ad to people in your network, and then reward them for finding a good employee. “Offer a tempting gift such as an iPad as a reward for referring a candidate who is hired,” she says. “Smaller cash incentives are no longer as effective as they once were.”
    
3. Develop a compensation plan that motivates and rewards your best salespeople. “If your pay plan is too heavily weighted in base pay – salary or draw – versus commissions or bonuses, your sales people may become complacent and have no real incentive to sell,” Seawright says.
    
4. Develop a hiring system. A good salesperson has many specific traits, like being assertive, confident and naturally-optimistic. “Develop a hiring system with a comprehensive application for employment, targeted interview questions and a good personality profile that identifies traits that are essential for success in a sales position,” Seawright says.
    
5. Ask for details. “Get verifiable proof that sales candidates have sold successfully in their past,” Seawright says. That means talking to former employers, looking for a pattern of increasing compensation from commission-based pay plans and talking specifically with candidates about their sales experience.

Illustration by Ron Wilson