Align Talent With Market

If you are hiring your first sales professional or you’re hiring your 1000th, the process should be the same. Tailoring your hire’s personality traits to the job requirements is a great place to start.

Ask yourself, what stage is the market in? What stage is my company in? What talent is needed to reach the next stage? Once you can answer these questions, you're ready to start looking for the talent.

First and foremost, the personnel must have a good alignment with company and team. No sales team yet? Be sure that the salesperson has the experience to manage different departments of the company and can adapt to the impending changes. Sales processes will change as the company grows and as more people are brought on board. It’s also important to note territories will shrink as they become more successful.

The Talent – analyzing natural characteristics will be next step in the process. Are they naturally a Lone Wolf, Inside Sales, Account Manager, Sales Engineer, or Business Development? Each one will bring strengths and weaknesses. Looking to get early traction in an open territory? Bring on a Lone Wolf. Have a well-established territory, then Account Manager is what is needed. Have a long-time strategy and not completely sure what you’re offering? Business Development is the way to go.

As I have experienced, companies tend to group sales professionals together and fail to match the hire with the opening and then wonder why it didn’t work out. Matching natural talent with the stage of company and market are key for long term success.