We recently interviewed 171 sales leaders about the results they are getting recruiting a sales team and targeting sales candidates. Their feedback surprised us.

Many Sales Leaders (SL) admit a growing frustration with the results they are getting.

Job Boards, Headhunters and Staffing Agencies have become increasingly more costly. But the increased prices have not improved their ability to target sales candidates who hit the ground running, resulting in more recruiting, but lower retention.

In our interviews, many Sales Leaders told us that when they are hiring salespeople they are not really confident that they are targeting the best applicants. Too many candidates have had their LinkedIn profiles and resumes professionally edited, making it increasingly harder to tell the superstars from the duds when selecting candidates to be interviewed.

Then we followed up with the few Sales Leaders who indicated satisfaction with the sales recruiting process. What are these Sales Leaders doing differently? How are they recruiting sales candidates who turn out to be stars?

We asked these SLs exactly that and here is what they said:

1. Make sure your ad tells the full story.

The best sales applicants are looking for a career, not a job. Make sure you’ve taken the time to review and update your Comp Agreement. Make sure it is realistic and rewards top superstars who are looking to apply their extraordinary talents at a company that values them. When top sales talent reads your ad, they need to know if they apply their 110% effort, your company will make sure they are compensated accordingly.

2. Use profiling tools.

The most successful SL’s all use profiling tools. They report having often switched between various testing services until finding one that consistently identifies the “diamonds” among the flood of applications. Todays “click and apply” environment means applicants make no effort when applying. Successful SLs find profiling gives them a better understanding of who are the best candidates. They have a realistic understanding of what makes a true top performer and avoid the “previous sales experience” search which rarely, if ever, succeeds.

3. Interview with purpose.

In our interviews, SL’s told us their meetings with sales talent having a clear, meaningful set of questions, presented in the right order. And they talked about how the “make them sweat” overly long interview results in less, not more accurate sales hiring. These SLs use the interview as a getting to know you with the candidate. Every SL said they never hire with less than three interviews, but because the interviews are scripted, they can keep them shorter without losing the ability to find whether the candidate is a match for their company culture.

Share this feedback with your SLs so they can hire more quickly with greater accuracy. If you'd like to learn how to find new high quality sales team members check out our 4 Things You Must Do To Consistently Hire Top Talent

In the realm of sales organizations, the challenge of hiring the right salesperson has often led us down a tricky path of hasty, gut-based selections. All too often, these decisions result in a mediocre sales team, a pitfall underscored by Peter D. Widdle, a Staffing and Hiring writer for the Wall Street Journal, in his insightful dissection of Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink.

Widdle, respected for his shrewd understanding of recruitment dynamics, extrapolated Gladwell's theory – most people's tendency to make quick, gut decisions – into the field of sales hiring. This approach, while valuable in certain situations, may not yield the best results in recruitment, as many managers battling a low 20-25% sales hiring success rate have discovered.

Yet Widdle does not wholly dismiss Gladwell's model. He instead proposes a method of sales candidate targeting that uses this quick decision-making trait to our advantage. The logic is simple: if candidates are making snap judgements on job postings, our advertisements must be designed to immediately engage and captivate potential salespeople.

Examine your current job ads critically. If they lack the allure of competing ads in your sector, then consider a rewrite. Utilize the invaluable resources from the AHS Ad Writing Module in the Member Area. This module provides an array of elements that form compelling ads, providing a strategic edge in your search for quality candidates.

The complexities of sales hiring can seem daunting, but with the right sales hiring tool, it becomes manageable. If you're encountering difficulties in designing effective job ads or any aspect of sales hiring, reach out for assistance. Our aim is to facilitate your recruitment process, ensuring you build a strong sales team that drives your organization's success.

Ultimately, it takes more than just gut feelings to succeed in sales hiring. By making strategic adjustments, particularly in attracting candidates, we can turn instinctive decision-making into a more productive and effective process. It's time we learned from Gladwell's 'blink' moment and apply it to our recruitment efforts. This way, we improve our chances of not just hiring a salesperson, but hiring the right salesperson. The process of how to recruit salespeople becomes more of a science than an art, leading to more consistent results. Schedule a free Science of Sales Hiring Strategy Session where we’ll review your current approach to hiring salespeople.