Well-versed sales professionals are in high demand. And in today's market, they're very scarce. If you set out to fill a sales vacancy, it often feels like a hopeless endeavor. After sifting through a seemingly endless pile of résumés, you select a mere handful of suitable candidates. Then, you encounter a new problem: scheduling an introductory meeting is near to impossible. As it turns out, most sales experts already have a job they're pretty happy with. So, how to convince them a switch to your company — which, to them, feels like a leap into the unknown — is a good career move? You'll need help from an expert who has strong sales recruiting skills.
But the minute you start researching recruitment firms, you end up in a dense forest of parties claiming they can provide you with a top-notch sales recruiting experience — they confidently tell you they'll find the perfect match who will contribute to business growth. The thing is, sales recruitment is a profession, and it takes many years to become an expert at it. Besides thorough experience, a sales recruitment agency needs in-depth knowledge, first-rate sales skills, and a solid network.
What to look for in a sales recruiting firm if you want to achieve tangible results fast? Which recruitment principles form the basis for successfully filling complex sales vacancies?
Read this ultimate sales recruiting guide to get the answers to these pressing questions. You don't have download anything, because "fast" and "efficient" are keywords in this context. Everything you need to know about sales recruiting is on this page, which helps you navigate the sales recruiting market and find what you're looking for fast. Read it from A to Z or just head over to the section you need using the table of contents below!
Let's first have a look at what sales recruiting isn't. Here's the one-word answer: "HR." Traditionally, human resources departments set out to find candidates for vacancies. A while ago, using Google to look for a sales recruitment firm didn't even occur to HR managers, who handled the hiring process on their own.
But times have changed. Today's candidates expect the red carpet treatment. If your offer is mediocre or your recruitment process isn't excellently organized, you don't stand a chance. Even if you do everything by the "sales recruiting book," you can't sit back and relax. It's paramount that you sell the vacancy and your company to (mildly interested) candidates in no time. Simply put, recruitment has turned into a different profession: sales. And sales is a craft!
We know this because our senior recruiters operate at the intersection of sales, recruitment, and management. Each of us has more than 20 years of experience working in sales and management. Every day, we work on recruiting sales and management professionals for our clients. Perhaps that's why our definition of recruitment differs from that of a sales recruiting team which operates at a more generic level. Incidentally, there's nothing wrong with that if you want to find (junior) candidates for sales positions that don't require in-depth knowledge.
But if you're looking for business development managers, sales leaders, or other mid-level or senior sales professionals, the term "sales recruiting" carries more weight. While many claim to have mastered that craft, only few have gained the experience and skills required to achieve the desired results.
Everyone can call themselves a recruiter. And lots of people do. In fact, there's a myriad of junior recruiters who are sent off into the unknown with tough targets. Shocking? Perhaps. But that's the approach the average recruitment agency uses. It's very common to hire fresh graduates and have them work on major assignments right away, even if they've never recruited a candidate before. From a sales recruiting firm's perspective, it's a logical strategy — everyone has to learn sometime, right?
The question is whether your assignment should be a recruiter's first. If you're looking to hire a mid-level or senior sales professional, it's better to work with senior sales jobs recruiters who have actually worked in sales and management positions. They can communicate with your ideal candidate at their level. They're on the same page and speak the same language.
On top of that, they use their expert knowledge to sell your vacancy and company. They possess the required sales skills. Briefly put, senior recruiters can pitch your job opening in a convincing way.
Ideally, they also act as recruitment consultants — for sometimes, you and the candidate need guidance, advice, and coaching to reach an agreement. You can expect this type of consulting from our well-versed recruiters throughout the process: we provide advice on everything from salary to conducting successful interviews. Both clients and candidates welcome this approach, as it helps them avoid potential roadblocks and join forces faster!
What should a good sales recruiting agency offer? Here's an at-a-glance overview of what we believe are non-negotiable elements:
A note on that last bullet point: an experienced sales recruitment firm will find the right match for you fast. For example, when SalesSupply accepts an assignment, we immediately get to work to select the best sales talent, and our guarantee to clients is that we'll find a suitable candidate within 3 weeks. This applies to all clients, from small and medium-sized companies to large corporations in various industries. (Incidentally, we can count companies such as Exact and Revlon among our clients.)
Perhaps you need to fill a high-level vacancy. You might want to expand your sales team with sales leaders, account executives, or sales executives. Recruiting such highly skilled sales professionals is no mean feat. You'll probably want to hire a headhunter who's up for the job. So, you turn to Google, entering terms such as ‘sales headhunter,’ ‘elite sales team hiring process,’ and ‘executive sales recruitment.’
Here's a short recruitment lesson: what you're looking for is sales recruiting — it just goes by different names. You should, however, make sure the sales recruiting agency you opt for works with senior recruiters who will be taken seriously by your ideal candidate. Here's why. No matter how talented a junior recruiter is, they simply don't have the track record and knowledge to recruit sales executives and sales managers with more than a decade of experience. When dealing with seasoned experts like these, you will want to work with a well-versed sales recruitment expert. They can sell the vacancy and your company to the best sales talent!
Account executives, sales engineers, sales leaders, sales executives: sales professionals have many different job titles. The moment you set out to look for a recruitment agency, you probably already know what position you want to fill. You've also determined whether the new asset to your sales team should operate at the junior, mid-level, or senior level.
But you know what? This is where a senior recruiter can make the difference. They'll sit down with you and discuss your requirements. Sometimes, it turns out you wanted to hire a mid-level sales expert while it's much more likely that a senior sales professional will meet your list of competencies. Or, the job description and employment terms don't fit well with the job title. A good senior recruiter will point these things out to you. In consultation with you, they'll adapt the vacancy to significantly increase your chances of success. So, a fresh yet critical perspective from an external expert can be extremely useful!
Although we'd love to discuss every sales position out there, we'll limit ourselves to a few vacancies we often encounter in real life (otherwise, we'd have to turn this guide into a book!). We know many companies want to fill these job openings. So hopefully, the descriptions below will be helpful to you.
An excellent sales manager is a multi-skilled expert. For example, they know how to collaborate with the team. But they also understand your company culture and communicate effortlessly with all types of clients. On top of that, a proactive, results-oriented attitude is a must. Bonus points if they have a network in your industry.
The thing is, sales professionals like these don't grow on trees. How to separate the wheat from the chaff? How to spark a talented sales professional's interest? And how do you get them to accept a job at your company?
Check out our page on 'sales manager recruitment!'
An account manager who contributes to business growth and revenue growth is a versatile expert. You're looking for someone who maintains and strengthens existing customer relationships and is a well-versed new business hunter. After all, you want to convert promising prospects into loyal customers.
That's why you're looking for a candidate who has proven to be successful at driving new business. They should also fit your company culture. The key question is, how to navigate today's complex recruitment landscape? And, most importantly, how to recruit a suitable account manager?
Check out our page on 'account manager recruitment.'
If you want to hire someone for a sales position at an IT company, you're facing an extra tough challenge. The proactive, ambitious sales professional you're looking for should thoroughly understand your market. They should also be able to sell your complex service or product, preferably by adopting a consultative selling approach. Moreover, the expert you're looking for is a great fit in terms of résumé and personality. After all, it's crucial that they understand the company culture.
Where to find a sales professional who knows how to use terms such as 'ERP,' 'cloud,' and 'SaaS' in theory and practice? And how to convince them to take the plunge and join your company?
Check out our page on 'IT sales recruitment.'
Sales managers and executives who have extensive SaaS knowledge are difficult to find. They operate at the intersection of sales and software. So besides sales skills, they have a thorough understanding of your complex service. It takes quite some effort to find talents like these. And you need to have a firm grasp of sales recruitment to bring them in.
'SOS SaaS sales recruitment' is often necessary. Want to learn more? Check out our page on 'SaaS sales recruitment.'
Sometimes, you need to travel half the globe (either virtually or physically) to find the sales talent you're looking for. And even then, it's difficult to recruit the perfect match. At SalesSupply, we work with clients who operate in the Netherlands and beyond. Borders are not an issue for us. But to give you a taste of what successful local sales recruitment looks like, we've created a page about our approach in the Dutch capital. Want to know more? Check out 'sales recruitment agency Amsterdam!'
Are you looking for a mid-level or senior sales expert? And do you feel professional help is indispensable? Opt for senior sales recruitment! Each of our well-versed sales recruiters has 20+ years of experience working in management and sales. Every day, they use the knowledge they've gained to recruit candidates for complex management and sales roles. You can expect guidance, advice, flexibility, and excellent communications from them. At SalesSupply, we find it important to unburden clients throughout the process.
If you want to achieve results fast and like to work with a "designated" senior sales recruiter, feel free to contact us. We'll find a suitable candidate for you within 3 weeks. That's a guarantee!
Do you want to discuss a potential collaboration? Or are you ready to join forces with SalesSupply?
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