One of the biggest challenges faced by hiring managers and sales leaders looking to hire is how to get exposure to top sales talent. Creating more sales candidate flow won’t necessary get the right person to show up at your door, but the more people you are exposed to certainly increases the chances that you will find someone that can help your sales team be more successful.
- Post Ads – there are many job boards that can raise the awareness about your open position and don’t forget Craigslist as a source of talent for certain types of positions.
- Linked-in – probably the largest resume database in the world, if you look for people here, you will have to be an expert at searching or you will be overwhelmed with the number of people with whom you are interested in speaking.
- Facebook – the largest social network in the world, so the chances are the people that you want are here.
- Competitors – If your competitors have a good track record and a similar culture then it is likely they have sales people that can help you.
- Outside your Industry – Look at the career history of your top performers – are some sectors a better source of new talent than others?
- Referrals – ask your network or even your customers who you could approach about your open positions.
- Networking – industry and social events are a great place to find sales people.
- Candidate Database – search through your database of people that have submitted resumes to your company for people that you have spoken to in the past that you may want to go back to
- Internal Referral Programs – existing employees can be a great source of new sales talent, especially when combined with some kind of incentive like recognition or a gift.
- Hire a Sales Recruiter – of course we are biased, but if you have tried some or all of the items on this list and still need to get to the right candidate, call us to leverage our large team of people that do this on a daily basis.
In many cases, the biggest challenge is that the great sales people that you want to speak with are unaware that your open role exists. The purpose of generating candidate flow is to get enough candidates in front of you so that you are picking from the best that exist rather than the best that apply. To make the best decision, you need choice. Lots of choice.
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Eliot Burdett
Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.
He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.
Latest posts by Eliot Burdett (see all)
- 20 Of Our Favorite Books About Sales Management and Sales Leadership – October 20, 2023
- How To Make Progress On Your Sales Goal Without A Sales Leader – September 15, 2021
- Augment Your Recruiting Strategy During “The Great Resignation” – July 26, 2021
