Attracting talented sales professionals is tough. It’s an industry that has a particularly high attrition rate and companies are struggling to not only recruit new talent but also to retain their top performers.

Competition for sales staff is at an all-time high and it’s unsurprising; the inability to fill sales vacancies is costing 75% of businesses money on a daily basis.

So, how can you improve your sales recruitment strategy? We share some of our top tips and gain insight from our own Head of Sales, Adele Small, about what’s important to sales professionals when looking for a new role.

 

1. Provide remuneration details within your job advert…

We’d always recommend listing the salary and benefits package on offer within your job advert; a salary isn’t just an attraction factor, it also allows candidates to gauge the level of the role that’s being advertised.

However, including a salary is even more important when you’re advertising a sales role; these are positions where the potential earnings can be huge, therefore it’s vital to provide details of the package on offer.

Just think – if you were searching for your next sales role and comparing job adverts, would you rather apply for the one which informs you of your basic salary and OTE or the one which provides no information on what you’ll be earning?

 

2. …but remember that money isn’t everything. Believe in your product/service

“Of course, your basic salary is always a big selling point, as well as the potential OTE and commission scheme. However, equally important is believing in the particular product and service that you’re selling – you won’t achieve your targets unless you are enthusiastic and passionate about the offering.” Adele explains.

Talk about your product or service offering in your job advertisement and at each stage of the recruitment process. Why do you sell what you sell? What are the benefits of your product? What are the features? What makes you different from your competitors?

Make sure that your potential new employee is enthusiastic about your service or product offering at every point of the recruitment process. Just remember, even if your commission scheme is amazing, if your offering is a tough sell, your sales employees won’t be hitting their targets.

 

3. Make any advancement opportunities clear

“Progression opportunities are very important,” Adele explains. “It’s good to be able to see where you could potentially be in 2-5 years’ time.”

Similar to roles in any other sector, sales professionals want to know that there are opportunities available for them to develop within the business.

For example, will there be the chance to progress into a leadership role? Or perhaps employees will be able to move into an account management or field sales position after a year of telesales.

Talking about the progression opportunities available at each stage of the recruitment process shows that your business nurtures and cares about its employees.

 

4. Don’t overuse the buzzwords

Not all sales roles are reflective of The Wolf of Wall Street; similarly, not all sales professionals are aggressive and pushy. Some positions require a much softer approach and others are more consultative than hard selling.

Just like with any other job sector, there’s a wide range of skills required for sales roles. Try not to use typical sales buzzwords, such as ‘aggressive’, ‘tenacious’ and ‘relentless’ unless the role really requires someone of that nature.

It’s important to think carefully about the role that you’re advertising and the particular qualities that would be required in your new hire, as well as the environment that they’ll be working in, and tailor your language accordingly.

 

5. Don’t forget the basics

Make sure that you’re using a common job title – think Sales Executive, Sales Rep or Business Development Manager instead of Customer Acquisition Extraordinaire. This ensures that jobseekers are able to find the details of the role online.

Additionally, don’t make your advert too long – online audiences read text differently and are likely to skim down the page and click off if they notice giant walls of text that aren’t broken up by paragraphs. Make sure that your advert is short, concise and draws them in to want to learn more about your vacancy.