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5 Challenger Sales Model Examples — An In Depth Guide

The Challenger Sales Model suggests that not all customers are created equal and that not all sales approaches are equally effective.

Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson first outlined the Challenger Sales model in their 2011 book, “The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation.” This sales model focuses on teaching, maintaining authority in sales conversations, and providing targeted solutions considering the customer’s most present pain points. 

The Challenger sales model isn’t necessarily the best for everyone, but when the right companies adopt it, they see extraordinary results. In this article, we’ll explain what sets the Challenger Model apart, when you might want to consider selling using this model, and what types of sales professionals thrive within this model. 

What Is The Challenger Model?

The Challenger Sales Model emphasizes that successful salespeople should challenge the customer’s way of thinking, offer insights, and guide them to make informed decisions. This approach is based on the idea that customers might not always know their own needs or the potential solutions available to them. Therefore, instead of just being responsive to customer inquiries or needs, the salesperson proactively challenges the customer’s assumptions and provides valuable insights that can lead to more effective solutions.

What Are The Benefits Of The Challenger Model?

If there were one motto a Challenger sales rep would never live by, it would be, “The customer is always right.” In the Challenger model, it’s highly beneficial for the salesperson to challenge how a customer thinks about their business, problems, and needs. Coupled with a Challenger salesperson’s ability to offer insights and guide a customer in making an informed decision—this seemingly counterintuitive approach is incredibly compelling. 

While other sales models emphasize harmonious connections and relationship building, salespeople in the Challenger model take a more straightforward and assertive approach to sales. Challenger salespeople must be knowledgeable educators and advisors with their finger on the pulse of industry trends, market conditions, and up-to-date customer solutions. Expertise in the features and benefits of their product isn’t enough. 

The 5 Key Elements of a Successful Challenger Sales Model

For the Challenger sales model to work, it requires five crucial elements: teaching, tailoring, taking control, constructive tension, and reframing. 

1. Educate Your Customers 

Through an educational approach, the salesperson positions themselves as a valuable source of information for their customer. Challenger sales reps not only need to understand the customer’s industry, current market trends, and the potential solutions available to them — they also need to have the skill of breaking down complex ideas and delivering them in a digestible and applicable manner.

2. Tailor Your Sale To Your Customers Needs

While teaching is often thought of as talking, active listening is also essential to the education process. This level of open engagement from the salesperson allows them to customize their approach and address the distinct needs and pain points that a customer is facing. With this deep understanding of the customer’s business and obstacles, the Challenger salesperson can bring an unrivaled level of customization to their teaching and pitch. 

3. Position Yourself As The Expert

The Challenger model is an assertive and proactive approach to sales. Rather than passively following a customer’s lead, Challenger salespeople maintain authority and a position of expertise throughout the sales conversation. They lead with questions that get the customer thinking differently and insights that offer new possibilities and perspectives. 

4. Disrupt The Status Quo

Challenger salespeople are disruptors — and disruption in the status quo and set ways of thinking creates tension. A skilled Challenger sales rep will ensure that the tension created in the sales process is constructive. That means the salesperson will strategically leverage a healthy amount of pressure for the customer to consider alternative viewpoints through a critical thinking lens. 

5. Reframe The Problem

Skillful teaching, tailoring, taking control, and constructive tension bring the sales process to its natural culmination — the pitch. In the Challenger model, an angle is strategically formed by redefining the customer’s problem to align with the solution(s) the salesperson has to offer. By doing this, the Challenger salesperson highlights the value of their solution and positions it as a fantastic fit for the customer who now feels educated, informed, and confident in making a decision. 

Which Sales Roles Benefit From The Challenger Model?

In the book mentioned above, “The Challenger Sale,” Dixon and Adamson outline five prominent sales personalities: the hard worker, the relationship builder, the lone wolf, the problem solver, and the Challenger. Before we dive into the benefits of the Challenger model and which roles excel in this type of sales environment, it’s worth mentioning that any salesperson with any sales personality can evolve into a Challenger. 

Challengers need adaptability and a willingness to embrace this sales approach above all else. They must embrace the upside of having candid conversations with their prospects and prioritize honesty and their expert insights. Challengers need to develop a certain level of comfort with challenging prospects’ assumptions and perspectives. They also need discernment and acuity in identifying when and how to build on the key elements of the Challenger model with other tactics and philosophies.

Roles that tend to benefit the most from a Challenger model are as follows:

1. Enterprise Sales Representatives

Enterprise sales typically involve high-value solutions and large companies with complex challenges. Often, multiple stakeholders are affected as well. Enterprise Sales Representatives can provide insights and guide decision-making in these intricate sales scenarios using the Challenger model.

2. Solution Consultants

Also known as pre-sales or technical sales engineers, these consultants work closely with customers to understand their needs and present tailored solutions. Their ability to educate and challenge assumptions aligns well with the Challenger approach.

3. Business Development Managers

These professionals focus on identifying and nurturing new business opportunities. Using the Challenger approach, engaging prospects with education and valuable insights, Business Development Managers can differentiate their offering from their competitors. 

4. Strategic Account Managers

In this role, key accounts that generate significant revenue require a long-term relationship built on trust. The Challenger model can deepen these relationships by consistently expanding their depth and breadth through valuable insights and education. The Challenger in this role may have traits of the farmer sales type that come through in the way they maintain connection and credibility with their customers.

5. Industry Specialists

Salespeople with deep industry expertise can leverage the Challenger approach to share their insights about industry trends, challenges, and best practices. This positions them as valuable advisors that prospects naturally trust in the decision-making process.

6. Consultative Sales Representatives

Roles that require a consultative approach align with the Challenger model. Customers appreciate how these representatives focus on understanding their pain points and delivering targeted solutions.

7. Technology Sales Professionals

In technology sales, where complex sales conditions and rapidly evolving products and solutions abound, the Challenger approach helps salespeople provide customers with insights into how their technology can address their specific needs. 

8. Financial Services Sales

In the financial services industry, the Challenger approach is highly effective at educating customers so they can confidently decide how to move forward financially. Especially in the sale of complex products like investment solutions or risk management, applying the Challenger approach helps salespeople educate clients about evolving market conditions and the tailored solutions that will suit their situation best.

While the Challenger Sales Model can be effective in various sales scenarios, there are certain roles or situations where the model might not be as well-suited. Here are some examples of roles that might not align perfectly with the Challenger Sales Model:

  • Transactional Sales Representatives
  • Customer Support or Service Roles
  • Door-to-Door Sales
  • Highly Specialized Technical Sales
  • Customer-Focused or Account Management Roles

How to Tell When a Challenger Sales Model is The Right Choice For Your Team

The Challenger sales model is often an excellent choice in competitive environments where B2B sales cycles are particularly complex and lengthy. In industries where customers are aware of their problems yet not experts in the solutions they need, they are more open to being ‘challenged’ and are interested in learning. This is an ideal scenario for the Challenger Model. 

Customers benefit from having time to get educated, understand significant challenges they face, adapt to new perspectives, and make informed decisions. On the salesperson’s side, this type of sales cycle gives them space to teach their customers, guide them through reflection, offer insightful perspectives, and help them make a firm decision. 

The Challenger model shines in industries where:

  • Rapid changes in an industry are more than customers can keep up with.
  • Customers don’t fully understand their problems or needs.
  • Customer’s problems don’t have a clear or pre-packaged solution.
  • Deals involve high-value contracts and strategic accounts.
  • Customers are more open to seeing salespeople as partners in problem-solving.
  • Customers are being introduced to a brand-new product or service. 
  • A product or solution requires customers to change their behavior or mindset. 
  • Education on complex topics is essential in order for customers to make a clear, educated decision in the sales process.

Could the Challenger model work for your company? Whether you’re still seeking the answer to that question or are already looking for the next Challenger to add to your sales team, we can help! Contact us today to get your search started with our expert team, who can tap into our worldwide talent pool to find the perfect model and sales team members for you. 

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B2B Sales Team Structure: A Simple Strategy for Creating a Winning Team

In the dynamic world of business-to-business sales, a well-built sales team lays a foundation for long-term growth. Your sales team plays a vital role in your business, from finding leads to closing deals. They have a big impact on your revenue growth. Whether you’re a startup founder or a seasoned CEO, the intricacies of building a team that excels aren’t always apparent. 

It can be difficult to find the right structure for your sales team without knowing how to translate your goals into a strategy. This is why we’re unlocking the secrets behind creating a top-tier B2B sales team in this blog. With this guide, you can save time and transform your sales ambitions into unparalleled success.

How Should I Build My Sales Team?

STEP 1: Hire Your Sales Leader

When it comes to building your ideal sales team, the first thing you need to understand is the role of an influential sales leader. Hiring your sales leader (commonly known as your VP of Sales) is your opportunity to cut your hiring workload drastically. Having a powerful sales leader also gives you a head start on deciding what kinds of professionals you’ll need and how many of them, what team structure will work best for your company, and how your team will organize the sales flow from start to finish.

Hiring your sales leader first allows you to hand off the building process to an expert who can assess what your company really needs in its sales team. They can then hire your sales force accordingly. A sales leaders role in developing the sales team should include:

  • Monitoring key sales metrics
  • Overseeing the entire B2B sales process
  • Impact company revenue
  • Impact company reputation
  • Influence the ability to scale

Having the right sales leader in place is vital. At Peak Sales Recruiting, we further simplify the process by helping you find a sales leader who is a fantastic fit for your team. This leader can take team-building off of your plate completely.

STEP 2: Structure Your Team

The team structure that your sales leader decides to build on will depend on what you’re selling and in what market. For example, in tech, small deals are often done over the phone, while more extensive sales are made in person. Meanwhile, in industrial sectors, an outside sales model is more common. Details like this inform if you need more inside or outside sales support and how many sales hunters and farmers will be needed. 

Along with determining a solid sales organization structure for your team, your sales leader will take over talent acquisition, ongoing training and development, and retention of your sales team members. They will be an expert in preparing job descriptions for hiring, interviewing for your unique sales needs, and ensuring that your sales culture aligns with your company values and goals. This person may conduct conversations with customers to learn about their past experiences with your sales department to discover what works and what doesn’t work for your company. 

STEP 3: Build Your Specialized Team

Startups and scrappy, early-stage companies often have to find ways to get by and hire one person, or a tiny team headed by a leader. These teams do everything from new customer acquisition to account management. This is what is commonly known as the island structure. While this can work temporarily, we don’t advise it as a long-term solution. 

In the island structure, one sales leader or ‘owner’ is responsible for a team of sales representatives. The sales representatives in this structure handle every part of the B2B sales process and have very little differentiation in their sales roles, if any. This provides sales representatives with many opportunities for competition and very few for collaboration. 

A team model where each sales professional fully embraces their strengths and operates within their specialties is ideal. This is typically an assembly line, or the closely related pod structure. In this structure, people maintain distinct sales roles and responsibilities in the sales process just as workers in a physical assembly line would. 

An example of this structure is a junior sales development representative responsible for making cold calls and appointments, an account executive who closes the deal, and an account manager who upsells and onboards the new client. This structure creates more opportunities for collaboration and can drastically increase a team’s efficiency. It also parallels a B2B sales funnel, which makes troubleshooting bottlenecks much easier.

When you’re building out your well-defined sales team structure (or your VP of Sales is doing it for you!), you’ll want to keep in mind the ‘who and how many’ of your team. B2B sales teams ideally have 6-8 people (and no more than 10) reporting to each sales manager. A well-structured team could look like this:

  • One sales director or VP of Sales who oversees the sales department.
  • Two sales managers (each with eight reports).
  • 16 inside sales representatives. 

What Makes a B2B Sales Team Successful?

No matter the role of the sales professionals you hire, they should all exemplify an eagerness to learn and improve their skills, display resilience and the ability to overcome challenges, and have a record of consistent achievement. Each sales professional will have unique strengths and skills beyond these qualities that make them better suited for specific sales roles. 

In the ideal B2B sales team structure, there is ample opportunity to leverage the skills of each sales professional, starting with your marketing department. The marketing team can funnel leads to the sales representative, who can connect with clients to close deals. A hunter salesperson could be a great fit for this role. A hunter salesperson thrives in lead generation, is an expert at making successful cold calls, builds quick rapport, always looks for opportunities, and handles rejection well. These are the representatives who seem fearless and are highly motivated to close deals.

Farmer salespeople typically nurture leads, upsell, and onboard clients. They are motivated by service and stability rather than by quotas and the thrill of the chase. Farmer types are essential on any team looking to build long-term success, so you’ll want them in positions such as account manager, customer service specialist, and customer success representative.

→ Read more about inside/outside sales on our blog here.

→ Read more about hunter/farmer sales types on our blog here.

What Structure Should I Choose for my B2B Sales Team?

The optimal structure of a B2B sales team is, simply put, the structure that best serves your organization — no two businesses are exactly the same. The most effective and efficient sales teams are strategically built to ensure that your profits are maximized, that the customers you’re serving have a seamless experience buying from your company and that there is a healthy balance of collaboration and competition in your team members’ careers. 

The chemistry within your sales team, the diverse strengths its members exhibit, and the leaders you hire to guide and train them will be keys to your success. From fostering healthy competition to nurturing collaborative excellence, the right sales team structure can catalyze remarkable success.

If you’re still wondering how many salespeople you need, what your ideal synergy is, and how to hire ambitious, creative, and resilient members for your team — we can help. Reach out, and we’ll start your hiring process with our network of top-quality sales talent today.

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Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales: 5 Key Differences You Should Know

To build a robust sales team and attract top sales professionals, it’s important to understand the distinction between inside and outside salespeople.

When it comes to building your sales team, one key decision you’ll face is whether to prioritize inside sales or outside sales. Both sales positions play a crucial role in driving revenue, but they employ different approaches. Understanding the difference between the two is essential for finding the right mix for your organization’s sales strategy.

In this article, we’ll cover:

  • What is Inside Sales?
  • What is Outside Sales?
  • Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales: Five Main Differences
        • What you are selling
        • Who you are selling to
        • How you measure success
        • Technology and travel requirements
        • Sales skills
  • Which Sales Strategy is Right for You?

What is Inside Sales?

Inside sales occurs within the office environment. This includes a salesperson’s remote home office setting or onsite at a corporation’s office space. Practices and tools such as cold calling, email marketing, social media platforms, web conferences, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platforms help inside sales professionals build relationships with new customers without the need for travel. An inside sales team is typically designed for sales velocity, volume, and a relatively lower cost of sale. Inside sales teams are often more flexible and can quickly adapt to changing market conditions, making them a valuable asset for B2B sales teams.

What is Outside Sales?

Outside sales professionals often meet prospective clients face-to-face. Just as the name suggests an outside salesperson will be conducting the majority of their business outside the office. Outside salespeople may take virtual calls, but they will frequently travel to meet with clients in person in order to develop a strong customer relationship. An outside sales person will use similar tools to an inside sales rep, such as a CRM platform. But the way they go about using these tools is reflective of their in-person sales style. 

Inside vs. Outside Sales: Five Main Differences

1. What You Are Selling

When considering hiring inside sales vs. outside salespeople, it’s important to assess the product or service you’re selling. For products that can be explained simply or purchased quickly at a lower price point, an inside sales approach may be appropriate. If you have a large product or services portfolio, inside salespeople can also identify opportunities to upsell or cross-sell additional products to existing customers. By understanding customer preferences, inside salespeople can effectively present relevant offerings. This ultimately helps your company maximize customer value.

Additionally, it’s helpful to use an inside sales agent if the decision-making process can be made by individuals, rather than requiring multiple stakeholder sign-offs. Industries that commonly utilize inside sales teams include B2C businesses and tech sales for SMB and midmarket companies.

On the other hand, outside sales teams excel in situations where the product or service being sold is complex and requires a longer sales cycle. If the offering has the following then an outside sales approach is more effective:

  •       A product and service.
  •       A high price point.
  •       Requires a multi-year commitment.
  •       Involves multiple stakeholders who need to sign off on the purchase.

Typical examples of industries that employ outside sales teams include enterprise software, IT services, and industrial solutions.

2. Who You Are Selling To

Inside sales teams often use digital communication strategies (ex: LinkedIn and Zoom). This means inside sales team’s target customers who are comfortable conducting business virtually. Or customers who prefer purchasing products or services without the need for in-person meetings. 

Outside sales teams typically target large enterprises and high-value clients. These clients prefer a personalized sales approach. Because outside sales teams travel to meet customers in person, they can often build strong relationships and deeply understand customer needs and potential customer requirements.

3. How You Measure Success for Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales

When it comes to hiring an inside sales representative vs. outside sales representative, it’s important to consider the key performance indicators (KPIs) your organization will use to drive early success.

For an inside sales team, KPIs often emphasize activity. The number of outbound calls, emails, social media messages, and other actions. Track these actions on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to understand sales success. Metrics such as the number of calls required to secure a meeting with a client provide valuable insights into a company’s sales process. These metrics can help companies identify sales processes to fix, whether it’s refining pricing, product features, or providing direct coaching to improve performance.

KPIs for outside sales teams are often focused on building strong customer relationships. Success can be measured by tracking pipeline growth, the number of in-person customer meetings, and deal size.

4. What Technology and Travel Requirements Are Needed

Inside sales representatives require access to standard work essentials such as laptops and phones. They also need to meet customers and prospects on relevant communities such as LinkedIn.

Outside sales reps often require a combination of technology and travel arrangements that enable them to effectively engage with clients and prospects while on the go. They often rely on smartphones to access crucial information while traveling. Outside sales reps need efficient travel arrangements with support for travel expense tracking. Additionally, reimbursements for in-person networking events and client dinners is key. Both inside and outside sales teams also typically use a CRM system like Salesforce to effectively streamline lead management, enhance team collaboration, and track performance.

5. What Sales Skills Are Needed to Succeed

According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Most In-Demand Skills List, “skills that help a business not only run efficiently but also reach and retain customers are the ones companies need most right now.” This reflects the skills needed by both inside and outside sales representatives, but differ slightly for each role.

Inside sales reps need to be competitive, results-driven, and adept at establishing strong relationships with prospects. For outside sales reps, similar qualities apply, but at a strategic level. They require patience to navigate long sales cycles while maintaining discipline and assertiveness to keep deals progressing. Strong communication skills and the ability to develop creative solutions are essential for building long-lasting customer relationships and confidently closing enterprise-level sales.

Which Sales Strategy is Right for You?

Today, many organizations often adopt a strategic hybrid approach. The inside sales team will handle smaller, high-velocity transactions. The outside sales team will pursue large, complex enterprise deals. This strategy ensures a dual advantage:

  1.     A consistent flow of predictable revenue generated by the inside team.
  2.     Large wins achieved over time through the efforts of the outside sales team.

Whether you opt for inside sales, outside sales, or a combination of both, understanding the unique benefits and adapting your strategy accordingly will ensure the success of a high-performing sales team that continuously brings in revenue. 

If you’re looking to build or strengthen your sales team with top-performing professionals, we’re here to support your hiring needs. As experts in providing B2B sales recruiting services for companies in the technology, professional services, telecom, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial sectors – we have an extensive network of exceptional inside and outside B2B sales representatives who are eager to help drive your company’s long-term growth strategy. Click here to contact us and kickstart your hiring process today.

Eliot Burdett

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Hunter vs. Farmer in Sales: Empowering Your Team for Long-Term Success

Building a highly successful sales team is about more than finding ‘closers’ who can bring in new business. There are two distinct types of sales professionals. Each type plays a vital role in sales performance and the long-term success of your company. Knowing the difference between them can help you identify who is already on your sales team, which types you need to add to your sales team, and which type each job applicant is when you are in the hiring process.

The two different salespeople personas are called the ‘hunter’ and the ‘farmer.’ Each type has inherent strengths and skills that they employ to increase profits. The hunter type focuses on getting new leads and clients. The farmer focuses more on retaining and expanding existing client accounts. We tend to think of more charismatic hunter types as salespeople, but the value of the farmer types shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, acquiring a new customer can cost five times or more than retaining one you already have.

In this article, we’ll dive into the details of each sales persona. We compare the hunter vs. farmer in sales, and discuss how the hunter-farmer sales model can look in a typical sales process.

Looking to strike the perfect balance between hunters and farmers on your team? Contact Peak Sales Recruiting today to build a well-rounded sales force that delivers results.

Who Are The Sales Hunter Types?

Hunters are likely to be the more extroverted, charismatic, and risk-tolerant members. Since they tend to have a thick skin they don’t mind making cold calls, sending cold emails, or following up with prospects. Hunters should be put in positions where seeking out new leads, initiating sales, and closing deals are key. Hunters know that if they receive a ‘no’ it’s only a matter of time before they get their next ‘yes.’ To them, sales performance is a numbers game. They’re all-in on increasing sales — and new revenue — by casting a wide net and optimizing conversions.

A certain independent streak in the hunter sales persona is crucial to their success. They are highly disciplined individuals who will devotedly pursue their goals. Hunters push hard to reach their sales targets to promote significant growth. They won’t be found waiting for someone to tell them how to get there. Depending on the sales professional, you may find that some hunters are stubborn about learning ways to increase sales. While other hunters are hungry to improve themselves. The latter finds more long-term success. 

What Motivates Hunter Salespeople?

The hunter types’ eager personalities and ambitious appetites are motivated by their drive to compete, earn, and succeed. They have an innate understanding that the only way to build their success is through connection—and making the most of it.

Something about opportunity, possibility, and the unknown inspires the hunter sales persona. Yet, they also want to feel they have control in their careers. This is why the most favorable position for a hunter type will be compensated mainly on a commission basis with unlimited earning potential.

Beware of This Hunter Trait

Because hunters are motivated by what is new, enjoy earning competitive commissions, and are highly quota-focused, they are the sales professionals most likely to move on to another company for a better opportunity. They may be hard to hold on to if they feel stagnant in your company culture or can’t grow their income in your business. Finding the sweet spot for your company is critical in keeping hunters motivated, happy, and loyal.

What Jobs Are Hunters Best At?

Because hunters are exceptionally skilled at giving demos, making sales pitches, overcoming objections, and negotiating terms, they are often a fit for sales/business development or field sales positions. They also make great account executives.

Hunters are the team members you’ll want to send out to networking events, professional organizations, and conferences for your company and industry. They will thrive in an environment where there are exciting connections to make. They build rapport quickly and make great first impressions.

How to Find Hunters for Your Team

When hunters apply for a sales position, they are likely to mention the sales skills they have that are relevant to new customer acquisition. They may have past experience that highlights their past sales performance and ability to turn cold prospects into profitable accounts. And they will be the candidates who persistently and proactively follow up on their applications and interviews.

You can also contact our team for help finding the perfect hunter type for your company. We have both hunter and farmer types in our wide network of sales professionals.

Who are the Sales Farmer Types?

The farmer sales persona is about warmth and nurturing. Instead of focusing on new revenue like the hunter types, farmer types focus on increasing lifetime customer value. These salespeople thrive when they are responsible for building and maintaining relationships that contribute to a company’s long-term success. Loyalty is a part of their nature, and they inspire that loyalty in customers as well. This is why they are exceptionally skilled at client retention, renewing customers’ contracts, upselling, and cross-selling. Service is the name of the game for farmer salespeople.

After the hunter types have converted their cold leads into buyers, the farmer takes over to onboard, send reminders, review accounts, update customers, and prevent churn. Where hunters send out cold communications, farmers are known for sending out warm emails and making warm calls to clients and customers who are already engaged with the company.

What Motivates Farmer Salespeople?

Because a farmer’s job isn’t to fill a lead generation and conversion quota, they look for a more stable income — usually with higher base pay and less emphasis on commissions. This allows farmers to put people first and keep relationships at the forefront. If farmer types are forced to work within a commission structure, they may choose to prospect out of sheer necessity. But, this robs the farmer of the opportunity to exercise their strengths and your company of the benefits of long-term customer satisfaction.

Farmers are highly conscientious. They would rather provide the service and support a customer needs to stay with the company long-term than risk the relationship by putting on pressure for a bigger sale in the short term. Farmers can also be more motivated by collaboration and working on a team. This is important for customer service positions where access to support resources is crucial and allows farmers to be the maximizers they are.

What Jobs Are Farmers Best At?

Farmers will help their customers succeed by using products they’ve already purchased. This could mean creating user tutorials, writing instructions and guides, and walking customers through setup. They focus on responding to customer inquiries, building long-term trust, and are always in the customer’s corner. If you send farmers to conferences, they’re more likely to spend time deepening relationships with current customers.

Because of their friendly demeanor and service-focused nature, farmers are well suited for sales roles such as account manager, customer service specialist, and customer success representative.

How to Find Farmers For Your Team

Farmers will be more reserved in the interview process. Don’t expect them to put themselves out there like a hunter! Look for individuals who highlight relationship-building skills in their resumes and interviews.

Hiring farmers for your sales team requires a long-term commitment for success. The position can take months or even years to pay off, depending on how often customers renew with your company and what other products you have to sell to existing customers. For this reason, you must find farmers who will plug into your team seamlessly. They should also add just the right blend of skills to your existing team.

Implementing the Hunter-Farmer Sales Model

There are various ways to structure your sales team within the hunter-farmer sales model. The size of your team and how they work best together will determine which structure is best for you. The most common option is the ‘assembly line’ structure, where hunters handle outreach, pitching, and closing. They then hand off the customer to a farmer who handles onboarding and nurturing the customer long-term.

Some companies have their hunters and farmers work in smaller groups. That way the transition from hunter to farmer can be collaborative and as smooth as possible for the customer. In a small team, a blended model where salespeople possess strengths and skills from both types of sales personas may be necessary.

If you’d like to plug into a global network of strong hunter and farmer sales professionals, we can help! Just click here to contact our team, and you’ll be one step closer to finding the perfect fit to maximize your team’s performance.

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How to Build a Sales Team: 12 Essential Steps for Success

How do you assemble a sales team that converts your marketing investments to tangible business growth? This guide has the answers.

Over 60% of salespeople agree that selling is more challenging than it was 5 years ago. Due to the difficulties in the sales landscape today, it is essential that your sales team is prepared to combat these challenges. A correctly assembled sales team will identify qualified leads, close deals, and maintain customer loyalty. They will do so in perfect harmony with minimal friction.

Considering that, recruiting the wrong person for your sales team would harm current customers and team function. Even worse, a wrong hire can ultimately lead to a decrease in overall revenue

This post will outline everything you need to know to build a high-performing sales team and avoiding the wrong hire. Follow closely; this is where winning begins.

1.    Have a Clear Hiring Strategy

“Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: it’s the starting point.” — Henry Mintzberg.

Multiple examples of mismatched mergers (think: Skype and eBay), poor products, and ill-advised corporate decisions happen every day in business. The common thread? Bad planning.

As cliche as it may sound (you must have heard this a hundred times), a good plan is an excellent first step to sales team building. Build that plan/map by first asking your hiring team questions like:

  • What are our revenue targets?
  • What type of customers are we targeting?
  • What kind of culture do we want to create in our sales team? Aggressive and competitive or collaborative and relationship-oriented?
  • What does sales success mean to us?
  • What’s our sales organizational structure looking like?

The answers to these questions, whatever they are, will point you in the right direction. For example, if you plan to expand your business to a new location, more focus should be on hiring an agile sales team. One that adapts to new situations with little support.

A staple for an agile sales team is members with strong professional networks. They can use their connections to shorten the adjustment period that comes with business expansion.

See how far we’ve come by answering one strategy question. Clarity comes in motion. Answering strategy questions gives you a clear vision of the skillset your winning sales team must embody.

2.    Create the Perfect Team Blend

High-performing sales teams aren’t perfect, but they’re better at improving than underperforming teams. When one person works the phone, the other contributes by nurturing leads on other channels, helping the company rake in leads on all fronts.

Differences in knowledge, perspective, and personality might be responsible for that. Business psychologists call it cognitive diversity.

When solving sales problems, homogeneous teams can’t solve sales problems as quickly as diverse teams.

There are no set ways to build a cognitively diverse team, as much relies on your ability to read people. Still, you can’t go wrong with the right questions/tests.

Propose a tricky sales situation in an interview, and see how well your potential sales force responds. If the answers are different yet effective, pat yourself on the back. Your all-star team is shaping up.

3.    Have a ‘Non-negotiables’ List

“A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.” — Thomas Reid

Specific ‘core’ qualities or personal traits exist in every player on a winning sales team.

We’re not team wreckers, but you should take a sales team member lacking a core attribute seriously, even if a pink slip is required. See it as a weakness capable of plunging your sales performance into oblivion (Okay, maybe not oblivion.)

Through years of sales recruiting research, we have come to identify these five attributes as non-negotiables for every member of a strong sales team:

  • Company culture fit
  • Willingness to learn and grow
  • Adaptiveness
  • Cautious with promises
  • Communicative & Collaborative

4.  Prioritize a Great Organizational Structure

High-performing sales teams say their organizational structure is above average or excellent. Which makes perfect sense because the structure of a sales team has an impact on its success.

Before we say why, remember that the most popular sales organizational structure includes multiple verticals.

  1. Geographical sales structure
  2. Product and service line
  3. Industry and vertical structure
  4. Account-based selling.

A sales rep used to selling software to tech-savvy people in a specific region will presumably struggle if hired to take on a role that means selling hardware nationwide.

Allow your company’s size and range of products dictate your sales structure and size. If your company is big enough, hire more people and select a rep to handle a specific location or product line. Work with a small team and delineate roles appropriately if your company is small.

Build your structure to bolster your strengths, take the sting out of your weaknesses, and watch your sales group sell.

5.    Clearly Communicate Goals

Understanding company expectations is essential for boosting sales performance. It’s not enough to set SMART goals for your sales team; expressive communication must follow to get any concrete result.

You may, for example, hang a whiteboard (or create a digital one) detailing what success means to your sales team. Is it generating and qualifying new leads? Is it conducting initial outreach to prospects? Or following up on them? Is it better alignment with the sales and marketing department?

Write the details on your whiteboard and keep it visible. This way, nobody will mistakenly think they’re hitting the target when they’re not even on the playing field.

6.   Keep Things Competitive

Your sales team, no matter how effective, needs new energy to keep converting. It is human nature to get complacent, after all. The easy fix would be to throw money at the problem by shelling out bigger commissions, but that may not change anything.

A better option would be to hire new salespeople, especially if you’re launching a new product or servicing a new industry. Let the new members collaborate with the old, injecting fresh ideas and pure energy to create a boiling pot of hot convertible leads.

Remember to monitor things so the competition doesn’t get toxic. That’s always a possibility considering how competitive salespeople get.

7.    Empower Your Team

Tools. Successful sales teams require them to compete.

A sales team without the right tools is not likely to be a successful sales team. Also, if 91% of sales teams in large companies use tools to be more effective, you should empower your team to be able to compete.

Talk to your sales team, especially the sales manager, to find the best tools for CRM, sales intelligence, data analysis, and marketing.

Tools are not all about technology. Since happy salespeople are more productive by at least 20%, creating a conducive workplace should also be at the top of your empowerment strategy.

8.   Onboard, Train & Train

For new hires, spend enough time immersing them in your proven sales strategies. Their new energy is welcome, but direct it toward your methods so that they are improving your process, not reinventing it.’

Recognize new trends, take advantage of those trends, and keep your sales team on their toes.

For example, since AI has everyone feeling confident and nervous, train your sales team to understand the intricacies of AI. Let them be able to answer the most popular AI questions because you never know when that knowledge will be a deal closer.

Plus, if AI can help them do their jobs better (still a gray area), it’d be good for them to start early.

9. Encourage Interdepartmental Relationships

Internal relationships with other teams can be constructive. You don’t want your sales team operating in silos. You want them communicating with other departments, ensuring they have all the resources they need when they need them.

In a LinkedIn survey, 70% of the highest-performing sales team described marketing leads as ‘excellent.’ Meeting with their marketing teams helped them understand the buyer journey, persona, and how the brand identity connects the whole thing. The sales team, in turn, fed the marketing team with details of prospects’ concerns and observations.

The result? Higher revenue. Cross-functional collaboration is the only way to go.

10. Track Your Team’s Performance

Clarity on core metrics builds accountability. Accountability leads to better performance. The way to measure these metrics? Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

KPIs are not sales targets; they’re better. They are metrics used to track how sales performance affects overall company growth. Some of the best KPIs for a sales team include:

  • Annual contract value
  • Customer lifetime value
  • Conversion rate
  • Customer retention

With the correct data from KPIs, you can steer your team in the right direction. If certain sales reps are underperforming, learn why. Are their sales territories the problem? Is the sales strategy the problem?

Sometimes, the data is wrong or meaningless without the proper interpretation.

Separate the noise from the signal by communicating honestly with your sales team. Focus on building trust and asking the right questions, and watch how the data will follow your lead.

11.   Get it Right with the Pay Structure/Compensation Plan

Putting a competitive base salary on the table for your sales reps is a good idea if you already have a good sales team and want to keep them motivated. They’re more likely to be flexible and innovative when they don’t have targets on their backs. Literally.

But there are no perfect ideas, including competitive base salaries. If you’re a startup without access to steady capital, a straight commission plan will help you select members you can build an effective sales team around.

High-performers typically succeed with this structure initially, but it’s just not built to be stable. Eventually, your sales team will value stability above performance-based compensation.

The stitch is: When building a quality sales team, consider your growth phase and use a compensation plan suited to that phase advantageously.

12.  Receive and Share Feedback

“There are two things people want more than money…recognition and praise.” — Mary Kay Ash.

Building an effective sales team is an iterative process — you have to repeat the right decisions every time. There’s no better way to do this than through an honest, transparent feedback loop.

Listen to your sales team, understand their preferred tools, and observe their attitude toward your company culture. Actionable insights will naturally follow.

In the same vein, promptly inform them of everything that concerns them.

Are you changing sales goals, shifting from a competitive culture to a collaborative one, or downsizing the sales budget? Communicate.

People just really want to be seen, heard, and appreciated.

Summary

Effective sales teams exude excellence from top to bottom, from sales managers to customer service representatives. Make sure your new employees know the company goals, fit in with the company culture, and have the skills needed for top performance.

But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your sales team happy by training them, providing efficient tools, paying well, and engaging with responsive feedback. Don’t forget to rely on KPIs and other valuable metrics to track performance.

Start with the Right Hires

Building an effective sales team starts with recruiting the right people.

Focus on hiring talent with fresh energy, passion, and knowledge of the tools of the trade. Just as important, form a team of people who believe in your company goals, are cognitively diverse and are a good company culture fit.

If all that sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is — yet it must be done. That’s where Peak Sales Recruiting comes in.

With our extensive experience in sales recruiting, we excel at finding exceptional sales talent. We know the challenges of sales recruiting and have all the tips, tools, and tricks to solve them.

With Peak Sales Recruiting working for you, discovering skilled talent to meet aggressive revenue targets and outperform your competition should be a cakewalk.

Schedule a meeting with one of our direct representatives, and let’s hit the ground running on that all-star sales team project.

Ryan Thornton

Latest posts by Ryan Thornton (see all)

B2B Cold Calling: 22 Tips to Elevate Your Skills in 2023

B2B cold calling in 2023 requires more skill and strategy than ever before. Considering that cold call conversion rates are currently hovering around 2%. But, done well, it still creates an impactful opportunity to connect with potential sales prospects in a focused way. This allows you to deliver a specific solution to their problem. 

If you’re an executive looking to enhance your sales team’s cold calling strategy or a representative who’s ready to sharpen your skills — this guide will give you a comprehensive look at cold calling best practices and guidance on how to improve your B2B cold-calling for sales success. 

22 Tips To Improve B2B Cold Calling

A successful sales call begins before you even pick up the phone. To connect with potential sales prospects later, you need to understand the broad audience you’re talking to and the individual you have on the phone. 

1. Define Your Target Prospects

Research your target prospects to understand their industry and the most relevant pain points. Even if you think you know your audience well and talk to customers daily, this information is worth distilling, noting clearly, and refreshing yourself before you begin a batch of cold calls. 

2. Genuinely Get to Know Who You’re Calling

To further personalize your approach and establish credibility, educate yourself in detail for each call. Cold calls are going out to people who haven’t expressed interest in your company or solution. But you can counterbalance some unfamiliarity by showing that you’ve done your homework and care about the company you’re calling. Find out how big a company is, what their product service offerings are, who key decision-makers are in their company, and start thinking about how your solution would uniquely support them. 

3. Leverage Social, But Don’t Spam

Cold-calling strategies that ignore the power of social media for pre-call engagement are sure to fall flat in an online world. Warm up potential sales prospects by connecting with them on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. Look for the channels your prospect is most active on, and engage with them there. While connecting, watch for pertinent information about your prospect’s priorities and interests.

Avoid this cold-calling mistake → Don’t spam, be social. When you engage with prospects, act like a real human interacting with another real human or company. Spamming a prospect with likes on their posts or leaving thoughtless comments will damage your connection. This can ruin your chances of warming up a cold prospect.

4. Give Each Prospect an Unparalleled Pitch

Take your research from ‘Stage 1’ and start to apply this information to your positioning and pitch. Note the benefits of your solution that will be most relevant to your prospect. Highlight ways that your company aligns with their way of doing business, their values, and their goals. 

5. Forecast Objections So You Can Weather Them Later

Again leaning on the information you have about your prospect, anticipate their objections to purchasing your solution. Prepare your responses to those objections so you can confidently address them. Over time, you’ll build a bank of objections and responses so you’ll never miss a quality sales opportunity because of a lackluster response to a prospect’s objection. 

6. Open Your Call With a Strategic Intro

You’ll have less than 30 seconds to make your first impression on a prospect and begin what could potentially be a successful sales call. It’s best to assume you have only a few seconds to make a compelling opening invitation and start the conversation. Create a statement that explains the clear benefit of your solution in a way that is attention-grabbing and piques curiosity. 

Avoid this cold-calling mistake → Don’t rush your call prep. Any call worth making is worth planning for. There’s nothing worse than getting a qualified prospect on the phone and losing them because you stumbled over your introduction. 

7. Put Connection First

If you were able to connect with the person on a social media platform — or that is where you found the lead — mention this on your call. You might add this mention before or after your opening statement. Make sure that what you bring up in conversation is relevant to your solution. Show your client that you took the time to get to know them before getting on the call. 

8. Make Your Interruption Worth It 

No one’s sitting around waiting for sales calls, so acknowledge your potential sales prospect’s busy schedule. Follow up your acknowledgment with a clear statement of how much time you need today. Whether that’s three or fifteen minutes, sharing this upfront shows respect. Prospects will feel more comfortable getting on the phone with you for follow-ups and won’t feel ‘roped in’ to a call they didn’t ask for when they can agree to the time commitment.

9. Keep it Colloquial 

Conversational language will flow easily when you’re not using a sales script. Remember that the more natural, confident, and clear your speech is, the easier it is for your prospect to trust you. Building rapport through authentic interactions is the way to go.

10. Uplift Your Prospect With Positivity

Throughout your conversation, look for opportunities to affirm, acknowledge, and validate your prospect. Words that convey your enthusiasm for helping the prospect and show your optimistic outlook will help show that your service is genuine and solution-focused. 

11. Invest Your Attention — And It’ll Pay You Dividends

In order to understand your prospect’s needs and challenges, you need to be equally engaged and receptive on your call. This means fully listening to your prospect when they’re answering your questions and sharing about themselves. Something they say during the call could influence the way you pitch your solution. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to tailor your conversation because you weren’t actively listening. 

Avoid this cold-calling mistake → Don’t interject or cut off your prospect during your call. Use effective open-ended questions and encourage prospects to share their challenges. 

12. The Entire Call is Part of the Pitch

Instead of thinking of your pitch being just the last quarter of your call, look at your entire call as part of your pitch. This shift in perspective will help you see opportunities for warming up your cold lead throughout your conversation so that when you make a clear offer, it doesn’t shock your prospect. They’ll be anticipating it and even asking for it.

13. Subtly Pitch With Social Proof 

Incorporate social proof in your conversations by mentioning relevant industry recognition your company has received or partnerships you’re engaged in. This helps to establish credibility with your prospect. 

14. Slide Into a Sale With Smooth Storytelling 

Engage your prospects by sharing relevant success stories. Case studies and testimonials from notable clients illustrate how your solution has helped other businesses overcome similar challenges.

15. Give Value a Front Seat, Put Features in the Back

Instead of focusing on product features, expand your cold calling strategy to emphasize the value and benefits your solution offers. This includes addressing the pain points your prospects are likely experiencing.

16. Practice Proactive Objection Prevention

Before your call, you should have planned for possible objections and how to handle them. On your call, you can address these potential objections before they are even shared. Do this by proactively providing information and addressing concerns. Weave this information into your social proof and stories whenever possible to further strengthen your positioning and demonstrate real, applied expertise your prospect can trust. 

17. Respect Your Prospects Boundaries 

While a certain amount of professional persistence is required for successful sales via cold calling. You don’t want to push so far as to violate your prospect’s boundaries. Repeating this will not only ruin your chances of selling to your prospects but also damage your company’s reputation. When you encounter resistance or a potential sales prospect asks for more time to make their decision, be clear about how you will follow up while respecting their boundaries and preferences.

18. Always Review Lessons Learned After Each Call

When you have completed your call, it’s time to break down the lessons you learned  to continue improving your cold-calling skills and results. 

19. Let Every Lead Be a Learning Opportunity

Cold calling is a skill that only improves with practice. Practice can be messy and full of mistakes or it can be full of successes to celebrate. Either way, you can learn by seeking feedback, adapting your techniques, and staying updated with industry trends that can further inform your cold-calling approach. 

20. Take a Third-Party Perspective on Your Calls

Take a step back from your call and try to analyze it from an objective outsider’s perspective. Look at only what was said, how you engaged on the call, and what the other person’s response was. The less personal you can make your review, the more powerful it will be. Take note of what made for successful sales calls and learn from unsuccessful ones to refine your strategy.

21. Know Where You’re At, Know Where You’re Going

Sales enablement tools and CRM systems will help you manage your metrics so you always know where you’re at and can set realistic stretch goals as you make progress. Stay organized and track everything you can in a clear and simple system so that your information is easy to access and apply to your future calls. 

22. Raise Your Standards on Follow-Ups

Instead of sending generic follow-ups or ‘fire-hosing’ someone with information, take the time to personalize your follow-up emails or messages. Add a brief summary of your call and the next steps. Adding a few details that show this summary and the next steps for this prospect will help show your attentiveness and commitment to serving this prospect as a unique individual and company.

Avoid this cold-calling mistake → Follow up when and where you say you will. If you’ve previously connected with a prospect on social media, don’t use their comments section or DMs to spam them with additional, unsolicited follow-ups or information. Follow-ups are a chance for you to build trust and develop a relationship with your prospect. 

Benefits of B2B Cold Calling

Despite recent technological advancements in the selling scene, cold calling is still a tried and true way to reach new customers. B2B cold calling is not only cost effective, but it is expected, as 50% of buyers prefer to be contacted via phone and 82% accept meetings from persistent cold calling. Additionally, B2B cold calling can help businesses with relationship building, marketing research, and scalability.

Top-performing sales representatives use most of these techniques without even thinking about them — they’re simply second nature from years of practice. Our network of excellent B2B sales representatives and candidates are ready to help your company today with cold-calling mastery and sales skills at the ready. Click here to contact us today and make a plan for sales success.

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Ryan Thornton

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States With the Best & Worst Job Markets as Economy Strengthens

For the first time in a long time, there is cautious optimism about the U.S. economy. It is being fueled by a strong labor market. In May, 339,000 jobs were added – nearly double projections – and while that cooled to 209,000 new jobs in June, many experts are predicting a soft landing for the economy instead of a recession.

The number of open jobs sits at 9.8 million. At a time when quit rates are declining, this signifies that the labor market is strengthening, and companies are looking to expand and hire as many workers as they can. It also means job seekers have more choices and opportunities. 

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics sheds light on the country’s most in-demand sectors. Notably, most of the recent hires were in professional and business services (64,000); professional, scientific and technical services (43,000); government (56,000) and health care (52,000).

Leverage Between Employers and Employees

The ongoing fight for leverage betweens employers and job seekers remains a complex and rapidly evolving issue. The labor market during and following the global pandemic was largely defined by “The Great Resignation.” A record 50 million people quit their jobs in 2022, breaking the previous record set in 2021. 

With so many unfilled jobs, job seekers had historic leverage and employers had to roll out the red carpet and acquiesce to worker-friendly policies such as higher pay and the ability to work remotely. 

The most recent federal data shows the Great Resignation has come to an end with national quit rates falling to 2.4% in March, just .1% higher than in February of 2020. To be clear, lower quit rates do not equate to the strengthening of the economy – in fact it is quite the opposite. 

A BLS report notes, “Quit rates tend to rise during expansions, when workers’ prospects for finding a better job brighten.” The Roosevelt Institute also notes higher quit rates represent, “A necessary reshuffling of jobs leading marginalized workers to pursue better working conditions and wages.”

But what the return to pre-pandemic quit rates may signal is that employers are regaining some leverage. We are seeing many of them attempt to exercise that leverage by ending another pandemic workplace trend – working from home. 

Many Fortune 500 companies such as Disney and JP Morgan are mandating that employees return to the office. Even Big Tech companies like Meta and Google – who were the ones who introduced remote work and extravagant workplace perks in the first place  – are now opting for a return to work or a hybrid model. 

However, employers must not get too complacent. Projections from the World Economic Forum indicate that over the next five years, approximately 17% of North American workers are expected to switch jobs. This trend is even more pronounced within the business development sector. In the current climate, a company’s ability to recruit and retain top talent is critical to success.

Purpose of the Study and How We Determined The Rankings

As a whole, things are looking up for business owners and American workers across the country. But the dynamics between employers and employees continues to be in flux as the economy attempts to recover and enter a long awaited period of prosperity. 

As experts in B2B sales recruiting, Peak Sales Recruiting has conducted extensive research on the labor market at large to inform business owners, entrepreneurs and job seekers about the state of the labor market in their area.

It is critical to understand the rapidly changing landscape in the state that you reside in order to achieve success. 

To determine which states have the strongest labor markets we analyzed the most recent data from BLS. We factored in positive indicators such as employment, wage growth, labor productivity, quit rates (higher rates means the labor market is expanding) and job openings (a sign that employers are looking to expand their businesses). We also factored in negative benchmarks such as layoffs and underemployment. 

A Few Key Findings:

  • The Southeast is home to the states with the strongest labor markets in 2023, driven by strong employment growth, job openings and quits – meaning job seekers have their pick of the litter. Louisiana is the No. 1 state, with the highest rates of labor productivity increases and quit rates than any other state, while nearby South Carolina and Florida also rank in the top five.
  • Notably, economic powerhouses California and New York rank among the states with the weakest labor markets. That’s not due to a lack of opportunity, with both states reporting above-average employment growth rates. But they are also experiencing major drops in average wages, as well as high underemployment and declines in labor productivity.
  • Despite ranking near the bottom, No. 45 Nevada saw greater employment growth than nearly any other state, while No. 43 Alaska had a higher job openings rate and No. 37 Washington, D.C., saw the lower rate of layoffs.

Best and Worst States

Louisiana has the country’s strongest labor market, likely bolstered by its diverse economy and range of industries, from energy to aerospace to advanced manufacturing. Using the most recent data, Louisiana’s labor productivity was up by 6.1%, while job openings increased by 7.3% and the quit rate reached 3.7% – a higher rate than any other state.

Even so, Louisiana falls in the middle of the pack for employment and wage growth and has a slightly above-average rate of layoffs and underemployment, serving as a reminder that Louisaiana’s opportunity is not felt equally by all workers, and that no state has perfect labor conditions.

States With the Best & Worst Job Markets

State

Overall Ranking

Overall Z Score

Louisiana

1

0.851

South Carolina

2

0.748

Florida

3

0.709

Virginia

4

0.647

Idaho

5

0.644

Georgia

6

0.636

Alabama

7

0.591

Kentucky

8

0.569

Arkansas

9

0.459

Delaware

10

0.374

Texas

11

0.372

Utah

12

0.325

West Virginia

13

0.314

Nebraska

14

0.297

South Dakota

15

0.284

Wyoming

16

0.213

North Dakota

17

0.196

New Mexico

18

0.178

Oklahoma

19

0.174

Minnesota

20

0.171

North Carolina

21

0.165

Iowa

22

0.112

Vermont

23

0.094

Mississippi

24

0.033

Indiana

25

0.022

Wisconsin

26

0.010

Montana

27

-0.014

Maine

28

-0.029

Missouri

29

-0.050

Tennessee

30

-0.054

Kansas

31

-0.059

Arizona

32

-0.091

Colorado

33

-0.103

Ohio

34

-0.137

Maryland

35

-0.142

Pennsylvania

36

-0.199

District of Columbia

37

-0.232

New Hampshire

38

-0.240

Oregon

39

-0.244

Hawaii

40

-0.260

Connecticut

41

-0.329

Alaska

42

-0.460

Massachusetts

43

-0.471

New Jersey

44

-0.485

Nevada

45

-0.504

Illinois

46

-0.528

Michigan

47

-0.653

Washington

48

-0.660

Rhode Island

49

-0.840

New York

50

-1.019

California

51

-1.228

Source: Peak Sales Recruiting analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data

South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Idaho also landed among the top five. Each of these states has higher rates of job openings and employment growth, while average weekly wages have increased by 0.9% in South Carolina between December 2021 and 2022.

Despite its reputation as a hub for innovation and technological advancement, California faces significant challenges in its labor market – and it ranks last. Average weekly wages in the state have dropped by 6.9%, while 8.7% of workers are underemployed and the quit and job opening rates were lower than in most other states.

New York, Rhode Island, Washington and Michigan rounded out the bottom five due to poor scores for labor productivity, wages, underemployment and job openings. However, these states also have some bright spots: New York’s layoffs rate was 0.8% in March, lower than almost anywhere else, while Washington saw strong employment growth (3.1%).

5 Tips To Recruit And Retain Talent In 2023

Recruiting and retaining top talent is crucial for the success and growth of any organization. In 2023, with the evolving job market and changing expectations of employees, it’s important to adapt your recruitment and retention strategies. Here are five tips to help you recruit and retain talent in 2023:

  • Embrace remote work and flexibility: With the rise of remote work and hybrid models, offering flexibility in working arrangements is highly valued by employees. Consider implementing remote work policies, flexible hours, and other initiatives that promote work-life balance. This will attract candidates who prioritize flexibility and enable you to retain existing employees who value remote work options.

  • Prioritize diversity and inclusion: Inclusion and diversity are critical factors in attracting and retaining talent. Foster a culture that celebrates diversity and creates an inclusive environment for employees from different backgrounds. Establish diverse hiring practices, offer diversity training, and promote inclusive policies. A diverse workforce not only brings varied perspectives but also enhances creativity, innovation, and employee satisfaction.

  • Offer competitive compensation and benefits: To attract and retain top talent, ensure your compensation packages are competitive in the market. Stay updated on industry standards and adjust your salary ranges accordingly. Additionally, provide attractive benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, professional development opportunities, and employee perks. Conduct regular salary reviews and ensure your benefits package remains enticing.

  • Focus on employee growth and development: Employees value organizations that invest in their growth and provide opportunities for skill development. Implement mentorship programs, offer training workshops, and support continued education. Create personalized development plans for employees and provide regular feedback to help them grow professionally. This emphasis on growth and development will not only attract high-potential candidates but also contribute to employee retention.

  • Foster a positive company culture: A positive company culture plays a significant role in attracting and retaining talent. Cultivate a work environment that promotes open communication, teamwork, and a sense of purpose. Recognize and reward employee achievements, encourage collaboration, and foster a supportive atmosphere. A strong and positive company culture will not only attract top talent but also ensure that employees are motivated and engaged in their roles.

Remember, these tips should be adapted to your specific industry, organizational culture, and the needs of your employees. Stay abreast of current trends and continuously seek feedback from your workforce to refine your recruitment and retention strategies in line with the evolving landscape.

5 Tips For Job Seekers In 2023

In recent years, employees have had more leverage and choice in where they work than they have historically. Amid the changing landscape, competition for top jobs remains fierce but there are ways to stand out from the pack. Here are five tips for job seekers in 2023.

  1. Embrace Remote and Hybrid Work: In response to the global pandemic, remote and hybrid work arrangements have become more prevalent. Be open to these options and showcase your ability to work effectively in a remote or flexible environment. Highlight your communication and collaboration skills in virtual settings, as well as your ability to adapt to new technologies and tools.
  2. Develop In-Demand Skills: Stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in your field and invest time in developing in-demand skills. Consider taking online courses, attending webinars, reading books, or participating in workshops to enhance your expertise. This proactive approach will make you more attractive to potential employers who are seeking candidates with relevant and up-to-date skill sets.
  3. Network Strategically: Networking remains a crucial aspect of job searching. Leverage both online and offline platforms to connect with professionals in your industry. Engage with relevant communities, join industry-specific groups on social media, and attend virtual conferences or meetups. Establishing meaningful connections can lead to valuable job opportunities or referrals.
  4. Customize Your Application Materials: Avoid sending out generic resumes and cover letters. Tailor your application materials to each specific job you apply for. Research the company and the position, and highlight the skills and experiences that align with their requirements. This personalized approach demonstrates your genuine interest and attention to detail, increasing your chances of standing out among other candidates.
  5. Leverage Online Job Search Tools: Take advantage of the numerous online platforms and job search tools available. Explore professional networking sites like LinkedIn and job search websites to find relevant openings. Set up job alerts and create a comprehensive profile that showcases your skills and experiences. Additionally, consider using AI-powered job search platforms that match your profile with suitable job opportunities.

Remember, persistence and a positive attitude are key throughout the job search process. Keep refining your skills, adapting to the changing job market, and seeking opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. Good luck!

Conclusion

While the economy remains steady the state of the labor market varies greatly depending on the state and region in which you reside. Pandemic trends such as the Great Resignation are in the rearview mirror, and while things are looking up for both employers and employees, the state of the labor market remains a complex issue. It is critical that job seekers and business owners understand the rapidly changing landscape in order to achieve success. 

Methodology

We used the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for seven metrics to determine the states with the strongest job markets. We used a Z-score distribution to scale each metric relative to the mean across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and capped outliers at 3. We multiplied some Z-scores by -1, given a higher score was negatively associated with being above the national average, including layoffs and underemployment. A state’s overall ranking was calculated using its average Z-score across the seven metrics. Here’s a closer look at the metrics we used:

 

 

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Eliot Burdett

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How to Find A Salesperson

In today’s competitive market, finding the right salesperson is crucial. As turnover rates among sales professionals hover around 20%, businesses must focus on effective recruitment and retention strategies. Let’s face it: businesses hate losing money. So when companies start shelling out $115,000 for every salesperson lost and replaced, C-Suite executives double down and focus their efforts on employee retention. 

This status quo creates one big problem: businesses are constantly losing sales talent, unable to build a steady sales team and always in search of new, quality salespeople to replace the outgoing ones. Additionally, new businesses struggle to find available and committed salespeople due to their high mobility.

This blog post covers our strategy to find a salesperson — how to begin, where to look and what to do to keep them after you find them. 

1. Create the Ideal Candidate Profile

Crafting the ideal candidate profile starts with the customer. Since your customers directly interface with the sales team, they should have a say on who gets hired. Using a feedback form (or any equivalent), nudge your customers to tell you the traits they value most in a salesperson. 

From there, you can take over. Ask yourself and other stakeholders questions like:

  • What qualifications do we want in a candidate?
  • Will experience rank over qualifications?
  • Entry-level or experience?
  • Do we need someone to aggressively pursue new leads or gently nurture our existing ones?
  • Is geography a factor?

In other words, create your profile based on the sales task. You’ll notice we didn’t mention considering parameters like — goal-oriented, active listener, problem solver etc. Those things are just a ‘bland summary of the Boy Scout handbook.’ 

Odds are every sales candidate will say they are those things even when they’re not. Instead, shift the focus to your company’s sales tasks so it’ll be easier to build a custom candidate profile.

2. Write a Thorough Job Description

Since you’re searching for a unique salesperson, creating a distinct call sign to help them identify your business as a good place to thrive is necessary. How? Job descriptions. 

You need them no matter where you find your sales candidates, not just job boards. 

Job descriptions present your first opportunity to set the right expectations — your requirements, candidate responsibilities, company culture, and compensation structure. 

Contrary to public opinion, job descriptions are best kept short and engaging. A one-pager is sufficient. 

Top sales candidates look for keywords like ‘team leader’, ‘industry-specific experience,’ and ‘build customer relationships’, so be sure to include the right keyword blend in your job listing.

Here’s a good job description template you can work with. 

Remember, if the job description isn’t good, the candidates who apply won’t be either.

3. Search in the Right Place

Good salespeople that match your specific requirements are not scarce if you know where to look — and there are several places to look. 

Let’s go through those places together:

Your Network

Some say you’re never more than six people from meeting someone famous. They are absolutely right; fortunately for us, that dynamic operates the same way with salespeople. 

Though generic, your professional and social network is indeed an ideal place to begin your search for top salespeople. Talk to your family, friends, and colleagues (past and present). 

Don’t leave out salespeople who have already pitched or are still pitching a product to you. They’re worth hiring if they can get you to buy their product while working for someone else.

Networking events (for entry-level and senior roles)

Thousands of sales conferences are held annually, meaning thousands of salespeople are together in conference halls yearly, sipping drinks and eating low-fat pretzels.

That’s good news for you. 

Look up events (sales conferences, trade shows and seminars) in your preferred area, then make an appearance. It’ll be like fishing in a small packed pond with a big net especially if they are already looking for you too.

That first bit is more suited to senior roles. If you want entry-level sales talent, redirect your search to look for college career fairs and alumni events.

Or, you can steal a page from the playbook of corporate R & D. Form a partnership with a university to set up an award or sponsor an event to get backstage access to teeming sales superstars. 

Sales recruiting firms/agencies

If you’d rather skip the time-consuming process of finding great sales candidates, a sales recruiting firm is the way to go.

Sales recruiting firms are heavily connected. They know all the best salespeople and where to find them, even those who might be engaged elsewhere.  

They’re about the best medium to find salespeople for any role in your company. Make sure to select the right recruiting firm. 

Check the track record of the firm and ask about their process. Prioritize firms with exceptional reach and customer support.

Job boards

Job boards for salespeople are everywhere, listing a thousand sales jobs to ten thousand sales reps. 

To be fair, job boards don’t always work. Many times, applications from these sites are less-than-satisfactory. However, you can still make lemonade from lemons by observing job descriptions and salary structures posted by your competitors. That insight can be instrumental.

One more thing to note on job boards: 

Your ideal salesperson could be anywhere, including a current engagement with another company. They won’t be looking at a job board and are unlikely to see you. This is often the case when searching for a salesperson to fill a senior role. Now you know what to expect.

Other social media

Twitter, Facebook, and Slack communities are also good platforms to help you find top salespeople. Use hashtags to navigate your way on them.

4. Leverage the Network of Your Current Sales Team

If you already have a sales team, speak to them. Their knowledge and experience count more than you think. 

The sales profession, though unfairly, has always been associated with false positives or, if we’re being blunt, lying. 

No one is better suited to differentiate between people of true substance and those with credentials as false as a politician’s promise.. Plus, your next hire probably shared a seat in college with someone currently on your team.

Ask for their input, and they’ll point you in the right direction.

If you don’t have an existing sales team, simply reach out to a sales recruiting expert willing to help. Sales recruiting firms and LinkedIn are good places to discover salespeople who will share valuable insights. 

5. Prioritize Promising Candidates

Top-performing sales reps can be elusive. They’re sifting through multiple job offers simultaneously, so they can be undecided, choosy, or both. 

If you feel strongly about a candidate’s potential to positively impact your business growth, reach out immediately.

6. Go Through Resumes With Intent

Online job openings are reported to attract 250+ resumes, so we’ll run through a few helpful tips to help you review them better and faster:

  • Look for resumes (and cover letters) with a personal touch. This is especially important in the post-generative AI era.
  • Be open-minded about sales background and experience. Although experience in selling software is not the same as selling hospital machines, it doesn’t necessarily mean a candidate won’t succeed if given a chance. 
  • Check for tangible results. Don’t be swayed by resumes that claim to have had ‘huge success’ without proof. Pay more attention to a resume that says ‘exceeded my sales target by 15% developing X strategy.’

250+ resumes won’t survive this process — and that’s a good thing. This process is admittedly tedious but the results are worth it.

7. Make the Most of a Screening Call

During this phase, your job is to become familiar with the potential sales candidates. Ideally, you’d want to know more about their qualifications, basic expectations, and whether or not they fit the company culture.

A short phone call or video of 15-30 minutes feels appropriate for a screening call. You might ask questions like: 

  • Tell me briefly about your sales experience
  • What are your short-term career goals?
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • What’s your favourite sales strategy?

If you have any concerns after reviewing the resume, now’s the best time to review them.

One more thing, a screening should be informal. That might be the best way to establish a genuine connection since everyone’s on edge during formal interviews.

8. Ask the Right Questions in the Final Interview

Interviews are really about questions. Ask the right questions, and you’ll find the right salesperson.

We can’t tell you what the right interview questions are for your company (unless we know more), but you can’t go wrong with asking questions that help you understand a candidate’s approach to tackling sales tasks. 

Once the interview is complete, ask your hiring team these questions:

  • Does the candidate have the ability to be vulnerable and honest about shortcomings?
  • Do they set learning intentions for themselves and strive to become more successful?
  • Do they have a good approach to customer service?
  • Do they have experience upselling customers?
  • Can they thrive in a competitive environment?

9. Keep Communication Open

The interview may be complete, but there’s still work to do. It’s no good going through all that stress only to lose a top candidate to a competitor. 

Keep conversing with the promising candidates if you’re still deciding or sorting through administrative red tape. Tell them they’re on your mind and will be contacted once a final decision is made.

10. Negotiate. Hire. Onboard. 

Top salespeople will negotiate their pay. Negotiating is practically habitual to them, and you might even be bothered if they don’t try to get you to pay more.

Make a hiring decision based on sound logic and good judgment.

Finally, patiently review short-term and long-term company goals, office policies, and other important information with the new hire(s). 

Recap

To find successful salespeople, do these things:

  • Mold your target candidate profile
  • Write detailed job descriptions
  • Search your network
  • Attend networking events (senior roles) and college career fairs (young talent)  
  • Leverage LinkedIn and other social media platforms
  • Don’t rely heavily on job boards
  • Hire a sales recruiting firm
  • Ask your sales team for advice
  • Search for non-generic salesperson roles
  • Review resumes
  • Screen candidates
  • Conduct immersive interviews
  • Follow-up on promising candidates
  • Negotiate pay. Hire and onboard.

Leave the Search to Peak

Finding the right salesperson can be a daunting task. It requires tact, expertise, and a bucket load of research. But that doesn’t have to be your burden.

At Peak Sales Recruiting, we know the best sales talent and are constantly discovering more. We can help you find and recruit your next sales superstar without hiccups.

Contact us today to get started. We’ll take care of the rest.

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Eliot Burdett

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What You’re Missing When You Hire Based on Resumes Alone

Candidate resumes can be a great starting point for hiring, but they rarely tell the most important parts of a professional’s story. In sales, a candidate’s sales DNA almost always beats the resume. We encourage you to look beyond it.

What is Sales DNA?

Sales DNA is all about how someone approaches their role and performs their job. Sales DNA includes the traits that someone naturally embodies and qualities they have learned to develop over time. 

Should We Throw Out The Resume Entirely?

In short, no. If you enter your hiring process with a clear hiring strategy, you will likely start by screening resumes for specific skills or experience. Let’s say you’re hiring a VP of sales. You certainly don’t want to interview or hire someone with only marketing experience. 

Why Isn’t a Resume Enough?

When you overemphasize the qualifications someone displays on their resume, you considerably narrow the pool of talent you can draw from. This puts you at a disadvantage and eliminates potentially optimal candidates. 

What Should You Look for Beyond the Resume?

The top traits of high-performers include ambition, competitiveness, confidence, and resilience. These traits are intangible but are strong indicators of tangible success. Sales representatives with these traits are able to capitalize on opportunities that average salespeople miss.

Let us help you spot the Sales DNA in your job candidates. Contact us today to get started with our recruitment specialists!

 

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Austin’s Sales Hiring Landscape

Austin TX Sales Hiring Landscape In 2022

Austin is a growing city that offers an attractive lifestyle and opportunities for salespeople and businesses looking for growth. SpaceX and Oracle relocated their corporate headquarters to the city in recent years. These moves enhance Austin’s appeal to salespeople and growing companies. Let’s take a closer look at typical Austin sales salaries next.

Sales Salaries In Austin, TX

The following list shows the range of salaries available for salespeople at all levels in Austin, TX. These salaries come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2021. Round them up higher to reflect the impact of inflation.

  • Advertising Sales Agents: $60,270
  • Insurance Sales Agents: $65,160
  • Parts Salespersons: $39,100
  • First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers: $84,450
  • Real Estate Brokers: 
  • Real Estate Sales Agents: $64,240
  • Sales Engineers:  $124,340
  • Sales Managers: $145,420
  • Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel: $63,010
  • Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products: $95,220
  • Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents: $79,990

Many of these positions put a person above the city’s per capita income of $47,161, and some even put a person above the region’s median household income of $86,530. There’s never been a better time to build a sales career in the capital of Texas.

Major Employers In Austin

As one of Texas’s best-known cities, Austin has boomed. As a result, the city is home to a growing list of primary corporate and regional headquarters. Some major companies with a significant presence in Austin include the following.

Technology Companies:

  • AMD
  • Apple
  • BigCommerce
  • Dell
  • Facebook
  • IBM
  • National Instruments
  • NXP Semiconductors
  • Oracle

Finance

  • Charles Schwab
  • Dimensional Fund Advisors
  • Texas Mutual Insurance
  • Visa

Retail

  • eBay
  • Home Depot
  • Yeti

The appeal of Austin isn’t limited to large established companies either. Many other employers are scaling up their presence in the city.

Companies Are Adding Hundreds of New Jobs In Austin

From 2020 to 2022, Austin has continued attracting many companies and employers. According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the following companies have added over 100 jobs in the Austin area in 2022.

  • BAE Systems: 100 jobs
  • Cognizant: 300 jobs
  • GoStudent: 130 jobs
  • Kroger: 161 jobs
  • Roku: 100 jobs
  • TCS Mechanical: 444 jobs
  • Wise: 225 jobs

Over $5 Billion Invested in Austin Startups

In addition to these well-established companies, Austin is also becoming a thriving destination for entrepreneurs and startups. TechCrunch said investors supplied over $5 billion in funding to the city’s startup companies in 2021. That is a major increased compared to 2016, when investors supplied $940 million in funding to the city’s startup businesses.

Several of the city’s startups have achieved a $1 billion valuation, like Iodine Software, Workrise, and ZenBusiness. In addition, a growing number of Texas-focused investment firms are focused on growing companies in the city. If these trends continue, the Austin area is bound to continue to grow.

High Demand For Salespeople In Austin 

Employer demand for sales talent remains strong in Austin, TX. As of the fall of 2022, there are approximately 25,000 open sales positions in the Austin area on LinkedIn. Approximately 13,000 of these sales positions are remote, suggesting a significant openness to flexible working in the Austin area.

Employers seeking sales talent in Austin include larger businesses (e.g., Adobe, US Bank, Salesforce) and many smaller businesses. The city is powerful as a technology hub, but that is just one aspect of the city’s appeal.

What Does Austin Offer For Salespeople and Companies?

In addition to the opportunity to earn a great income, Austin has a great deal to offer professionals and their families. Let’s look at the city’s culture, health, and education.

Austin’s Culture 

With its unofficial motto, Keep Austin Weird, the city has something to offer almost everybody. History buffs will enjoy visiting the LBJ Presidential Museum and Library dedicated to the life and career of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th US President. Austin is also important to the George Washington Carver Museum and the Mexican American Cultural Center. 

The city’s culture goes beyond the heritage. Those interested in cutting-edge culture and technology will look forward to the city’s annual SXSW Festival. 

Austin is also well known for its live music scene. Major Austin music festivals include Austin City Limits Music Festival, the Austin Celtic Festival, and the Urban Music Festival. The city is also well known for homegrown musical talents like Janis Joplin, Spoon, and Willie Nelson.

Austin’s Health and Education

As the state capital, it should be no surprise that Austin has excellent health and education institutions. In addition to making the city highly livable, these institutions also represent opportunities for the right salesperson. 

K-12 Education In Austin, Texas

Austin is rightly proud of the quality of its schools. The area has many exceptional high schools like the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), Chaparral Star Academy, and the Richards School for Young Women Leaders. In addition, the city also has well-regarded public elementary schools like Allison Elementary and Andrews Elementary, which have an 11:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 

Families seeking private education have plenty of choices in Austin as well. The Texas state capital is home to the Magellan International School, which offers the International Baccalaureate program and Spanish immersion. Located just outside of Austin, the Austin Waldorf School offers kindergarten to grade twelve education and the opportunity to learn multiple foreign languages. Further, the Griffin School in Austin is an excellent choice for students seeking small class sizes as they prepare for college.

Higher Education

Students in Austin have access to multiple four-year institutions and two-year colleges. The city’s best-known college is the University of Texas at Austin, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition, students have the opportunity to attend Austin Community Colege, Central Texas College, and Texas State University. 

Health

Austin has excellent healthcare facilities offering a wide range of care. The region is home to approximately fifty hospitals, including specialized facilities like the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. Austin’s healthcare providers include for-profit and non-profit organizations, giving patients and healthcare professionals many choices. The future is bright for Austin health care, thanks to the recently opened Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. The Dell Medical School enrolled its inaugural class in 2016.

Austin’s Future Prospects

For employers and salespeople, Austin’s future growth prospects are up-and-coming. A recent estimate found that Austin’s population may surpass San Antonio by 2040. If that estimate comes true, the Autin metropolitan area will have a population of 3.3 million in less than twenty years. This growth would make Austin similar to California’s San Diego area. 

Multiple factors drive Austin’s growth potential. The city is a growing magnet for venture capital investment. In addition, major companies like Oracle and SpaceX are growing their presence in the city. It’s not just dollars and cents that make Austin attractive, either. The city’s crime rate is significantly below the US average. As of 2019, Austin’s violent crime rate was 75% of the US average. Further, the city has an average annual temperature of 69.3 Fahrenheit and less than one inch of snowfall per year. 

Do You Want To Start or Grow Your Austin Sales Team?

Hiring sales talent in Austin is easier when you have the proper support. Learn more about Peak’s Austin office and contact us today.

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