TIME WASTER #2 of 15: Poor Hiring

This series of articles discusses the observations we have made over the last three years by watching the sales or marketing efforts of nearly five hundred customers.  My company is in the business of web-based software designed to increase productivity in the area of sales and marketing.  It has been my job to find the areas where salespeople typically waste time and develop technology solutions and techniques to generate more leads and make more sales.  I have organized the many things I have observed into these fifteen areas where time is wasted.

Several of these fifteen time-wasters cannot be addressed with technology alone.  We were hoping our technology could solve everything, but in many cases new techniques or disciplines are needed for optimal productivity; hence this series of articles.

TIME WASTER SERIES #2 of 15: Poor Hiring

Many sales organizations spend a great deal of time and money on systems, leads, and facilities only to forget the most important thing: building a strong sales team.

Before you hire your first employee, identify a “success profile,” a list of characteristics that will make a successful part of your sales team. Hire only people that match your success profile.

The most important person in a sales organization is a “scrappy sales manager,” someone who has a clear vision of the company’s direction and goals and who works tirelessly at following that direction and reaching those goals. Too much time is wasted by employees who either don’t know these things or simply don’t care. You can remedy that by hiring a sales manager who knows, cares and carries that message to the rest of the sales team.

Once you have a strong sales manager, build a sales team that will support him or her.  The best way to hire proven salespeople is by asking your existing salespeople. They have worked with other great salespeople and know who will be successful with your company—and who won’t. Every sales organization has a top producer: find out who that was at the companies where your people have worked and offer them a position with your company.

Our experience has shown that life experiences such as competitive athletics and personal achievements during the formative high school and college years are good indicators of potential success in the world of sales.

There are tests, studies, and surveys that can be taken to measure abilities that map well onto sales skills.  Often for a small investment early on, a great deal of cost and difficulty can be averted down the road.

During each potential employee’s interview process, include a way to simulate a real work environment prior to a full commitment of hiring.

Best Practice: Hire each employee into a 60 day probation/evaluation period. This will encourage the sales person to quickly learn your systems, processes and products without wasting any time. Once they have successfully passed the probation period, continue to offer incentives and evaluation to boost morale and prevent a drop-off in initiative and productivity.