Building Your Organization - Hiring The Right Sales Talent

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Building Your Organization - Hiring The Right
Sales Talent

• Presented By Christopher J. Bilotta
• Resource Development Company, Inc.
  
  

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Introduction

• Purpose
• Discuss attributes/profile of sales managers vs.
  individual sales people
• How to identify, evaluate, and hire the right
  individuals
• Presenter Profile
• President, RDC, Inc. (www.rdcinc.com)
• 15 years in executive search
• CPRW, CPA
• Drexel University BS Business, MBA
• www.christopherbilotta.com

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Questions to Ponder

• What makes a successful Sales Manager?
• What makes a successful Salesperson?
• Are the two mutually exclusive?
• Should they be mutually exclusive?

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A Frequent Dilemma

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Two Sides of The Same Coin

• Its usually a bad idea to have a super
  salesperson and a sales manager in the same
  person.
• If you have a super salesperson rather than a
  sales manager, you ultimately have a bottleneck
  to progress and the teams long-term success.
• The best athlete does not necessarily make the
  best coach.

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Downsides of Two In One

• If a SM gets involved with one deal, the sales
  team comes to expect help on all deals.
• It becomes hard to persuade customers of the
  super salesperson/sales manager to go back to
  normal treatment.
• The super salesperson/sales manager might win one
  or two deals, but probably lose many more as a
  consequence.

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The Ultimate Sales Manager

• The Role
• Not achieving direct sales results by themselves.
• The Goal
• Driving sales results through other people.

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SM Profile - What Really Matters

• Specific product knowledge is nice to have, but
  not a must
• Transferable skill-set
• Track record
• Leader and Manager - cultivated and developed
  through training and experience

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SM Position Requirements

• Organization (Hard skills)
• Evaluate and understand each individual
• Assess strengths and weaknesses
• Develop structure/process
• Implement effective use of technology
• Set team and individual goals
• Maintain accountability
• Management (Soft skills)
• Lead and direct
• Train and coach
• Inspire and motivate

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Keys To SM Hiring Areas To Probe

• Recruitment
• Onboarding
• Process
• Metrics
• Compensation Plans
• Skill Development
• Leadership

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Effective Interviewing

• Behavioral / Situational Model
• Request a Plan
• Critical thinking
• Writing skills
• Ability to follow directions
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Profile Assessments (Caliper, DISC)
• References / Background Checks

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Leadership - Its All About Fit
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Sales Manager The First 100 Days

• Assess team
• Create a consistent, sustainable process
• Institute a sales forecasting system
• Identify priorities
• Agree on short vs. long term focus
• Reporting tool to senior management

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Assess Team - Determine Skill vs. Will

• Identify what motivates the individual
  salesperson and develop a plan
• Raise the bar, but monitor carefully
• Do a better job of hiring top performers in the
  first place

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Building A Sales Team

• Goal motivated vs. money motivated?
• Hit the goal and the money will follow
• How much money do you want to make vs. how much
  money do you need to make?
• Recognize the difference between the two

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Right Person - Right Position

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Next Steps

• Benchmark Competitors
• Identify Best in Class Companies
• Build an OPEC Recruiting Pipeline
• Ongoing
• Proactive
• Effective
• Comprehensive