Finding a top sales performer in today’s recruiting market can be a daunting task. Every employer is seeking the professional with the best performance record, hoping to increase revenue for their company. Realistically, however, these top performers are difficult to find.

Why Finding a Good Sales Recruit Is a Challenge

• Statistics vary, but it appears that between 5 to 10% of those working in sales actually achieve results superior enough to be considered high achieving.
• Because almost every company is seeking efficient ways to increase revenue, these employees are in high demand.
• Once these employees find good careers, they typically commit for a while. Particularly if they are happy with their compensation, they may not even be looking elsewhere.

How You Can Overcome the Challenge and Land the Best Recruits

While landing the best sales recruits may be rare and even difficult, there are many strategies headhunters can implement that make drastic differences. By utilizing a few basic strategies, you’ll be able to recruit among the best.

• Go the extra mile with a job description. Instead of posting the usual lists of responsibilities, include goals and objectives. This allows the applicant to view the goals he’ll be working on as well.
• Provide the proper foundations and examples. If a leader in the industry is looking for another employer, he’ll likely want to find one with an established track record for success. It will also be critical that proper training is available, as no one wants to feel they’ve gone from a top performer to someone who isn’t properly trained in the office. Be sure the office doesn’t “waste” talent with poor training or badly performing coworkers.
• Know what you’re seeking. Not only should the interview be structured specifically for sales related questions, but you should be in regular communication with others involved in the hiring process. For example, your recruiting team should have a profile for the candidate of choice, and competitive compensation should be discussed and agreed upon.
• Have patience and an open mind. Finding someone worth the effort will likely take some time, and perhaps even some persuasion and negotiation for some time. It also helps to be open minded when seeking the ideal candidate. If someone fits the perfect profile but hasn’t had the opportunity to excel in the field, your sales intensive interview may still prove they have what it takes.

Overall, scoring the perfect candidate can be as simple as courting someone with great potential who fits your company’s profile. Though it may be time consuming, the effort is well worth the time, as companies can see large returns from a great sales team. You’ll want to be the headhunter they thank for that perfect team, so they return again and again.

For other factors, you should check 8 Reasons To Use Recruiters For Sales Hiring article with some more information.