How to Hire Business Development Professionals - A Sales Recruiter's Advice (Part 1)
Many business owners and managers struggle to recruit top producing business development professionals who can generate leads and establish new business accounts.
It is brutally competitive recruiting for top producing sales staff and if you don’t have a few key components in place, it can be nearly impossible. 5 points can greatly improve your company’s ability to hire capable sales professionals and in this article, we’re going to tackle the first one:
1. Provide Sales Candidates with a Competitive Base Salary and an Aggressive Commission Structure
Many times I’ve had business owners tell me, “If a sales professional is good at sales he/she will earn enough money through their commission plan and won’t need a solid base salary.” While the former may be true, top performing sales professionals may not consider your company as a potential employer if it embodies this sales methodology.
Here’s why:
If you are looking for a candidate with prior sales experience (i.e., a candidate who isn’t fresh out of college), it’s safe to assume they have bills to pay, they may have children, a mortgage, and they may not take a risk on your business without a base salary to transition into your organization.
Many industries require a ramp-up period for sales professionals to build a pipeline. Even if you provide your sales staff with warm leads, the process takes time.
Depending upon your industry and business drivers, seasonality, and other business fluctuations, a competitive base salary will help you engage with effective sales candidates. This isn’t to say the base salary needs to be particularly high but it does need to be competitive with your industry.
Without understanding this point, many business owners turn away the majority of otherwise interested and highly qualified sales candidates.Providing a solid base salary and aggressive commission structure will not only help you recruit top sales talent, but it will help you retain and of course, motivate your sales staff.
Next up in the following article, we’re going to cover the 2nd point which will help you hire top notch Business Development Professionals: Having a Clearly Defined Commission Structure to Share with Your Candidates.
