Creating an effective sales hiring system is based on integrity. At the end of the day, your goal is to convey to the applicants that your company is the best place for top sales agents.

Exceptional salesmanship is truly one of the rarest skills. Therefore, if you are going to attract the attention of these top closers, it’s critical at every step that you are upfront. Tell them what you need and be honest if they qualify or not.

A courtesy that has a big impact on your company’s image is a rejection letter sent to candidates who don’t make the cut at different levels of the hiring process. Through this method, you are letting applicants know where they stand. It will also save you the time and trouble of answering emails and phone calls to check about their application status.

We have a recommended format that simply states that their application has been rejected because of better, more qualified candidates: simple and to the point. It further demonstrates that your company has its act together – and is the kind of place that top closers can find a home.

If you do it right, you’re going to get to pick from the best of the best in the end which, to be honest, is an enviable spot to be in. When you exert effort to send a rejection letter, applicants think highly of your company. Moreover, you are not closing doors in the event that these salespeople surpass the learning curve and reach their true potential.

Doing business with integrity is rare these days and your effort to go the extra mile will be noticed in the industry. Word will get around that your company is a place where top performers are provided all the opportunities to shine – and that’s an ideal company image to strive for.

If the data is correct, the average age of a top-performing Financial Advisor is 62. For those of you who’ve taken a statistics course, that is about as bad as things get. The insurance industry is going to find its back against the wall within two years.

Every week I personally make a series of client service calls. My team thinks I’m crazy for doing it because it takes time. But I’ve been doing it for 16 years now and every week I learn something. (Besides, deep down, I’m a sales guys who likes talking with my clients.)

I was talking with a General Agent client, Harry, last week. He was telling me that the average age of a top-performing Financial Advisor at his agency is 32. He’s got two agents who’ve won his company’s top performer awards.

Harry is MDRT and he told me that at least 4 of his agents will end up MDRT.

I asked him why his agents are so young compared to the industry average. Without a pause, he said, “Your Advanced Hiring System is the key. It helps me spot the best talent without any prejudice. Before we used Advanced Hiring we did what every other insurance agency does. Their standardized testing sucks compared to AHS. Plus they start out looking for the wrong things.”

If you’re an insurance agency looking for talented applicants for the key Financial Advisor role, click here

Insurance companies have whole teams of analysts who know better than anyone why an aging sales team spells trouble. The key to recruiting younger team members is to start with a proposition that interests them.

Take a look here for some fast answers

LinkedIn Sucks these days — and why you still need it.

We all feel frustrated going to LinkedIn and seeing our inbox filled with offers. 90% of them are off-target.

Most senders don’t know squat about Sales 101 when they contact us.

Some say Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn turned it spammy.

(They did pay $26 billion for it. Kind of gives you a hint they want it to be Facebook for Business.)

Regardless of all the LinkedIn spam, we tell clients to stay in LinkedIn. There is still tremendous value in building a LinkedIn profile.

In fact, if you’re looking to hire salespeople, your managers MUST have good profiles.

Think about it for a second.  You’re written a great ad. It talks directly to the right kind of people — those who’d rather sell than breathe. It excites their interest.

You’re got it running in all the right places.

Tons are applying.

And that one sales animal sees it who will find all the hidden business you know is out there.

How will they find out about you and your business to check you out?

Where do they look? That’s right, LinkedIn.

So if you’re vaguely entertaining the idea of deleting your LinkedIn profile, think again.

Tolerate the spam. Work on building your profile.

Make your profile say one thing: “I know how rare and valuable great sales talent is. Come work with me and we will both make a lot of money.”

DISCLAIMER: LinkedIn is a registered trademark. Advanced Hiring System is not affiliated with LinkedIn, nor should it be implied that we are in any way associated with them