Bearing these factors in mind, make a note of how many responses you get so you can compare the results from this ad against others you have run or will run.
As managers we have to face the fact that in sales, turnover is a pretty high. I read an article recently that said to expect upwards of 60 percent turnover in sales, higher if your program involves straight commission. Given those statistics, recruiting salespeople should be your company’s number-one priority. I have interviewed successful sales managers and general managers who told me that they are in the recruiting business, not the sales business, and they’re probably right. For their company to succeed, recruiting new salespeople needs to be a major part of their day-to-day routine.
Fielding Calls
Let’s suppose you run an ad on Sunday and include contact information. Assuming the calls start on Monday, what phone number will you use? If you post your company’s general number, you should think about who answers that phone. If it is always the same person, has he been briefed on the ad, and has he been told what to say to the candidate calling in?
I spoke to a manager who lost several response calls because, at the time the company ran an ad for sales positions, it was also running an ad for an installation tech. Further, he failed to brief his staff that both ads were running concurrently. Apparently when people said they were calling about the ad in the paper, the company employee answering the phone said, “You must be calling about our installation position.” Hearing that, a couple of the callers said, “Oh, I must have the wrong number,” and hung up.
Had the company employees been properly briefed, they would have known that there were two ads running and therefore would have asked the callers which ad they were calling about.
Better yet, when you place an ad for salespeople, use a phone number that rings at the desk of one person who has been trained to field salesperson inquiry calls and who will usually be at that desk when the calls come in. That way the response will be treated the way you want it treated.
If you cannot direct a call to a particular desk, the next best thing to do is add a contact person’s name to the want ad. For example, “For information about this position call 555-1234 and ask for Mr. Lewis (a “desk name”). Then tell all of the employees who might answer the phone that people asking for Mr. Lewis are very important sales applicant calls and should be directed to XYZ. Using the same “desk name” every time you run a sales want ad makes it easier for your employees to distinguish sales applicants from any other positions you may be advertising for. It tells your employees that this is a sales applicant, handle accordingly.
Recruit through the Internet
Today, another medium available to help you connect with salespeople is the World Wide Web. You can use Craig’s List, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and other Internet search engines to find people who are looking for jobs online. As time goes on, more and more of these kinds of search sites will be available.
I have a lot of success in recent years and recruitment sessions using Craig’s List. However, I have learned how to use Craig’s List to make it work better. Here is some of what I have learned.
1.Place the advertisement you plan to run in the general, customer service, and marketing sections.
2.Place the advertisement at 10:00 am the same morning you want applicants to call. For example, if you plan to start interviews Monday, place the Ad at 10:00 am Monday or whatever time you want calls to start coming in. The Internet is instant, so you may see instant responses.
3.There are two type Craig’s List markets, “Paid & Free.” Paid are what you’d imagine, you have to pay for the Ad to be placed. Paid markets can be better because in those markets Craig’s List doesn’t limit the number of categories nor the number of times you can place your Ad. In free markets, like the term implies, there is no cost for the Ad placement, however, Craig’s List will limit placement. So you have to be clever in Ad design and frequency to get around the rule.
The Three-Foot Rule
You’ve probably heard “the three-foot rule” in reference to developing leads, but it also applies to finding sales talent. Anytime you are within three feet of a potential sales applicant, or someone who may know a person that could be a sales applicant, let that person know you are in the market for qualified sales talent. Make sure you always have a supply of business cards with you. Better yet, have special business cards that include an extra message on the reverse side. That message could say, “Ask me about an exciting career opportunity with my company.” Or, like the want-ad example, “Are you ready to start earning a 6-figure income?” Or, “Have you hit the ceiling where you work? Ask me about the opportunities for growth with my company.” Be creative; think of other catchy phrases that might spark interest.
When you meet someone who makes an impression on you at a social gathering, at a restaurant, or in an elevator, hand your card to him or her. That effort takes mere seconds and could prove extremely valuable.
Your Mailing List
Do you send invoices, newsletters, or any other correspondence to your existing customer base? If you do, consider telling your customers you are looking for a representative to assist your company in securing new business. Along with the correspondence, ask your customers if they know people who are honest, intelligent, and hard-working, and perhaps aren’t entirely happy with their current employment or have found themselves out of a job in these troubling times. Ask them to have their acquaintances call you to inquire about a career with your company. Great leads can come from this source. What better reference could job-seekers want than from a satisfied customer they know?
Restaurant Servers
When you go out to dinner at a nice restaurant, have you noticed how professional some of the servers are? When you are in recruitment mode, pay closer attention to them. Do they present themselves professionally? Do they sell the specials with excitement and flare? Do they convince you to purchase a good wine? And do they sell you an after-dinner drink or a dessert?
The server is, for all practical purposes, a straight-commission salesperson. Yes, she earns a wage, but in most restaurants that is half of minimum wage. Their real income comes from tips and sometimes a commission on wine. Do you think the server working with you wants to be a server for the rest of her life? Maybe she is completing a college education, or has been seeking better employment but hasn’t found it yet.
If you see a person like that, tell her that you noticed the professional way she did the job, and then hand her a very nice tip and your business card. Tell her to read the back of the card when she has a private moment.
Salespeople Who Call on You
Like me, you may have a person working for you, often a receptionist, who has to say no to salespeople cold-calling your business to sell copy machines, office products, cleaning services, you name it. When you are looking for salespeople, tell that receptionist to let you know whenever someone cold-calls the business.
When that happens and the salesperson is ushered into your office, listen completely to what he is saying. Mentally grade the person on appearance, personality, professionalism, presentation, knowledge of the product, and closing skills. Did he ask you to buy?
Tell the salesperson that you will need time to think the purchase over. Then wait to see what he says. Does he attempt to handle the objection and close you? You might even voice a second objection if he answers the first just to see if he continues to try closing you. Effectively you have just auditioned a salesperson in a real-life scenario. If he scores well, offer a job instead of agreeing to buy. Explain how well he could do and how much money he could earn in your business if he does just what you witnessed today.
A Note on Educational Requirements
Let’s talk about the level of education that salespeople must achieve to work for your company. Do you require a college degree?