Adding a top performing sales rep to your team can help you reach your year-end goals and increase revenue. However, finding a sales superstar isn’t an easy task. There are many places, strategies, and tools you can use to find top sales reps, and they all require a lot of time and effort. However, there are 3 places you can begin your search that will help increase your chances for success and hiring your ideal sales candidate.
Applicant Tracking System
Depending on the size of your company and the HR department, your company may have an Applicant Track System. The most beneficial thing about using an ATS is that all your recruiting efforts are searchable and you can organize and track every candidate that you’ve come into contact over the years. You can then start calling people who fit your search criteria and use them as a benchmark to define your strategy about what works and what doesn’t. Also, you may have candidates in your database that you spoke to a long time ago when they were in an entry level position but have gone on to become a successful sales rep. Sending out tailored messages and making phone calls will help you find top candidates who are already familiar with your company.
Even if you don’t have an ATS, you can still use your network to find top talent or ask trusted contacts or employees for referrals and use LinkedIn to search for connections. Once you build an ongoing relationship with top talent, you can then reach out to them when you’re ready to hire.
Targeted Passive Candidates
After you check your internal network and contacts, then you can start to research and identify passive candidates in the area. One way to do this is by targeting competitor candidates. First, identify a competitor company, then identify individual employees within the company who have positions similar to what you’re looking for in a sales candidate. Once you figure out who these candidates are and their contact details, you can then reach out to them to find out more about their background and discern whether they’re a fit for the position. Another way to reach out to passive candidates is to target candidates in similar industries or with similar job titles. This process requires a lot of time and deliberate effort, especially since many of the candidates you will be soliciting will most likely be passive job seekers. However, it is one of the best places to start your recruiting efforts because these people already know the industry and the job.
Third Party Databases
Another strategy is using third party databases to target active job seekers. Contact databases, purchase lists, and job boards are examples of third party sources we use to find candidates. It’s a great way to create a boomerang effect while you’re checking within your network and reaching out to passive candidates, however, it does take a lot of time and effort to sort through all the candidates who apply. I don’t recommend using job postings as your only method to find great candidates, but rather in congruence with sourcing competitor candidates and within your network. Sites like ZoomInfo or LinkedIn are also great resources to target specific candidates and their contact info.
There is a variety of different places to find top candidates, and these three strategies scratch just the surface. The more complex and narrow the search criteria, the more creative we have to be when finding top talent. If you’re struggling to find the right people for your open position, consider hiring an expert to perform a custom search. Learn more about how Naviga can help you find your ideal candidate.
