As companies start to grow, it becomes much harder for the founders to give enough attention to both selling and running the company without sacrificing quality along the way. When this happens, oftentimes the next step is to hire a sales rep to join the team. Hiring a sales rep can be a lot for a small business to take on, and there are some crucial things you should consider before you hire your first sales rep.
However, if you do decide that your next step is to hire a sales rep then it’s important to hire the right person the first time around to reduce the risk of turnover and the high costs associated with it. Keep reading to learn about three common mistakes employers make when hiring their first sales reps and how to avoid them.
Hiring Too Quickly
Many employers make the mistake of getting too excited about expanding their team and end up hiring a sales rep who isn’t a good fit for the position. It’s important to examine your company, the open position, and your product to really understand what type of salesperson you need to fill the position. Also, don’t get hung up on a candidate with a good personality or who would do a good job in the future with some training. Since it’s your first sales rep, you need to find someone who has experience selling and who will be able to hit the ground running right away.
Hiring Friends and Family
Another common mistake small business owners make is hiring unqualified friends or family to fill their open sales position. It may seem like a good idea to hire people you can trust to work at your business, but if they don’t have any sales experience or a strong work ethic, then you will be stuck in a more awkward position when they’re not performing and you have to let them go. Also, if you do have a good friend who is also a salesperson, you should consider if you would be able to work with them effectively, or if it would ultimately cause problems for your relationship. Making your first hire can make or break your business so you need to make sure you’re going with the most talented and qualified candidate out there.
Making a Deliberately Low Offer
Today, top candidates have many options when it comes to employment and are often interviewing at multiple companies at once. A candidate is not going to accept an offer that is lower than they’re worth because they know they can easily find a company who will pay them what they deserve. The days of 100 percent commission and hiring ‘hungry’ reps who will work for anything are over. Put together a compensation package that’s capable of bringing in and attracting your ideal candidate. It’s better to pay for a quality candidate than trying to get a ‘C player’ for cheap.
Before you start your search for your sales rep, make sure you evaluate your hiring process, what your ideal employee looks like, and develop a compensation package that attracts the type of candidate you would like to hire. Hiring your first sales rep is a big deal for a small business and hiring the right rep can help you expand and start generating revenue.
