Too many small business owners believe the only way to take their business to the next level is to add a sales rep to their team. While hiring a new sales rep can be a great way to achieve that goal, you also need to make sure it’s the right time for you to hire and that your business is ready to take on a sales professional. There are five things you should consider before you hire your first sales rep to help you avoid turnover and the high costs associated with hiring the wrong person.
Who is in charge of sales right now?
As is the case in many small businesses, the owner is often the person in charge of all selling activities. It’s not until the company starts to expand that some of this responsibility is given to someone else. That being said, there needs to be a balance between your time spent selling and your time spent working on the business. If all of your time is being spent chasing down leads and not enough time is being spent on strategy or other business needs, then you should consider hiring a sales rep.
Where are your leads coming from?
Once you’ve evaluated how much time you’re spending on sales, you should then assess where and how you’re getting your leads. Are many of your leads coming into your business and your time is spent following up? Or are you having to network and prospect to find quality leads and much of your time is spent generating new business? Answering these questions can help you determine what type of salesperson you need to hire. A sales rep whose main function is to close incoming business and build relationships is going to have different skills than a sales rep who needs to go into the field and prospect.
Do you have a defined sales process?
Before you can hire and train a new sales rep on your sales process, you must first have a clearly defined and systematic process. Define the different stages of the process and who needs to be doing what at each stage. Even if you do hire a new sales rep, there will be a chance you will still need to be involved in the process until your can hire more reps or until the sales rep ramps up to speed. Also, knowing the ins and outs of your sales process will help you determine whether a hunter or a farmer will perform better in this role.
What marketing are you doing for your business?
The key to a sales rep’s success starts with good marketing. Without sustained marketing efforts, you would not have leads and prospects to follow up with. Take some time to evaluate your own marketing efforts. Are you speaking to your potential clients in the way and through the medium they need to be spoken to today? Have you positioned yourself properly or as a leader in your industry? Making a deliberate investment in marketing may be more strategic and have a longer impact than adding a sales rep to your team. Remember, most people today do their initial research online instead of just reaching out to a sales rep to learn more information.
How are you going to train them?
The number one reason sales reps fail is because of poor sales leadership. Before you hire a new sales rep, you must first think through how you want to onboard, train, and supervise them. You can’t just hire a sales rep and expect them to hit the ground running with no direction and no coaching. Whether you’re going to be supervising and training the sales rep, or you hire a sales leader to coach them, there needs to be someone there to train them on your sales process and expectations. If you don’t have the time or resources to do so, you run a high risk of turnover.
Before you hire a sales rep for your small business, you should first evaluate your sales process, marketing efforts and whether your business has enough resources to train and onboard a new employee. By doing this assessment before you make a hire, you lower the risk of turnover and the high costs associated with making the wrong hire.
