How do I find top sales people willing to work on a commission only basis?
Launching startup with mobile adaptation solution that automatically mobilizes content and functionality across mobile devices. Company was launched in 2010 and has 200+ clients across Israel, Europe, and Asia.
Trying to find top sales people to sell on a commission only basis to help scale business. Limited resources so paying a monthly retainer is not an option at this point.
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Mar 2, 2014
It's hard to give you an in-depth answer to the question however as I would ask another 10 - 20 questions just to get an understanding of the opportunity. So it's likely you will have to cobble all of these answers together to get an answer you can do something with.
A good commission only sales person will be hard to find unless there is something bigger offered - like a piece of profit or shares, etc. Don't confuse this as a marketing person unless you are looking for the salesperson who has deep industry contacts which you can leverage. If that's the case the person you will hope to find will have been in business for a long time and likely be very expensive.
If the market is craving your solution and you're the only provider then your task may be easier. You still have to "sell" it to the sales person. You'll likely have to show a very detailed strategic marketing plan, show that there is incoming demand for your service, you're getting more requests than you can field, etc.
If this isn't case you should be looking at a better marketing plan and drive sales into your organization to be handled.
Good Luck
Mar 1, 2014
Tough, I can tell you that.
Here is what only commission sales is:
- extremely opportunistic
- not using their full attention to sell you products or services
- doing something else as soon as something better and more lucrative (e.g. non commission sales) pops up
- keep in mind people must live on something and if they are financially independent what is the point in doing a job requiring 150% attention and energy.
So if you want to do this business really seriously you have to give something.
You can give shares, and a guarantee that in couple of years or so the sales person gets some cash. Yes, you need to make sure that you get this cash until then.
This has worked in couple of cases with my clients.
Sales is a 150% job!
Mar 5, 2014
Hi Clive,
a sales on commission, say 50% base and rest commission, I think would be one idea. A person who only has a commission based salary must look, unless he is wealthy enough, other means of income. So time is wasted. I know the challenge you are addressing re salaried sales people. However, opting for a commission only scheme is not going to solve it, because people need money to live. For a successful sales: good leadership is needed and an attractive remuneration (incl. commission) and good people. Commission only is in my opinion a good thing if the rep for instance is well established and has already some customer contacts but is looking for additional products or systems to sell to them.
Mar 1, 2014
Jeff,
Try: www.timetohire.com. Nationwide platform for salespeople including commission only.
Good Luck
Mar 1, 2014
It's going to be a tough sell without some assurances of business/revenue for them. Do you have leads you can use to seed some sales? Sales people who work on commission only are trading their time for money, if they're not making it ($), they're NOT spending it (time) either...
Mar 1, 2014
If you want to attract top sales people on commission you need to appeal to their talent and ability. I'm not sure of your model but you if they are cultivating leads they will require at least 50% of gross profit. If you are providing all the leads they need to close you can lower that amount.
You mention resources are limited so you need to make sure they are not to limited to deliver the product on big orders and service any issues timely. You might be used to growing pains but if you want to attract "Top Sales People" you need to have the back end dialed,
If you are confident that you are ready to support a pro with what I am mentioning, then promote in your ad these facts.
Commission only for those who have proven and enjoy being reimbursed this way. Commissions are 50% of gross profit. No service issues and we can support any size order. New technology in the mobile field that is ready to go now. We have secured our first 200 clients the past four years and all is good to go.
Only apply if you have 3 years of successful sales experience and your own nest egg to carry you through a __________ month ramp up period. Sales should begin to flow in __________ months for the right person.
Take care of what they need to do their job well, pay them for the risk they take and respect their talent.
Mar 1, 2014
Jeff,
I have the same issue and it is not easy to find the right salesperson in a commission only environment. I have found that if you target those in your industry who can bring a book of business then you pay a higher commission rate than the industry pays you may find what you are looking for. This has worked for me but I also provide qualified leads as well as laptops, phones and a office to work from. Once you bring them aboard the hardest part is managing them so you must be clear upfront on expectations or you will not be able to manage the salesperson as they will believe they can do as they wish.
Mar 1, 2014
Hi Jeff. I have the same sort of arrangement with my business. I pay my reps 20% commission on all sales in their area. To help entice top earners, I spent months developing a complete system for them to follow, including manuals, details on all products and how to sell them, biz cards, mailing labels, letterhead, skype access to my team, ebooks, etc. Even though it delayed the launch of the platform, it was totally worth it in the end, as it attracted better sales people because they knew I was serious.
To find them, I put a lot of focus on LinkedIn. I used the jobs section as well as the advanced search tool. Job seekers can place an icon on their profile that lets you know they're looking for new opportunities, you can also specify this in your advanced search. Many also place terms like "seeking new opportunity" in their tagline, which is also easily searched for.
Many people balk at a straight commission based payment system.....but of course those are the people you don't want as part of your team. If you have good products and a good company, the top sellers will see this opportunity for what it really is.
Mar 1, 2014
Tough to find good commission only sales help. And there is more too it than just sales. What about your marketing plan? How will you support the sales team? What about lead generation? If the person has not sold directly into your target market, lead generation will be difficult.
Posting on LinkedIn and in some of the Sales groups is one place to try.
Mar 1, 2014
Hi Jeff,
I would urge caution with commission only reps and opt for manufacturers reps instead. You won't get caught in any potential tax issues plus you have a ready audience which has already decided on a straight commission arrangement. This doesn't work for all industries so without know more about you, I can be 100% sure of this advice. If it fits, there are groups on linkedin for manuf. reps, plus sites like rep hunter etc. Good luck.
Mar 1, 2014
College students have the unique ability to be motivated by money and can still live on nothing if they don't earn anything. No one is relying on them either. I would definitely talk to some student groups in your area and give them valuable experience. you can also train them how you see fit instead of getting people who think they know what there doing. Freelance is alright too and there are tons of them out there. Just need to fin the right websites.
Mar 1, 2014
Jeff ... freelance sales persons are difficult to find and moreover they are very much unreliable until unless something big is on offer.
Secondly, I would suggest that you should try venture funding .. so you can aim high and go for the kill.
Hi Paul, in an ideal world when a salesperson says they can win you tons of new business they'd be telling the truth. Sadly the reality is that most people who claim to be salespersons giving it their all, only have their immediate circle of contacts to tap into. This means that even on a good day, your salaried salesperson is going to dry up pretty quick. This I see all the time. Hence the commission-only approach might make sense to a start-up with limited funds. So until there is a way we can all tell a realistic person from an over-optimistic one, we've got a problem. One thing I've noticed is how over-optimistic people tend to use hyperbole - such as giving it 110% (150% is even better ;o). So if we take your statement of fact that sales is a 150% job, and humans can never actually give more than 100% for brief moments during their working day - all salespeople will always fail to meet the demands of the job. Hmmm... ;o)