HTSS180 - How to hire top salespeople - Scott Sylvan Bell

HTSS180 - How to find the best salespeople

One of the most common questions business owners and managers ask is "How do I find the right salespeople". If this is the case for you then you must get clear on what you want from your sales team and your office. Most business owners and managers don't understand how important culture is with a thriving business. 

Ethics in sales matter

Make sure to get ethical salespeople. This must be non-negotiable. The best salespeople are always in demand. This is why you should do everything possible to increase your skills and talents. Training from companies is important as well to set the stage. 

How to find top sales talent

Make a list of the traits you want in your team. You will also want to make a list of the traits your team has. You will need to bridge the gap between the 2. It costs too much to hire the wrong person, it takes too long to recover from their mistakes as well as the leads lost. It's not just that you want to find salespeople, you want the people who are:

1. Coachable
2. Team players
3. Able to ask for the sale
4. Want to be in it for the long run – looking for a home
5. You want ethics – quick wins are not always good wins – Car dealer that tried to hire me

Working with the top salespeople

Salespeople are a different breed, they like to compete, they can deal with rejection, and can be a little quirky to others. Top salespeople have an attitude and confidence that can be unsettling to others. Your office will complain about how top salespeople act and how much money they make. 

Building a top-performing sales team 

1. You can hire top salespeople talent
   1. When you hire top salespeople you reduce costs (closing rates increase bottom lines / look at marketing costs).
   2. Office managers hate how much top salespeople make – it bothers them
   3. Salespeople can become territorial
   4. Other salespeople will call top salespeople liars, cheats, and frauds. (You have to know that sometimes this is the truth – if you want to know check-in with clients – you can get the sales team to knock it off – it’s the 80/20)
   5. You have to be the type of company a closer wants to work at – culture
   6. If you are a closer you are the prize – not the other way around – this hurts manger and business owners feelings when this idea is shared 

2. You can build a top performing sales team 
   1. This takes time
   2. Look for people who will implement /
   3. Ask about failures in your interview process and what the person thinks about when they need to stop
   4. What have they done to increase their skills on their own -
   5. Look for industry standards – keep track of numbers

You can buy a company to acquire a top-performing sales team 

If you are really struggling to find top salespeople you can buy a company with a team in place. In some instances, it is easier to acquire a full team along with the management. This action has to be done correctly or it can create problems in the company. 

1. 1. Acquisition costs may be less
   2. They already know that they are doing
   3. When you get the management and team you may be able to bypass growing pains
   4. Instant momentum when done right (dumpster fire when done wrong)

How to foster the sales team to win more 

At the end of the day you can get your company to grow more. Its under proper management a sales team can grow consistently. 

1.  Get training schedule up and running
2. Bottom level people will complain
3. Allow for an opt out for closing rate
4. Don’t make everyone do push ups

How to hire salespeople

• Define what you want (closer or someone to groom)
• You have to get good at the interview
• Order of operation – good salesperson first then people who are new – when possible
• Some people suck at the interview, some people don’t
• Closers come with opportunities and problems
• Opportunities – deals get closed
• Opportunities – The office may not like closers
• Push back on the salesperson and ask for examples – scenarios and then give them “I wanna think about it”
• Know they top salespeople have three traits (good looking, social awkward and funny)

Some people you have to see do some of the work – they don’t interview well. Sometimes you have to look for a diamond in the rough

How to keep salespeople

• Pay them for their work
• If you like them closing deals bonus them out (step up basis) give them a reason to stay
• Give them the resources they need
• Congratulate them when they do well,
• Give them a reason to talk trash -
• Have a good culture – this matters

You can find the closers as well as the diamond in the roughs, you just have to be willing to look and do the work.