If your organization is spending the bulk of its recruiting efforts figuring out how to hire a sales team full of talented people, you’re not alone. The average annual turnover rate for sales positions is 25–30%, which equates to hiring and training your entire sales department about every four years!
We don’t have to tell you the importance of having a well-trained, fully competent sales team to keep your company growing at a healthy rate – but we will anyway to make the point.
Your overall business strategy should be geared toward high customer conversion, and one of the best ways to achieve that is by analyzing the conversations your sales representatives are having with customers every day. They’re the most up-to-date on the needs and wants of the people you’re trying to sell to.
Your salespeople are also an early impression of your company culture and brand – how you treat customers, what you stand for, and why you sell what you do.
So this is important, but it’s not easy. If it were, that turnover rate for sales reps wouldn’t be so high.
If you’re trying to figure out how to hire sales reps who are the right fit, here are four steps to help HR improve recruiting practices and ensure your team is built to succeed:
1. Determine Specific Competencies for the Role
There are some overarching competencies needed in a sales role, but they aren’t necessarily tied to someone’s personality. We often think of a salesperson as gregarious, high-energy, quick to act, etc. These traits can be helpful, but they shouldn’t be required for every sales role because that’s not what every sales position needs.
When you first start evaluating candidates, you should know the competencies that are most relevant for this specific role. Some candidates may dazzle you, but for them to succeed in the long run, maybe they need to be more data-oriented than people-oriented.
Of course, they’ll still need empathy and the ability to build relationships, but perhaps their strategic thinking skills are what will be most beneficial in customer interactions.
Look at the tasks and interactions your current salespeople handle on a regular basis to determine what makes a new hire successful.
Learn more about using soft skills training to boost sales growth in our free ebook:
2. Narrow Down Relevant Experience
“Previous experience” is a requirement on most sales job postings, but that’s too vague if you’re aiming to attract top-tier talent. If you want to learn how to hire sales reps with the right background, get specific.
What kind of experience is truly relevant for the role? Is it industry-specific knowledge, familiarity with your buyer persona, expertise with certain tools, or something else?
Be clear when listing experience requirements – this will help you find qualified candidates faster and prepare you to ask more targeted interview questions for sales reps once they’re in the door.
3. Look at Interviews as Sales Pitches
Every time a salesperson connects with a customer, they’re essentially being interviewed. That means when you interview them, you should get a sense of how they would engage and build rapport in real scenarios.
Sadhana Smiles recommends conducting multiple interviews with potential hires, since part of their role hinges on how well they develop relationships. She also recommends involving people outside of the sales department so you can assess how they interact with various personalities and team dynamics.
If you’re wondering about the best place to hire sales reps, remember that interviews are just one piece of the puzzle – but they’re an incredibly telling one.
4. Keep Your Workplace Culture in Mind
Sales is an industry with an incredibly high turnover rate – remember that 25 – 30% we talked about earlier? The average turnover rate for all professions is only 13%!
Additionally, 12% of organizations report a 55% SDR turnover rate. In that case, we might say that there are other factors at play there – such as poor culture fit. Sales skills can be taught – communication, conflict resolution, pitching – but if a candidate would not thrive within your existing work culture, you’re already at a disadvantage when it comes to their retention.
There are other reasons to take a candidate’s attitude presentation into account – sales representatives are often the first points of contact that a prospect has with your organization. It’s important that they represent your brand effectively and positively.
Building a high-performing sales team isn’t just about filling seats—it’s about finding people who are aligned with your goals, your culture, and your customers. Strategizing about how to hire a sales team is about growth and one of the most fundamental building blocks in organizational planning. Focus on hiring candidates who have the soft skills you need to round out your team and can represent your brand and upskill with hard skills as necessary.
How to Hire a Sales Team Who Stays and Sells
Sales hiring is complex, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. By focusing on clarity, culture fit, and the right metrics, you can reduce turnover and build a team that drives growth. When you’re searching for the best place to hire sales reps or crafting the perfect interview questions for sales reps, always come back to your company’s core needs and customer experience goals.
