Original Post Archives

How To Build a Candidate Pipeline For Future Hires

Posted on February 1, 2019January 20, 2021 by caitlinhoward

Building a "candidate pipeline" is a great way to form relationships with qualified candidates you may be interested in hiring when a new position opens up. Oftentimes, employers and hiring managers will have no more than two weeks notice to fill a position. This is nowhere near enough time to source candidates, interview them, and ultimately make an informed hiring decision. By creating a candid...

How to Make Your Company More Appealing to Top Sales Talent

Posted on August 19, 2016January 5, 2021 by caitlinhoward

Talented sales reps are in high demand and aren’t going to work at your company just because you’ve recruited and interviewed them. You need to show them why your company is the best place for them to work, and make sure they want to work for you just as much as you want to hire them. There are 5 key areas top sales reps routinely evaluate to see if the position and company are the right fit for t...

Which Red Flags Should Automatically Rule Out a Sales Candidate?

Posted on January 29, 2015January 7, 2021 by caitlinhoward

Lying on a resume, arriving late to an interview, and wearing inappropriate attire are obvious indicators that a candidate should no longer be considered for the position. But what about warning signs during the hiring process that are more subtle? There are three red flags to be aware of when hiring sales candidates. Make sure to pass on candidates who exhibit any of these three red flags to avoi...

Common Sales Hiring Mistakes

Posted on November 26, 2013January 8, 2021 by caitlinhoward

It’s no secret that hiring a sales representative is a difficult task, but oftentimes the sales hiring managers make this task even harder by committing detrimental mistakes during the hiring process. Through years of experience, Kathleen Steffey, CEO of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search, narrowed down the top 3 sales hiring mistakes she witnesses on a daily basis. Hiring a job hopper, hiri...

Lack Luster Employee Culture? Address It Now to Impact Retention.

Posted on September 20, 2013May 12, 2022 by Kevin Steffey

This post is Part 4 in a Salesjournal Series on “Making Your Business Attractive to Top Talent.” Part 1 asks “Is Your Business Attractive to Top Talent?”, Part 2 describes how to “Market Your Company and Positions to Attract Top Talent”, Part 3 outlines ways to “Cultivate Your Network to Attract Top Talent“, and Part 5 asks “Want Top Talent? Rethink Benefits“. Whether you know it or ...

Cultivate Your Network to Attract Top Talent

Posted on September 6, 2013April 6, 2022 by Kevin Steffey

This post is Part 3 in a Salesjournal Series on “Making Your Business Attractive to Top Talent.” Part 1 asks “Is Your Business Attractive to Top Talent?” and Part 2 describes how to “Market Your Company and Positions to Attract Top Talent”, Part 4 details “Lack Luster Employee Culture? Address It Now to Impact Retention” and Part 5 asks “Want Top Talent? Rethink Benefits.” You can’t rely...

Market Your Company and Positions to Attract Top Talent

Posted on August 13, 2013April 6, 2022 by Kevin Steffey

This post is Part 2 in a Salesjournal Series on "Making Your Business Attractive to Top Talent." Part 1 asked, "Is Your Business Attractive to Top Talent?" Attracting top talent is a struggle for almost every company. An essential element to combating this problem is being able to market your company and your positions effectively. Appealing job descriptions, marketing your open positions...

Selling a Pen (and Yourself) in an Interview: Outdated Tactic or Timeless Question?

Posted on September 24, 2010June 11, 2015 by KathleenSteffey

A question was raised in one of my LinkedIn groups recently that got me and other members thinking about the tactics used by hiring managers during the interview process. The question: If you were interviewing for a sales job and the sales manager said “sell me this pen," how would you respond? The feedback from the group was varied. Some offered recommended responses to the actual question. Ot...

Sales Recruiting & Gen Y: Nightmare or a Learning Opportunity?

Posted on July 30, 2010June 11, 2015 by KathleenSteffey

With Generation Y continuing to expand its numbers in the sales force, employers and hiring managers alike are finding that these young professionals present some unique challenges. The camps are decidedly split on how business will be affected by this generation, which has earned a reputation for being difficult. I believe that the challenges presented by Generation Y are offset by the fact th...

Cultivating a Great Recruiter Relationship

Posted on August 28, 2009 by KathleenSteffey

In today’s bleak employment market, many job seekers are turning to professional recruitment firms for help. It’s a smart move, unless the candidate goes into the relationship thinking that their sole responsibility is to provide the recruiter with a resume and an idea of the job they’d most like to have. To be effective, the recruiter-candidate relationship is one that must be cultivated and pro...

What not to do in your job interview

Posted on July 24, 2009January 28, 2015 by KathleenSteffey

Interviews can be stressful, especially if you’ve gone through a number of them with nothing to show for the time spent. We can all be quick to place blame on the “other” party, but more often than not the reason someone has endured a significant number of interviews without a positive response lies with the interviewee – not the interviewer. If this is happening to you, it’s time to take a clos...

How To Find and Get A Job

Posted on July 10, 2009 by KathleenSteffey

I recently started working with an executive who approaches his job search like a sale. We speak every week about our progress and he closes the call just as he would a sales call; by establishing follow up and reporting expectations for himself and for us. It’s a smart approach, because finding a job requires the ability to sell – you. Unfortunately, most job seekers fail to view their search ...

Preventing the Mis-Hire

Posted on June 26, 2009May 13, 2022 by KathleenSteffey

In a recent posting, fellow blogger Dave Stein commented on what he views as an epidemic: the mis-hiring of sales executives. Dave notes that too many C-level executives don’t understand what sales leadership is all about and, as a result, continue to put non-qualified people into these positions. “That’s why sales is last on line in many companies with respect to quality, discipline, process, m...

Connections and Keywords are the Secret to Landing Sales Jobs

Posted on April 3, 2009 by KathleenSteffey

As unemployment lines continue to lengthen, sales professionals in search of work are finding they need more than just a resume and telephone to land a job. In today’s market, they need to know how to make the most of online networking and job search tools. The online job search site is one of the most basic tools for people seeking employment today. However, it’s not enough to simply post your ...

Job Hopping or Financial Survival?

Posted on March 27, 2009 by KathleenSteffey

I’m seeing a trend lately where sales reps – even A Players – are taking any job they can find, even if it doesn’t make sense for them in the long-term, then continuing to shop for the right position. In many cases, it’s an economic necessity. Which is why hiring managers may need to adjust their opinions of job-hoppers, at least until the economy recovers. The reality is that professionals who w...

Good Salespeople Are Hard to Find

Posted on February 9, 2009 by KathleenSteffey

"Successfully selling in specialized industries requires not only stellar sales skills but experience and industry-specific knowledge. Employers and salespeople alike need to focus on the salesperson's personal development, selling skills enhancement and their industry-specific training as well," discusses Daniel Sitter in his blog post for Idea Sellers. View the entire article at: http://ideasell...

Naviga’s 2009 Economic Survey finds companies are cautiously optimistic for revenue and hiring growth in 2009

Posted on January 30, 2009May 9, 2022 by KathleenSteffey

In some encouraging economic news, an independent survey conducted on behalf of my sales and marketing recruitment firm, Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search, found that companies are projecting at least modest revenue growth in 2009 and most are planning to expand their sales force to make that happen. When asked how they project revenues to change in 2009 compared to 2008, more than 32% of ...

Would An A-Player Use YouTube To Compete For A Sales Position?

Posted on September 12, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

If my own experience is any indication, video resumes are becoming more popular. I’m definitely seeing an uptick in the number of resumes I receive from sales professionals that direct me to a link on YouTube or another website to view their video resume. For me, it creates a dilemma. There are some very real discrimination concerns because videos reveal information about the candidate such as r...

Where do you stand on sales positions that offer no base and are 100% commission?

Posted on August 29, 2008March 12, 2021 by KathleenSteffey

Would you take a 100% commission business-to-business sales position? I wouldn’t, nor will I take on any company that insists on such an out-dated pay structure. The turnover rates are just too high (something like 99% of commission-only sales reps fails to make a livable wage and are forced to leave for greener pastures) and it’s nearly impossible to find A-Players willing to accept t...

Who says great sales managers can’t be found? Dig deep and make the offer sexy!

Posted on August 22, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a Fortune Small Business “Ask FSB” column (see “How do I Find a Great Sales Manager” in the September 2008 issue of Fortune Small Business), responding to a reader’s question on how to find a great sales manager to expand his staffing firm’s client base. The business owner said he was willing to offer very competitive pay, but was having a hard time...

Managing the Meeting

Posted on April 18, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

Regular sales meeting are a necessary evil. On the one hand, good sales leaders know that regular gatherings with their team are vital to achieving objectives, meeting goals and nipping problems before they blow out of proportion and threaten productivity. On the other hand, they can devolve into mind-numbing time-wasters that do nothing more than keep the sales team from actually selling. The ...

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Posted on April 11, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

If every motivational strategy in the book fails to turn your team around, it’s time to look in the mirror. The problem may be you. As a sales leader, you may honestly believe that you’ve created an environment that fosters success and encourages innovative approaches to achieving sales goals. But if the numbers aren’t backing that up, or if your team members are rapidly deserting you for greener...

Where the Sales Jobs Are

Posted on February 22, 2008May 12, 2022 by KathleenSteffey

There is a great article on Monster.com that is a must-read for anyone curious about job prospects in today’s volatile economic times. Surprisingly enough, in “Sales Hiring Outlook 2008,” author John Rossheim comes away with a much rosier outlook than you might expect, given the bad news that dominates the business pages. As long as we aren’t hit with a serious recession that is. Rossheim notes ...

Make the First Week Count

Posted on February 15, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

Completing administrative tasks in advance of a new employee’s start date is a smart way to get them producing as quickly as possible. But it takes more than business cards and an email account. It also takes careful planning of their first week on the job, making sure they are properly trained and prepared to meet expectations. Don’t wait to get them into orientation programs and training on the...

Why Wait for the Start Date?

Posted on February 8, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

If you want your new sales reps to quickly become efficient, productive members of the team, you need to make sure they have all the tools necessary to hit the ground running the day they start. Why would you want them wasting time waiting for IT to give them an email password or reading through the company’s insurance plan when they could be hitting the pavement with sales calls? True, some pro...

Bring in the “A Team”

Posted on February 1, 2008 by KathleenSteffey

It doesn’t matter how innovative your products or services are, without a strong sales team, your revenues will remain flat. So why make the mistake of not involving your top performing sales representatives in building out your team? Or worse, putting the selection process in the hands of under-performers? Throughout my years of recruiting sales and marketing professionals, I have learned that t...