sales symposium


Craig Williams, managing director, Precise Target


Sales recruitment, doing it right


Change isn't easy, but to cope you need the right people with the right skill sets. Having been a salesperson himself, Williams knew how notoriously difficult they were to find and retain. So he decided to 'be the change he wanted to see' in the industry and set up Precise Target.


KEY POINTS


Don’t be arrogant as an employer: there is a lot of competition out there to recruit good salespeople, so be realistic and follow 'good recruitment practice'; eg ask for a shortlist of ideally three candidates, set a closing date, allocate a date to interview all the prospective candidates in advance.


It is lazy for employers to insist: “We only want somebody from within industry, somebody with prior experience”? The only reason for demanding this, is hoping for prior contacts, meaning quick business ... not that they are the right cultural fit for your company.


Use internal surveys: to assess your staff's satisfaction – this helps the company to understand its culture and take any steps to 'fix it' in advance of recruiting new staff.


EXAMPLE


"In a job search, faced with unimpressive industry candidates, we took a risk. The job specification stated that the company wanted to grow business by 33% over the next two to three years.


So, we re-drafted the job spec and asked for people who had grown businesses by that amount over three different industries. This would demonstrate they had a transferrable skill set; ie if you are a good salesperson, you can taught about the business and the products.


After two days of interviews, the MD called us to say he would have taken on any of our three (inexperienced) candidates ... but only one of the five other (experienced) candidates sent by other agencies.


Barinder Hothi, co-founder, The Knowledge Academy


Building resilient sales teams, for 2017 and beyond….


Having grown the business at a rapid rate, The Knowledge Company now employs 300 permanent staff, of which the sales team represents the single largest function.


"Grow a sales team fit for purpose, and they will grow the business."


KEY POINTS


Challenges of building a sales team: it is expensive, and takes time to find the right candidates, as good salespeople are highly sought after.


Apprenticeships will help: a new apprenticeship levy will come into force in May 2017, which will be compulsory for larger companies (more than £3 million payroll) and optional (but 90% subsidised) for smaller companies.


Benefits of the new standard: it will help with recruitment, motivation, management, and ultimately retention.


EXAMPLE


Taking the IT technical sales apprenticeship as an example, Hothi stressed that this is an employer-led apprenticeship – not centrally-planned – and so focuses upon all the practical skills required; technical, communication skills, customer handling… etc.


This enables employees to see this as an investment in their career, and walk away with an industry-standard qualification.


“Train people well enough so that they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to” – Richard Branson.


Ross Owen Williams, head of global online content, Recruitment Guide


Encouraging sales through social media


Millenials are the future of our industry and for them, social media is their primary form of communication. So, how do we develop relationships using social media when most of us suffer from data overload?


KEY POINTS


Two different methods of online communication: you can either be ‘active’, by commentating, liking and sharing (most common), or ‘passive’, by writing, posting, and researching (less common, more time consuming).


How to communicate effectively: make the information relevant to your audience by promoting relevant events and products with humour and personality … but don’t show off, complain or go fishing for names.


Key points to remember when writing online: post regularly, make the effort to interact, watch your tone, and above all, aim to influence rather than sell.


EXAMPLE


Be truthful. An online article entitled, 'The Broken Biscuit Principle' sounded interesting. However, after the first paragraph, which paid lip service to a packet of broken biscuits, the author launched into an extensive sales pitch: “Is your service provider letting you down ...”, which was a complete turn-off. In other words, this article turned into an anti-sales pitch.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MARCH 2017


businessmag.co.uk


11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40