Why do so many companies undervalue the importance of hiring great sales people?
The majority of my 18 years in recruitment has been focused on helping clients recruit sales people across a multitude of sectors. I can say with a great deal of confidence the majority have next to no structured hiring plan when it comes to sales people. Sales as a profession is so undervalued compared other areas such as Engineering. Yet these are the front-line of your business. It’s not just the money you can make from hiring a sales person that should be front of mind, it’s the cost of a poor hire that you may never recover from.
For the last six years I have spent my time recruiting sales professionals for AdTech and MarTech companies, many of which are early stage. I love recruiting in these sectors! It’s fast paced, you get to learn about cutting edge tech, and we have seen some of our clients flourish from a few people with an idea into Global success stories.
There is a but! By and large the quality of sales hiring in these sectors is generally terrible. That is not a criticism of the sales people, there are some great ones out there for sure. It’s the haphazard, unplanned way in which companies look to hire that amazes me. They have no plan and no clue when it comes to sales hiring because it’s a discipline that is not always fully understood or appreciated.
Many have in-house recruiters who are expected to service all functions, which I believe is an impossible task.
If you want a sustainable, high-quality outcome, GET A PLAN!
This is a great article IMO.
The Anatomy of the Perfect Sales Hiring Process
firstround.com/review/the-anatomy- . . .
~ Alan Fecamp
