In today’s dog-eat-dog competitive world of sales, your small business cannot afford to lose a single sale – much less many sales – simply because your staff is not skilled at selling. Whether you hired the staff without giving thought to their sales capabilities, or you assumed they’d learn on the job, now is the time to put a new job requirement in place – top sales skills. This doesn’t mean fire the ones you already have, but when you DO hire more salespeople, make sure they know what they’re doing.

The top things to know about hiring your sales staff:
1) If you want to grow your business, it’s time for you to stop focusing on selling, and instead, find people to sell for you.
2) Determine what you need in a salesperson and then take the steps to find that person.
3) Consider less-traditional sales staffing solutions, such as outsourcing, using manufacturer’s representatives, independent sales agents, and more.
4) Continually assess and hire new salespeople as needed.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take the first steps

Before you start interviewing people off the street, take the time to create a comprehensive and clear salesperson job description, including your pay plan – commission vs. salary – and the additional qualities you’d like in a salesperson. Be clear about what needs to be done, how much time should be spent on specific tasks, and HOW you would like those tasks accomplished. This small time investment early on will save you (and your new hires) a lot of headaches later.

I recommend: Go to Businessballs.com for information on writing job descriptions, including sample templates and examples. Go to Career Builder (CB) Salary for an easy-to-use salary calculator. Our hint: pay a little more if the person has what it takes – and watch your sales numbers take off!

Train yourself and your management to hire knowledgeably

If you (and your hiring managers) do not know what you’re looking for in your sales staff, how in the world are you going to know when – or if – you find it? Go to the pros for advice on everything from interviewing to learning about the person’s REAL skills as a salesperson.

I recommend: Unlimited Learning Resources’ More Than a Gut Feeling course is designed with you and your hiring staff in mind. It teaches you to plan the interview, uncover selling skills, and use examples of past selling experience to predict future sales behaviors. Rent this VHS course for one week for $225, or buy it for $945.

Get advice from the pros

Who better to advise you about hiring your sales staff than those who have been there, done that? We can’t think of anyone. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from mentors or other business owners (not your direct competition, of course) regarding their recruiting practices.

I recommend: Go to the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) for the advice of an expert in sales force hiring. Simply type in your request, and one of their 1,300 volunteers will give you free, confidential, FAST advice (get answers within 48 hours via email). If you’d prefer face-to-face counseling, simply enter your info to find the SCORE office nearest you. (If you’re not sure that you need help with sales, take SCORE’s quick “Are You Reaching Your Sales Potential?” quiz.) Speaking of pros, check out SellingSelling.com, the online home of the self-named “Ambassador of Selling,” Alan J. Zell, where you can find information about his selling seminars, trade show involvement, and consulting services.

Hire outside the box

Be creative when hiring your sales staff, and you might just save some money. For example, hire manufacturer’s representatives, or independent sales agents, who work on a commission, or outsource your sales, rather than having an in-house sales staff. Or mix it up – combining inside sales with telemarketing and online sales and some independent sales agents.

I recommend: Go to RepHunter for independent reps, manufacturers reps, and sales agencies. Go to BuyerZone to get free, no-obligation quotes for outbound telemarketing. For executive sales outsourcing, visit Corporate Rain, Inc.

Use online tools to sharpen your skills, and theirs

Seek out Web sites that offer sales hiring training – or just plain sales training – to not only brush up on your own sales staff hiring skills, but also to offer ongoing support, encouragement, and new ideas to your existing – and new – sales staff. Constantly challenge them – in a fun way, whenever possible – to go all the way and make a difference.

I recommend: Go to JustSell.com for a goldmine of sales info – everything from their List of 31 Interview Questions and The Sales Process (this one can help with job description, too), to Sales Goals and Sales Evaluation tools. Sign up for their free sales newsletters (with the core fundamentals), sales quotes (for motivation and inspiration), and “Prospects” (50 leads for businesses).

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Evaluate your sales staff continuously, and hire more people as needed – don’t wait until your current staff is overworked and burned out before bringing in some relief.
• •  Pay attention when you’re at a store and you come across a terrific salesperson – then figure out what you can do to lure him away from his current employer.
• •  Ask for referrals from other employees, professional organizations, or trusted colleagues – but don’t hire your sales staff out of obligation – or anything other than their sales skills.
• •  Contact local colleges for third or fourth year students – or recent graduates – to find eager salespeople you can mold to your sales methodology.