How to Hire Top Sales People for Your Growing Business

Nov 10, 2023 | Listen

How to Hire Top Sales People for Your Growing Business

Are you struggling when it comes to hiring your salespeople? You’re not alone. Sales is the lifeblood of any business, but it can get messy, especially for smaller companies and those growing fast.

Common Sales Challenges

Maybe your sales process is confusing, leaving your team unsure about what they’re doing. Your sales data might be all over the place, making tracking how well you’re doing and predicting future sales hard. And, frustratingly, on top of everything, you’re losing potential customers.

These problems can be overwhelming. And the pressure to hit sales targets and make money can hurt your business in the long run.

So, what’s the solution? 

How can you create a clear, effective sales process that fits your goals? 

Where can you find the right salespeople for your company? 

And most importantly, how can you turn your sales team into a well-oiled machine that will keep your business healthy today and in the future?

Dan Fantasia: A Sales Expert’s Perspective

In this episode, our guest Dan Fantasia and I discuss effective sales strategies for small businesses, particularly when hiring and onboarding sales talent. He also shares expert insights to help you conquer various sales challenges that come between you and your sales goals. 



Timestamps for this week’s episode

03:54 The Need for a Clear Sales Process before hiring salespeople.

06:46 What to Look for When Hiring Salespeople

14:40 Onboarding Your Salespeople to Understand Your Core Customers

30:19 Prioritizing Sales Pipeline and Forecast Management for New Hires

33:39 Actionable steps to take over the next weeks to get closer to having star salespeople on your team.


The Need for a Clear Sales Process before hiring salespeople.

Establishing a small business sales process is essential before hiring salespeople because it’s the foundation for sustainable growth. Many small businesses make the mistake of thinking that hiring a superstar salesperson will instantly boost sales. Some companies also rely on their CEO or founder for initial sales, which isn’t a scalable model.

By first defining and refining their sales process, small companies gain clarity on how to approach potential customers, the stages of their sales cycle, and the metrics for success. 

This groundwork ensures that when you do hire salespeople, there is a proven and scalable sales process in place that can be easily replicated. A well-established sales process sets the stage for long-term sales success and business growth.

For many organizations, the CEO tends to be the number one salesperson, and the challenge of that model is not that they can't find success, but it's nearly impossible to scale.

What to Look for When Hiring Salespeople

When working on sales team recruitment and development, focus on versatile candidates. Look for someone skilled in prospecting, experienced in process development, and proficient at evaluating revenue and pipeline metrics. Look for talents who are comfortable working in smaller, hands-on environments where proactive prospecting is a must.

Prioritize individuals with a proven track record of creating effective sales processes and are well-versed in setting targets and sales forecasting. This ensures they can seamlessly introduce such a process to your organization. During their initial phase, be patient and allow them to understand the immediate revenue and pipeline metrics.

The goal is to find sales talents that will deliver results and contribute to shaping and improving a successful sales strategy tailored to your business.

“Look for salespeople willing to find new business and understand sales processes. Give them time to learn success metrics beyond revenue and to focus on the pipeline so they can help you grow and scale a model that really works.” – Dan Fantasia

Onboarding Your Salespeople to Understand Your Core Customers

When onboarding salespeople, the critical aspect is ensuring they truly understand your core customers. 

They need to understand who these customers are, their challenges, and why your product or service can help them. 

While product knowledge is important, it’s secondary to this customer-centric understanding. This knowledge will guide their sales efforts and messaging, ensuring they effectively connect with and persuade potential customers.

Salespeople need to understand your core customer. Who are we selling to? What are their needs and pain points? That is where you should spend most of your time with your new hires.

Prioritizing Sales Pipeline and Forecast Management for New Hires

As your sales team gains momentum, you’ll shift from tracking activities to understanding your sales pipeline and forecast. This shift is crucial, especially for businesses with long sales cycles or complex processes.

Examining your sales forecast weekly gives you and your managers valuable insights into what’s happening. It’s all about the nitty-gritty details of each opportunity, assessing their potential, and holding your team accountable.

Once your sales efforts show promise, your main concern should be understanding your forecast. You need to know the ins and outs of these opportunities, how they’re progressing, and when they’re likely to close.

The key is knowing which opportunities are real and wishful thinking. It’s all about creating a culture of accountability and ensuring your team focuses on what truly drives success. 

Actionable Steps in Building a Star Sales Team

Here are actionable steps you can take to getting closer to having star salespeople on your team:

  • Understand your sales model inside out.
  • Identify your top producers and learn from their success.
  • Consider whether you can compete for top talent from competitors.
  • Develop a recruitment strategy to find ideal candidates.
  • Build a pipeline of qualified candidates and find the right fit through interviews.

Summary

  • Establish a sales process before hiring salespeople for sustainable growth. Relying on superstars or founders isn’t scalable. Define your process to ensure clarity, replicability, and long-term success.

  • Look for adaptable salespeople capable of prospecting and process development. Teach them success metrics beyond revenue. Focus on pipeline and process-building skills for growth and scalability. 

  • When onboarding salespeople, the key is ensuring they grasp your core customers’ needs and how your product or service addresses them.

  • As your sales gain momentum, focus on understanding your forecast, separating real opportunities from wishful thinking, and fostering accountability for lasting success. 

Transcript

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About guest – Dan Fantasia

President and CEO

Treeline, Inc.

Dan Fantasia has been in sales recruiting since 1997 and founded Treeline in 2001. His exclusive focus on helping companies build world-class, elite sales teams has helped to change the lives of over 3,300 sales professionals. 

Dan has built a deep knowledge of what it takes to build and grow a top-producing business. As a proven sales leader and innovator, he has created a positively charged culture that promotes the good in every person, resulting in a team that has developed best-in-practice methodologies and technology that continues to revolutionize the industry.

Website: https://www.treelineinc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfantasia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/treelineinc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanFantasia

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TreelineInc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreelineInc


About host – Kathy Svetina

Kathy Svetina is a Fractional CFO for growing small businesses with $10M+ in annual revenue.

Clients hire her when they’re unsure about what’s going on in their finances, are stressed out by making financial decisions, or need to structure their finances to keep up with their growth.

She solves their nagging money mysteries and builds a financial structure with a tailored financial strategy. That way they can grow in a financially healthy and sustainable way.

Kathy is based in Chicago, IL and works with clients all over the US.

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