All your staff should play an influential role in your business’s growth and success. A talented team pulling in the same direction and adding value to your operations is an employer’s dream. Your sales team is exceptionally important and arguably more important than some other areas of the company. After all, sales are key to increasing profits and making growth possible. Just ask Manchester United, a team that sells more shirts to fans than any other football club in the world – bringing in tens of millions of pounds annually to help them compete at the top.
Such sales figures allow Manchester United to excel on the pitch, and this principle works for any business. The more you sell, the bigger opportunities you have to eat up the market. So, how do you make sure you recruit the most talented and experienced performers in sales? It’s an important question and one we have the answers to…
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Advertise Sales Jobs on the Best Sites
First and foremost, you need to make sure your job advertisements can be seen by the most talented individuals. You also need to target jobseeker sites that have a reputation for helping sales experts find jobs. Staying with Manchester, many sales professionals will be searching for sales jobs in Manchester on Jobrapido. It is imperative to use sites like these to get your opening noticed by the best talent. However, don’t stop there. Start promoting your job advertisement everywhere you can, including social media accounts and LinkedIn.
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Build a LinkedIn Employer Brand
Speaking of LinkedIn, it is best to always enhance your LinkedIn employer brand. An employer brand is made by highlighting how well you take care and treat your staff. This is done by introducing employee stories on LinkedIn, posting about the benefits of working with you and getting current employees involved to contribute to the account – whether that be with videos, blogs or testimonials. In the case of Manchester United, it would be no surprise to find out about all the benefits that come from such a huge brand.
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Make Your Sales Jobs Lucrative
Commission-only sales jobs are never going to attract the best sales professionals because despite how good they are at their jobs, these roles are unstable and not beneficial for those managing mortgages or with kids to take care of. However, combining a salary with appealing commission rates will attract them.
Sales personnel that know they are good at what they do and know they can make sales will see the added bonus of commission as a way to earn some serious money. If a single sale is going to make a real difference to the company, make sure you reward your sales team well and share some of the profits. Not only will this attract the best sales performers in your industry, it will also make sure they apply themselves and try to get the best results.
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Celebrate Office Culture
Videos are becoming the most consumed format of information on the internet and especially on social media. They are digestible, often fun and easy to share. You can utilise videos to highlight your office culture. Post office tours onto your social media accounts and do mini interviews with your current sales team explaining why they love being a sales member at your company.
Release these at the same time as you post your job because those that are considering applying are likely to check out your company. You want these videos pinned to the top of your social media profiles so they get seen by the people you are really targeting. The side benefit of using videos in this way is that the rest of your audience will get an insight into your brand and your business values – which can also help you make sales!
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Offer Grace Periods and Training
Even the most experienced and talented sales performers can be put off by unrealistic targets. Selling many products that they are not familiar with from day one can be off-putting. Sales professionals may be put off by this because it could add to unnecessary workplace stress.
Your company can recruit the best sales talent by offering support and understanding. It is advised to offer even experienced sales employees training with new products, services and processes. This can be vital when working at Manchester United, where every year there are several versions of both the playing and training kit on sale. Furthermore, you may also want to implement an initial grace period where their number of sales is not the focus of their performance.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line of your sales recruitment strategy should cater to what sales professionals want to see and hear. They should be considered an indispensable part of your company and should be rewarded for their work. From Manchester United to insurance companies, everyone needs to recruit effective sales experts and that means putting in the effort to attract them and make them aware of your company.