Question from Minto Roy of Careers Today Canada Radio

Blog Entry Sponsored by Minto Roy (donation to MSMF foundation)  of Careers Today Canada .com.

Dear Shane,

What advice could you give to employers that are seeking to hire top sales performers in what is still an employees’ job market (especially when we refer to top sales producers)?

Dear Minto: There are several factors that we need to look at when recruiting top performing sales people.  The first step in my opinion is to:

Write up a complete description of the type of sales job it is, including the following:

  1. Amount of phone selling, cold calling, proposal writing, group presentations.
  2. Geographical area
  3. Amount of travel
  4. Amount of time away from home
  5. Level of independence
  6. Hours expected to work
  7. Work culture of the company
  8. Reporting and paper work expected
  9. Client entertainment factor
  10. Type of customers or potential customers
  11. Level of acceptance by the customer in reference to
    • the company
    • the products and service
    • the industry
  12. Level of selling
    • Product/service focused
    • Relationship marketing focused
    • Customer and solution focused.
  13. Size of average sale
  14. Length of the selling cycle and any other important factors you can think of.
  15. Trade show selling and seminar selling etc.

With the above job description in mind, carefully describe the characteristics, behaviors, values, skills, experience and abilities you require in this person.

Secondly realize that top producers are rarely ever unemployed.  Being in the recruiting business you know that top producers are constantly being courted for other job positions.  My suggestion is hire in advance, network where these producers work and play, and even offer finders fees to your own internal sales team if they find you a winner.

My last thought is winners like to win, and they like to win quick.  If you’re recruiting top performers you better have a sales opportunity and a process that enables them to hit home runs early.  Showing up to a disorganized sales environment with no sales process or culture is something that will quickly repel most top producers.

Thanks again Minto for your contribution to the MSMF Blogathon!

This is blogathon entry number 28 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.

July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Management Blog, Uncategorized |

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Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - Radio Interview on Closing Bigger with Shane Gibson - Part 5

[Download Part 5 of the March 28 Closing Bigger Sales Podcast MP3]

 
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March 29, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast |

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Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - Radio Interview on Closing Bigger with Shane Gibson - Part 4

[Download Part 4 of the March 28 Closing Bigger Sales Podcast MP3]

 
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March 29, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast |

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Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - Radio Interview on Closing Bigger with Shane Gibson - Part 3

[Download Part 3 of the March 28 Closing Bigger Sales Podcast MP3]

 
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March 29, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast |

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Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - Radio Interview on Closing Bigger with Shane Gibson - Part 2

[Download Part 2 of the March 28 Closing Bigger Sales Podcast MP3]

 
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March 29, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast |

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Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - Radio Interview on Closing Bigger with Shane Gibson - Part 1

This weeks Podcast has been broken down into five parts. You can either download them directly or subscribe by using one of the many sales podcast feed options on the right navigation bar. This interview was originally done in February 2006 on 650 CISL with Alanna Fero and Minto Roy with Careerstoday and PCMG Canada.

The focus of the interview was on:

- How to close bigger deals and clients
- What sales as a career choice has to offer
- Selling for non-sales types
- How to hire top sales people
- and the role of mentorship in developing top sales people

Here is the first segment (the rest will be posted as seperate blog entries):

[Download Part 1 of the March 28 Closing Bigger Sales Podcast MP3]

 
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Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471.  For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html

Quick Links:

Sales Training Canada
Sales
Training South Africa
Sales Training Boot Camps Vancouver
Complete Sales Action System
Managing Complex Business
Relationships System

Subscribe in iTunes to this Sales Podcast

March 29, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast |

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Upcoming Sales Podcasts – From Shane Gibson co-author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals.

My flight is delayed this morning so while I was sitting here at the Vancouver International Airport I thought I would make a quick entry to keep you updated with what We’ve been up to.

It has been a couple weeks since my last sales blog or sales podcast entry at ClosingBigger.net. Later this week we will have some great new sales podcasts available for you. I’m headed down to Sao Paulo, Brazil to speak at the World Summit for Youth Entrepreneurs. There will be 1200 delegates from 70 countries attending. You can read more about the summit at http://wsye.wtuglobal.org . I will be speaking on Closing Bigger Deals from a Global Perspective. If all of the technical aspects come together as they should I will be posting the entire keynote seminar here by the end of the week in MP3 / Podcast format.

I will also be posting a five part sales podcast which was originally a radio interview on 650 CISL with Minto Roy and Alanna Fero from Careers Today.

Think Big and Close Bigger!

Shane Gibson
co-author of Closing Bigger - the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deal
President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd.
shane@closingbigger.com
http://www.kbitraining.com
http://www.closingbigger.com

March 13, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |

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