Today’s world is continuously changing. Over the past decade, technology has moved at a pace we’ve never seen before and has helped create new products and services almost daily.
These advances in technology have not only changed the lives of consumers, but they’ve also opened up new opportunities for businesses. Technology companies are eager to get their solutions and products in front of the right audience and are looking to hire the right sales team to help them do this.
However, hiring tech sales pros is not easy. There is a high demand for top sales pros and these technology roles are some of the toughest jobs in sales.
According to a recent study from ToutApp—which surveyed 300 HR managers at U.S.-based technology companies who had at least 200 employees—a whopping 80% of respondents stated that they intend to invest more in the recruitment and hiring of sales talent.
If you need to hire tech sales reps, then keep reading to learn 5 tips that will increase your chances of finding and hiring the talent you need to be successful.
CLEARLY DEFINE THE TECH SALES POSITION
Before you begin recruiting tech sales professionals, you need to be intentional about what you’re looking for in tech sales pro and include any must-have requirements needed for the position.
Start by defining the experience, skills and even personality traits that are needed for the hire to be successful. Once you have these in place, it will be easier to perform an objective assessment of each candidate.
Next, you want to compile any keywords that help separate your technology role from other tech positions. For example, some common technology keywords are ‘SaaS’, ‘software’ and ‘technology’.
Not only will these keywords help tech sales pros find your position, but it will also help you find top candidates on LinkedIn, databases, and in your network.
GRAB THE ATTENTION OF TECH SALES PROS
To say that tech sales pros are in high demand might be an understatement. In our own recruiting efforts, we’ve heard that sales reps have been contacted up to 30 times a day by different recruiters and companies.
However, that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to hire. It just means you need to get creative.
If you want to reach out to a tech sales rep, make sure it’s personal. Don’t just use a standard template and insert their name–they’ll know and they won’t respond. Try to form a connection with them. Do you have mutual connections in common or did you grow up in the same town?
Another way to get their attention is to include information about the company culture and any unique benefits. Including the compensation can help as well, but they’re likely already being well compensated and if your compensation is not competitive then they’re not going to give you a second look. Instead, candidates often change positions because of poor corporate culture or a bad boss. Talk about team outings or the sales manager’s leadership style.
DON’T DELAY THE HIRING PROCESS
As we mentioned above, the market for tech sales pros is extremely saturated.
According to the Tout App survey, when respondents were asked to state how competitive it is within the technology industry to find, recruit and hire experienced sales talent, 70 percent of those polled called it “very competitive.” Furthermore, finding and hiring entry-level sales talent was also described as “very competitive” by 52 percent of respondents.
So if you’re able to find and get a response from a top sales pro, then you need to move fast.
That means everything from initial interviews to the offer stage needs to move quickly. Also, make sure you’re communicating with your candidates during this time. Let them know what’s going on and be honest with them about when hiring decisions will be made.
Remember, they’re likely juggling multiple opportunities and offers during this time so the faster you can give them an offer, the better.
LOOK FOR KEY TRAITS
There are many traits that differentiate a great sales rep from an average one, and these can vary depending on the industry and who you ask. However, in technology sales, talented reps need specific traits that help them sell a more complicated product or service.
CRITICAL THINKER
As with most sales positions, it’s important to be able to identify the customer’s needs. But when dealing with complicated technologies and solutions, this need becomes much more critical. Look for a sales rep who takes the time to explore all options and alternatives when trying to solve a problem. This person should be able to take criticism and provide new solutions if their ideas are being challenged. If you perform a mock selling experience, look for reps who ask a lot of questions to get to the root of the problem and work with the client to accommodate their needs.
PERSUASIVE
Not everything is black and white in selling and tech sales reps need to be able to stray from the script when necessary to get the results they need. Look for sales reps who are persuasive and who can hold their own in conversations. Even though what they’re selling is complicated, they still need to show enthusiasm and be able to command the stage to inspire customer buy-in. Without these influential skills, it will be very difficult for a tech sales rep to be successful.
SALES HUNTER MENTALITY
The technology sales world is competitive and you need a sales rep who is eager to compete. Look for reps with a hunter mentality who can get things done. They get their energy through ‘hunting’ new opportunities and are often self-driven and independent. They tend to focus on big deals and quickly move from one deal to the next after one closes.
MAKE THE RIGHT OFFER
Once you find the right tech sales rep, then you need to move quickly during the offer stage. However, just because you’re moving the process along, doesn’t mean you don’t have time to research competitive salaries. If you don’t know what is considered competitive, then seek out a compensation expert or salary guide.
Typically, many tech sales pros start out with a base salary between $40,000 and $92,000, and bonuses and commissions that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with many technology salespeople earning upwards of $100,000 per year. If you’re not able to offer competitive compensation, then your candidate will be sure to find another company who will.
Also, during the offer stage, you should consider any additional perks or benefits that will help get this sales rep across the line. Think about the conversations you had during the interview stage. Would a sign on bonus be more attractive to them than a flexible work schedule?
Try to choose a compensation package that most aligns with the needs of your sales candidate and your business.
As technology continues to grow, the tech sales rep will be critical to the growth and success of new companies. Make sure you follow these tips if you want to hire a tech sales pro on your own or else partner with a tech sales recruiting firm to hire top talent today!
