Six Strategies to Win the War for Sales Talent
A war for sales talent is looming business leaders need strategies for meeting sales hiring needs.
Listen
Six Strategies to Win the War for Sales Talent
During the period between 1999 and 2006 the war for sales talent was in full gear. Sales Professionals demanded higher base salaries, bigger commission and bonus packages, and better fringe benefits while sales organizations battled one another to gain the attention of sales candidates. Concurrently, organizations large and small spent billions on retention initiatives aimed at reducing sales turnover.
As the recent recession kicked into full gear, things changed rapidly. Many companies reduced sales headcount. Sales organizations also made strategic reductions in sales compensation as part of cost control measures. Sales Professionals in the hiring channel were no longer in a position of leverage with potential employers. With fewer opportunities for career changes, salespeople who remained employed stayed put. And, with the economy squeezing top and bottom lines, management put more pressure on the remaining salespeople to perform even while reducing compensation.
Today the economy is showing real signs of recovery. To take advantage of the growth opportunities presented by the improving economy, businesses must have fully staffed sales forces in place. According to the 2011 Sales Hiring Trends Report, which can be downloaded at SalesHiringTrends.com, 75% of companies are planning to expand their sales teams in 2011. This means that in 2011 the pressure on sales leaders and HR managers to recruit, hire and retain high-performing sales organizations will only grow more intense.
First and foremost, business leaders must come to the realization that the market for sales talent has changed and sales recruiting will pose one of the most daunting business challenges during the recovery and beyond. They must step back from strategies that were driven by recessionary economic pressures and come to grips with the brutal fact that their organizations may be ill equipped to compete for sales talent in the new market paradigm.
Here are six quick and dirty tips that will help you win the war for sales talent:
Increase your investment in sales recruiting.
In a recovering economy sales staffing must be a priority. Take a close look at your current sales recruiting budget and answer these questions:
-
Is your sales sourcing and recruiting team positioned to be aggressive and flexible in the increasing competitive marketplace?
-
Is your sales recruiting team staffed correctly?
-
Are the right sales sourcing tools in place?
-
Is decision making authority in the right hands so that your sales recruiting team can be nimble in the face of change?
Focus on brand awareness
Employer branding is critical to attracting top sales talent. The best salespeople want to work for the best companies. Your brand lends credibility to your sales career opportunities, attracts passive candidates, and helps seal the deal when your candidate is faced with competing offers. Employment branding goes beyond just a logo on a job post. It is a comprehensive strategy designed to send the message that your company is the best place for salespeople to work. Take a comprehensive approach to building brand awareness and credibility with channels that include:
-
Graphic banner advertising
-
Content placement (articles and blogs)
-
Social media pages and groups
-
Sponsorships of college programs
-
Sponsored webinars and seminars
-
Viral videos
Develop and utilize layers of recruiting sources
In the down economy most companies consolidated sales recruiting sources in order to cut costs. While a necessary evil in a cost reduction environment, this strategy has dire implications in a competitive sales talent market. As the competition for sales talent ramps up with the improving economy, consider adding layers of sources that get your career offering in front of as many potential salespeople as possible.
Multiple sources improve your probability of getting in front the right sales candidate at just the right time. Sales recruiting sources include:
-
General employment websites
-
Niche employment websites
-
Executive recruiters
-
Search engine PPC ads
-
Social media
-
Email blasts and newsletters
-
Career fairs
-
In house career events
Get creative
In a competitive market it pays to stand out from the crowd. Brainstorm creative ways to catch the attention of active and passive candidates. Don’t be afraid to try something new. One of our clients, for example, is sponsoring a year-long webinar series designed to attract more women to their sales team. The webinar series features well known women authors and sales experts who discuss issues important to women sales professionals. At the conclusion of the webinar, systematic “candidate nurturing” encourages participants to engage and learn more about our client’s career opportunities. Take time to brainstorm what your sales recruiting team can do that is different?
Step into the shoes of the salesperson
Never forget that elite salespeople, like elite athletes, have plenty of choices. When you look at the world through their eyes your recruiting team will gain the winning edge in the sales talent war. Be sure to answer these questions:
-
Does your advertising connect with potential sales candidates?
-
Do you filter candidates in or filter them out?
-
Do you make it easy for candidates to apply?
-
When candidates reach your career site do they want to apply?
-
Does your employer branding speak to the needs of salespeople?
-
Does your positioning and messaging carry an emotional hook?
WOW candidates
Most companies invest between $250 and $1000 just to get a single sales candidate in for an interview. With this level of investment on the line (not to mention the soft cost of time invested by recruiters) it is imperative that your hiring team put the best foot forward with potential candidates.
The WOW factor during recruiting can have a profound impact on your organization’s ability to close the deal with top level candidates. WOW factor also plays an important role in employment brand building. Never lose sight of the fact that salespeople hang out with other salespeople. Should a salesperson have a poor experience in the hiring process you can bet that she’ll tell everyone she knows. Does your organization WOW sales candidates?
-
Does the hiring process progress quickly and smoothly?
-
Do you provide impactful pre-interview collateral?
-
Are candidates welcomed by hiring managers into a comfortable environment?
-
Is the ongoing communication between multi-level interviews?
-
Are candidates who are not hired provided respectful communication that leaves them with a positive impression of your company?
There is no doubt that the competition for top sales talent will be fierce and brutal going forward. However, you can still attract, hire and retain the best salespeople by getting started today on your sales sourcing strategy.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock