BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP SALES TEAM: Should You Hire Superstars or Develop Raw Talent?
BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP SALES TEAM: Should You Hire Superstars or Develop Raw Talent?
Whether it is an entrepreneurial company hiring their first salesperson, a well-funded technology startup, or a more established organization, the sales and marketing function may well determine the ultimate success of the entire organization. This is not to minimize the importance of the many other contributing members of any effective technology company. Too many companies fail to adequately hire, develop and manage the sales function. Just think about the Mac versus the PC or VHS versus Beta. When it comes to profits and growth, great sales and marketing will generally trump superior technology.
New York Yankees or Detroit Tigers
The challenge that all growing companies face in this area is whether to hire experienced, proven salespeople (expensive free agents) or to hire less experienced salespeople with a plan to develop them. It’s a question of both philosophy and economic reality. Can you afford to be the New York Yankees with the biggest names and the biggest payroll in baseball, or must you try to be the Detroit Tigers with lower cost no-names, but often better results?
Many well-funded startups have invested heavily in hiring the top free agent salespeople with substantial six-figure guarantees. While there are certainly success stories with this model, there are many more failures. The successes can be spectacular, but the failures can be equally spectacular. The drive for immediate sales success has caused a literal bidding war for some of the best sales talent, especially those with well established relationships in larger target accounts. Not to be critical of those who play at this level, but the bulk of the companies simply cannot or will not take this approach.
The current economic reality for many companies is that they must grow sales and profits by hiring less costly salespeople. To succeed there are three critical areas that must be mastered:
1. Effective recruiting and hiring to find salespeople who not only can sell but WILL SELL,
2. Developing and growing the individual salespeople,
3. Managing the sales organization.
Recruiting and Hiring
It would be easy to fill books with all of the challenges in this area, but some of the most common questions for technology sales include:
Q: Is it better to teach a salesperson to understand our products and services or is it better to teach a technically strong person how to sell?
A: While either is possible, it is generally more effective to take a good salesperson and teach them about the products and services. Effective selling is about developing a relationship with the prospect, uncovering their needs, learning about their budget and decision making process, and then presenting solutions that fit best. Salespeople must be technically competent enough to ask about and understand needs, but that doesn’t mean they need to be experts in the field. On the other hand, some engineers and technical people do have the potential to grow into superstar salespeople given the right training.
Q: How can we hire people who actually WILL SELL versus those that know how to sell but don’t?
A: Establish a system for hiring salespeople that models your selling environment. For example, start with a phone interview if they will be primarily selling via telephone. Think about how you expect them to sell and then create the same obstacles and roadblocks in the interview process that they will experience in the real world. How else will you know if they can really do what will be expected? ALWAYS use a validated sales assessment to help in the screening process. There are good tools available that can help prevent costly hiring mistakes.
Q: Should we pay mostly with salary or commission?
A: This is an age old question and really has no single answer, but stronger salespeople will generally want higher commission potential, even at the risk of a lower base salary. The more a candidate focuses on the base salary, the less likely she is to sell.
Q: Where do I find good candidates?
A: There is no one answer, but beyond referrals or recruiters, the internet is a good place to start. A well written posting on the internet job boards can bring a surprising quantity of good applicants. Don’t neglect your own website as a good source for candidates. Display ads in newspapers seem to be less effective than in the past. You may also find success with less traditional forms of recruitment advertising such as radio.
Development and Training
Have a plan for developing people (not just salespeople) from the moment they start. Beyond product training, look for quality outside training resources. With good training, coaching, and mentoring those new hires should be able to grow into top performing superstars. A good rule to remember is to hire for what you can’t train. In other words, it’s probably unrealistic to hire someone for technical sales if they struggled through high school math or they can’t use a computer. Of course, theoretically they could be trained in these areas, but the cost of doing so and the time it would take are probably too much. But training people in sales and technology should be a normal part of the process. If you don’t have the internal resources or expertise, find a competent outside training company. Talented people that you develop tend to be much more loyal.
Manage the Organization
Whether you have one salesperson or a whole team, management is an important part of the process. Well run companies have processes and systems for all areas of the company, INCLUDING sales and marketing. In addition to sales goals, determine the “metrics” for the behavior expected in the sales organization. This may include number of calls, appointments, presentations, and proposals. Establishing standards in these and other critical area will allow the sales process to be managed. It is nearly impossible to manage what cannot be measured.
Finally, whatever approach you ultimately use to build your championship team, remember the basic principle of beginning with the end in mind. The sales and marketing function in any technology company is worth as much thought and effort as the engineering function. Don’t settle for mediocrity when it is entirely possible to build a superstar sales team.
Kevin Hallenbeck is President and founder of BestSalesPeople.com, an affiliate of Sandler Sales Institute, located in Bedford, NH since 1994. He can be reached at kevinh@bestsalespeople.com, or via telephone at 603-472-9195.
BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP SALES TEAM Should You Hire Superstars or Develop Raw Talent - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Hallenbeck's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
With the tight labor market over the last couple of years many organizations have wrestled with the challenge of finding enough employees, much less finding superstars. Yet it is virtually impossible to build an exceptional organization with anything less than exceptional people in key roles.
Whether it is an entrepreneurial company hiring their first salesperson, a well-funded technology startup, or a more established organization, the sales and marketing function may well determine the ultimate success of the entire organization. This is not to minimize the importance of the many other contributing members of any effective technology company. Too many companies fail to adequately hire, develop and manage the sales function. Just think about the Mac versus the PC or VHS versus Beta. When it comes to profits and growth, great sales and marketing will generally trump superior technology.
New York Yankees or Detroit Tigers
The challenge that all growing companies face in this area is whether to hire experienced, proven salespeople (expensive free agents) or to hire less experienced salespeople with a plan to develop them. It’s a question of both philosophy and economic reality. Can you afford to be the New York Yankees with the biggest names and the biggest payroll in baseball, or must you try to be the Detroit Tigers with lower cost no-names, but often better results?
Many well-funded startups have invested heavily in hiring the top free agent salespeople with substantial six-figure guarantees. While there are certainly success stories with this model, there are many more failures. The successes can be spectacular, but the failures can be equally spectacular. The drive for immediate sales success has caused a literal bidding war for some of the best sales talent, especially those with well established relationships in larger target accounts. Not to be critical of those who play at this level, but the bulk of the companies simply cannot or will not take this approach.
The current economic reality for many companies is that they must grow sales and profits by hiring less costly salespeople. To succeed there are three critical areas that must be mastered:
1. Effective recruiting and hiring to find salespeople who not only can sell but WILL SELL,
2. Developing and growing the individual salespeople,
3. Managing the sales organization.
Recruiting and Hiring
It would be easy to fill books with all of the challenges in this area, but some of the most common questions for technology sales include:
Q: Is it better to teach a salesperson to understand our products and services or is it better to teach a technically strong person how to sell?
A: While either is possible, it is generally more effective to take a good salesperson and teach them about the products and services. Effective selling is about developing a relationship with the prospect, uncovering their needs, learning about their budget and decision making process, and then presenting solutions that fit best. Salespeople must be technically competent enough to ask about and understand needs, but that doesn’t mean they need to be experts in the field. On the other hand, some engineers and technical people do have the potential to grow into superstar salespeople given the right training.
Q: How can we hire people who actually WILL SELL versus those that know how to sell but don’t?
A: Establish a system for hiring salespeople that models your selling environment. For example, start with a phone interview if they will be primarily selling via telephone. Think about how you expect them to sell and then create the same obstacles and roadblocks in the interview process that they will experience in the real world. How else will you know if they can really do what will be expected? ALWAYS use a validated sales assessment to help in the screening process. There are good tools available that can help prevent costly hiring mistakes.
Q: Should we pay mostly with salary or commission?
A: This is an age old question and really has no single answer, but stronger salespeople will generally want higher commission potential, even at the risk of a lower base salary. The more a candidate focuses on the base salary, the less likely she is to sell.
Q: Where do I find good candidates?
A: There is no one answer, but beyond referrals or recruiters, the internet is a good place to start. A well written posting on the internet job boards can bring a surprising quantity of good applicants. Don’t neglect your own website as a good source for candidates. Display ads in newspapers seem to be less effective than in the past. You may also find success with less traditional forms of recruitment advertising such as radio.
Development and Training
Have a plan for developing people (not just salespeople) from the moment they start. Beyond product training, look for quality outside training resources. With good training, coaching, and mentoring those new hires should be able to grow into top performing superstars. A good rule to remember is to hire for what you can’t train. In other words, it’s probably unrealistic to hire someone for technical sales if they struggled through high school math or they can’t use a computer. Of course, theoretically they could be trained in these areas, but the cost of doing so and the time it would take are probably too much. But training people in sales and technology should be a normal part of the process. If you don’t have the internal resources or expertise, find a competent outside training company. Talented people that you develop tend to be much more loyal.
Manage the Organization
Whether you have one salesperson or a whole team, management is an important part of the process. Well run companies have processes and systems for all areas of the company, INCLUDING sales and marketing. In addition to sales goals, determine the “metrics” for the behavior expected in the sales organization. This may include number of calls, appointments, presentations, and proposals. Establishing standards in these and other critical area will allow the sales process to be managed. It is nearly impossible to manage what cannot be measured.
Finally, whatever approach you ultimately use to build your championship team, remember the basic principle of beginning with the end in mind. The sales and marketing function in any technology company is worth as much thought and effort as the engineering function. Don’t settle for mediocrity when it is entirely possible to build a superstar sales team.
Kevin Hallenbeck is President and founder of BestSalesPeople.com, an affiliate of Sandler Sales Institute, located in Bedford, NH since 1994. He can be reached at kevinh@bestsalespeople.com, or via telephone at 603-472-9195.
BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP SALES TEAM Should You Hire Superstars or Develop Raw Talent - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Hallenbeck's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Kevin's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Start eTutoring Business Disciplines of Success Great Sales Fallacies Million $ Interview How To Work |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs | |
 |
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
