Do You Know What You Are SEARCHING For?
The most important tools in marketing your company are the people representing you in your marketplace. Those most visible and usually the most important in the harvesting of your marketing efforts are your sales force. Wrong people … wrong results.
The real issue is how do we measure a prospective sales hire so we can feel we have hired the right person? Look at the criteria, work effort and skill sets that you know are necessary for success; then, manage to those criteria.
Our clients use an acronym to help them develop and drive the inspection of a new sales hire — SEARCH.
Skills – What skill sets are we looking for that directly relate to the job description?
Prospecting, phone skills, approaches used, decision maker contact, getting to the must reasons for working with a prospect, qualification, closing, and the ability to develop strong relationships quickly.
Experience – Actual experience in your market and in this position.
Has sold within the technical parameters required, background directly relates to industry; has sold at levels both in annual sales production and average per unit pricing; has been successful and understands the “Chain of Command” decision-making process of your market; is comfortable and understands the dynamic of your product sales cycle duration — multiple sales interviews versus single call closure.
Attitude – Belief in self and product benefit to clients.
Wealth orientation with desire to provide service to clients; entrepreneur versus employee mentality; sells based upon solution versus price; can sell beyond price; self and internal motivation.
Results – Has and can prove successful sales results at required volumes, pricing and consistency.
Compensation from past sales efforts directly relates to new opportunity; is a proven “Hunter – Killer” versus farmer or maintainer; can demonstrate easy navigation from the opening of a new business opportunity to closing; provides service level of deliverable and maintenance of new and established clients.
Cognitive Skills – Can learn quickly.
Ability to internalize products to market and understand the niche your product/service fills; has ability to communicate value of service and product beyond surface application; relates and projects ownership values; sells impact versus product.
Habits – Has goal and activity orientation.
Tracks new business activity and client development; creates and maintains written records directly related to goals; establishes and maintains game plan results for inspection and improvement.
The greater the candidate can validate the SEARCH criteria, the more likely you will have a successful hire!
