If business growth is key to your success in 2016, the most important decision your company can make is in attracting, selecting and developing the best possible sales leadership. However, for small to enterprise companies in Silicon Valley, Norway and worldwide, hiring and effectively managing a great sales leader is one of the greatest challenges. Why is this?
- Most executives or entrepreneurs who are responsible for hiring a sales leader do not have a sales background. Without knowing the challenges, needs, skills needed for success in a role it is difficult to judge one candidate versus another.
- Different types of services, products, and companies require specific sales approaches. Many times a salesperson or manager is good at one type of sales but his / her skills and style may not be a match for the type of sales required by another company.
- A hungry sales person seeking his / her next job may be good at selling themselves – but this does not mean they really the right salesperson or manager for your company.
- Specific expectations for the first months’ sales results are not agreed upon and/ or the sales compensation does not align with company goals.
Even if you aren’t a sales expert you can succeed through:
- Gaining a clear understanding of how your current and potential customers want to buy than build the sales process and hiring the team with the skills, experience, and style required to sell in manner customers prefer to purchase.
- Selecting sales leader or team members through a multi-faceted candidate assessment process that leads to a joint understanding of requirements, expectations, and fit of the selected candidate’s skills and style with the company.
- Aligning company expectations with sales compensation, management style, and resources to support the sales team success.
- Conducting regular reviews and coaching of the sales team members.
Learn more about Hiring a Sales Leader.