Video Rant #6 How To Create a Terrific Salesperson Recruiting Tool

Before they ever start actual recruiting, good sales hirers sit down and really plan out a new hire’s career, every step of the way. They project what the new successful rep can and should earn in each of their first 5 years in the business.

Most of us who have been sales managers have put together sales projections. Year after year, we write stuff down on our spreadsheets. But then when we get to the end of the year, turns out it’s not all that accurate. The trick is, you have to start at the most granular level in order to wind up with a reasonably accurate projection. And a good, accurate five-year compensation plan and projection is a terrific recruiting tool for you.

You go through year by year and realistically project what kind of activity they’ll be required to do, reasonable activity for a serious salesperson. Then lay that up against a solid closing ratio. Figure year by year, what this new salesperson is going to earn for you. And then based on your comp plan, how much will they earn for themselves?

Look at sales help wanted ads. Lots of claims about earning big money. Consider the power YOU get by saying, “Listen, if you make 4 presentations a day, 5 days a week, and you have a reasonable closing ratio, then your first year, you can expect to earn $65,000.”

And then, depending on your product or service, from the 2nd year on, you show what they earn each year, plus the residual income from prior years. When you can show an applicant what they’ll be earning five years out, your sales position is suddenly seen very differently from the others. Seven year, ten year, long-term clients tell me that a codified sales hiring system makes a big impression on applicants. They get better quality applicants accepting their sales position than ever before. When an applicant sees that you really projected out, it gives them confidence in your promises.

Everybody wants 6 figures. But unless it’s a super lucrative sale and you’re hiring senior sales reps, it’s tough to project $100,000 first year. Depends on the market. We’ve got clients in Minnesota. More elk than people there. Cost of living is way lower than it is for our clients in New Jersey. So it depends on market. If they’ve got a shot at 6 figures in the 2nd or 3rd year, I think that’s reasonable.

Most of these ads that claim $100,000 income have nothing behind that number. No research. No science. The applicant knows it’s BS. But when you show a projection and reasonable benchmarks they can really hit to get to $150,000 in year 5, you overcome their resistance to a performance-based compensation agreement. Suddenly, it all looks very doable.

And you have an approach that wows your applicants and eliminates your competition.

This is Alan Fendrich with Advanced Hiring System. Give me a call.

Can DISC Profiles explain why some couples, like my wife Leah and I, have stayed married for 43 years? Or why other couples “throw in the towel” long before “death do us part?”

I didn’t pick my wife based on her DISC profile — in fact, I didn’t know beans about DISC Profiles when I first met her. I just really liked being around her. However having learned to read DISC styles has helped us stay together.

Our marriage has had its ups and downs. There were many times over the past 43 years that I was ready to call it quits and so was she.

DISC is a personality style system. It’s a tool that’s been around for nearly 100 years and has gone through constant refinements. In DISC we measure four aspects of the human personality. We then look at the relationship of those aspects. Then establish both a Natural more permanent style and an Adapted situational style.

In order for DISC styles to be helpful in making a marriage work, the interface of the two partners styles needs to be managed by them. This is easier for some styles to do than others — regardless it can be learned. For a marriage to work, often the responses need to be “Oh, its their personality style that is causing them to…”

I think one partner will tend to compromise more than the other. Certain styles are more happy to bend.

In a society that values Drive and Achievement, we focuson maximum achievement. In my opinion, this tends to partner two high Drives. Unless Drivers are very self-aware, this is often a prescription for disaster.

The four aspects of DISC are Drive, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance.

DRIVE: That voice inside my head saying “I’ve got to make it”, “I can do it”, “I’m the one who can make this happen”, “It’s all about me”. Drive is about putting my ego on the line, if I fail I am hard on myself. The Drive voice inside my head talks tough to myself.

Under pressure Drivers tend to push people, rather than lead and they become impatient.

INFLUENCE: My ability to communicate with others in a way they like to be communicated with. Influence is about my flexible communication style. Influence is my ability to measure the effect of my communication on others. How I adjust to get my message through.

Under pressure Influencers become all heart over head. They rely too heavily on verbal ability.

STEADINESS: My desire to stay for extended periods of time on one physical location. Steadiness is the desire for less movement and more stability. It is my desire for routines.

Steadies under stress resist change. They internalize feelings when they should be discussing them.

COMPLIANCE: My belief in the value and importance of rules. My comfort in following the rules.

When feeling pressure Compliants experience analysis paralysis and avoid controversy.

As it turns out, my wife Leah and I have complimentary styles. Fortunately despite be a Driver, I had the good sense to look for someone who is kind hearted and let’s things go.

Oh, and we don’t marriage counseling here at Advanced Hiring. We use these power tools to help clients hire great salespeople. If you’re looking to hire great salespeople we’ve put together a quick one minute quiz that will help. Click the button below to take the short quiz.