A Dead Simple Checklist for Quickly Onboarding New SaaS Sales Reps

In a recent post, I mentioned that it takes, on average, around 11 months for new SaaS sales reps to reach their full potential. Significantly longer than what most sales leaders would consider ideal. But as I also pointed out, having a strong onboarding process can slash this time in half

But what exactly does that entail? 

Here’s an actionable checklist so you’ll know step-by-step how to quickly onboard new SaaS sales reps and get them up-to-speed. 

Provide a Single Orientation Resource

First, create a 101 level resource that provides new hires with a basic overview of their position. 

Topics to cover may include:

  • What your company’s mission is
  • What your philosophy and values are
  • What your culture is like
  • What the SaaS sales rep’s role is
  • Specific job duties
  • Expectations
  • Management structure
  • Tools and software the rep will be using
  • Training materials
  • Who to reach out to for questions
  • Staff email addresses and phone numbers
  • Answers to FAQs

Most SaaS companies find that a digital hub is the best way to go here (as opposed to a traditional employee handbook) because it’s dynamic where updates can easily be made. The goal is to focus on the essentials without overwhelming new SaaS sales reps, and give them a resource to turn to as new questions inevitably arise. 

Offer Training for the Software They’ll Be Selling

In order for a salesperson to thrive, they need to: 

  • Know your SaaS product inside and out
  • Know key features and benefits
  • Fully grasp your unique value proposition (UVP)
  • Know the context of how your product fits into your leads’ lives
  • Know what differentiates your product from what other competitors offer
  • Offer engaging demos

It will obviously take time to learn the full details, and it’s not something that can be taught overnight. That said, offering formal training on your product will reduce the learning curve and create a level of cohesiveness among your SaaS sales reps. 

Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to compile a list of links to landing pages, product videos, blog posts, and so on for quick reference. Then, offer either video-based or expert led training on product essentials to help new hires get their bearings. 

Offer Training for the Software They’ll Be Using

Besides selling software, salespeople will likely be using it on a daily basis for operations. This could include a CRM, a scheduling app, a lead scoring platform, or project management software. Most SaaS sales reps will have a basic understanding of how to use these, but it’s smart to provide training on the specific features. That way they can leverage the full functionality of the platform and reduce unnecessary friction.

Software walkthroughs tend to work well, as does a knowledge base of tutorials featuring screenshots. 

Educate New Hires on Buyer Personas

Next, you’ll want to ensure SaaS sales reps have a clear understanding of:

  • Who your ideal prospects are
  • Their specific pain points
  • What they’re looking for in a SaaS solution
  • How to effectively approach them
  • Common lead objections

The best way to quickly do that is to give them buyer personas to reference. 

Here’s a simple example.

As for developing buyer personas, they “can be created through research, surveys, and interviews — all with a mix of customers, prospects, and those outside your contacts database who might align with your target audience,” explains Pamela Vaughn of HubSpot. 

Check out her in-depth guide here.

Explain Key Competitor Strengths and Weaknesses

Again, understanding your company’s UVP is an essential component of succeeding as a SaaS sales rep. This will guide their initial outreach and discussion with leads. It will also ensure they can swiftly disarm any objections leads may have. 

A big part of a rep crystallizing the UVP is knowing the specific areas where your product outshines your competitors. To quickly get them up-to-speed, you’ll want to create a list of competitor strengths and weaknesses. 

Dan Shewan of Wordstream highlights precisely what to focus on when doing this, saying for strengths, pinpoint:

  • What each competitor does well
  • What their UVP is
  • Internal resources they have (e.g. skilled, knowledgeable staff)
  • Proprietary technology they use

As for weaknesses, identify:

  • Areas where each competitor lacks
  • Resource limitations
  • Where they fall behind in proprietary technology

Critique a Rep’s Product Demo

Once a new SaaS sales rep has digested the essentials and learned the ropes of your product, have them perform a demo and critique it. This is a great way to gauge their level of comprehension and quickly determine what they’re doing right and what needs improving.  

It also allows you to assess how they perform under pressure, so you’ll know what areas they should fine-tune before having conversations with actual leads. 

Maybe, for example, their talk talk-to-listen ratio was too high. Research from Gong.io found top reps spend 46% of the time talking and 54% of the time listening, while bottom reps spend 72% of the time talking and 28% of the time listening. That would be a specific area of focus.

Setting the Stage for Success

Strong onboarding can rev up SaaS sales rep cut ramp-up time by more than 50% and increase their productivity by over 70%. The numbers speak for themselves. 

A big part of achieving that is having a streamlined, systematized formula to use with all new hires. This checklist covers all the major points and should help you get them firing on all cylinders lighting fast. 

Struggling to find elite sales reps in your industry? Learn how HireDNA can help you build a top performing sales team, while eliminating 96% of hiring mistakes. 

98% of Top SaaS Companies Use Recruiting Software: Why You Should Too

If you’ve ever done SaaS sales recruiting, you know how challenging it can be. Finding reps with the right knowledge, skillset, and sales DNA is difficult. And retaining them long-term can be even trickier.  

So, rather than relying on old school tactics and “a hunch,” smart companies are turning to technology to streamline the process and find elite sales talent. They’re turning to recruiting software. 

Here’s why you should too. 

Some Telling Stats

One statistic I found extremely interesting is that “over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use recruitment software.”

Not a third. Not half. Not even 75%. But nearly all Fortune 500 companies now use this technology to find elite salespeople. These brands clearly know what they’re doing, and considering that such a ridiculously high percentage use recruiting software, there’s obviously something to it. 

And when it comes to results, they’re undeniable. “94% of recruiters and hiring professionals say that using a recruitment software has positively impacted their hiring process,” and “68% say the best way to improve recruiting performance over the next five years is by investing in new recruiting technology.”

This graphic from business consulting firm, Grand View Research, adds even more perspective on where recruiting software is heading as we move deeper in the 2020s. Just look at where the market size was in 2016 and where it’s projected to be at by 2027 (light blue marks recruiting software market size). 

Why Recruiting Software is a Game Changer for SaaS Companies

Now, let’s look at some of the biggest reasons why this technology is something you want to implement and specific platforms to consider. 

Quickly Generate Top-Level Candidates

Generating SaaS sales candidates isn’t necessarily difficult. Pretty much any brand can slap a posting up on a job board and get a flood of candidates. But generating bonafide SaaS sales rockstars certainly is. 

At the end of the day, there’s only so many quality standards you can have in place when using conventional recruiting tactics. Using recruiting software, however, allows you to quickly generate top-level candidates that are often head and shoulders above others. 

How? 

A platform like HireDNA:

  • Taps into a verified national network of sales recruitment experts
  • Uses intelligent matching to analyze 20 key data points to find individuals that best fit the role and match your criteria
  • Uses science-based assessments involving 21 core selling competencies, such as the will to sell, coachability, and the ability to handle rejection

Recruitment software essentially has built-in quality assurance, which provides you with a top-tier candidate pool right off the bat. 

Evaluate Sales Candidates Objectively

In the past, the only things recruiters had to evaluate sales talent on were a resume, cover letter, references, and flat out intuition. While these things can certainly give you a base level reading of a candidate, they don’t always tell the whole story. 

And critical hiring decisions often ended up falling into the trap of subjectivity, which can be detrimental for obvious reasons. 

But recruiting software provides you with quantifiable data, allowing you to evaluate candidates with full objectivity and transparency using visuals like these. 

With just a glance, you can get a full overview of a candidate’s capabilities and compare them to others without your emotion getting in the way. This brings us to our next point. 

Make Better Hiring Decisions 

Just like in nearly every other aspect of business, the more data you have, the better your decision-making becomes. It’s really that simple. 

According to The Harvard Business School, “highly data-driven organizations are three times more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making compared to those who rely less on data.” This is why you see so many companies who use recruiting software reaching the Fortune 500. 

By leveraging concrete data, this knocks down the first domino, helping them hire next level reps, which in turn, helps their salesforce be more productive, create a better customer experience, increase loyalty, generate more revenue, and so on. It’s a virtuous cycle. 

When it comes to SaaS companies that hire based on candidate recommendations from HireDNA, 92% of the suggested candidates reach the top of the sales team within their first year. 

Fill Positions Quicker

Time to hire is another major concern for SaaS companies. On average, it takes about a month to fill a vacant position in this industry. And the time and energy you spend sifting through sales candidates distracts you from core business tasks. 

But with recruiting software, you can reduce your time to hire significantly. Companies that use HireDNA, for instance, are able to slash their hiring time in half, quickly gaining access to pre-screened, qualified candidates that are ready to be interviewed. 

Drastically Reduce Hiring Mistakes

Because recruiting software gives you objective data and access to such a high-level candidate pool, you’ll naturally make fewer hiring mistakes. To quantify, HireDNA eliminates 96% of hiring mistakes, which gives companies the best possible chance of finding the right talent without needless drama.  

Increase Salesperson Retention 

Finally, there’s a definite correlation between using recruiting software and minimizing turnover. SaaS companies that use HireDNA are able to, on average, lower turnover by more than 33%, greatly increasing the odds of keeping top talent around for the long haul. 

Leveraging This Potent Technology

Software recruiting has never been easy. But modern SaaS companies have access to amazing technology in the form of recruiting software. It’s evolved substantially over the past few years, and given that 98% of top Fortune 500 companies use recruiting software, there’s no denying the impact it can have. It’s just a matter of choosing the right platform that meets the unique needs of your business. 


To learn more about this potent technology and see HireDNA in action, request a free demo today.

Tips to Cut New Sales Rep Ramp Time by 50%

How Long Does it Take the Average Sales Rep to Reach Their Maximum Potential?

Sales rep development can be both costly and time-consuming. Training alone costs an average of nearly $1,900 per salesperson for companies with less than 500 employees. 

And when you factor in the time spent recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing development, it’s clear that getting a new sales rep up to speed can be quite onerous. So, a common question many companies have is, “How long does it take the average sales rep to reach their maximum potential?”

Let’s find out by synthesizing the findings from a few different studies. 

Looking to the Data

One study by independent research firm, CSO Insights, found that it takes a minimum of seven months for salespeople to reach full productivity. Of the businesses surveyed, 61% said it takes at least this long for investments they make in reps to pay off. 

A second study by the Sales Management Association (SMA) found that it takes a bit longer at just over 11 months for a new sales rep to become fully productive. 

And a third study from sales training and consulting firm, RAIN Group, found that it’s even longer and takes more like 15 months. Although it takes around 9 months for a new sales rep to become “competent to perform,” it takes well over a year before they hit their full stride. 

Ask different experts and you’ll get different answers, but after crunching the numbers, we can surmise that it takes around 11 months or so for the average sales rep to reach their maximum potential. 

11 Months? That’s a While!

I was personally a little surprised that it takes this long, and I’m sure many other companies feel the same. But it makes sense when you consider all of the steps a new salesperson has to go through to get in the groove. 

They have to:

  • Not only learn your industry and product but eventually master it
  • Understand the greater context of how your product fits in with the needs of prospects
  • Learn your brand’s core values and philosophy
  • Master the product demo
  • Build initial rapport with your customers
  • Nurture relationships
  • And so on

When you unpack everything, it’s easy to see why it takes nearly a year for the average sales rep to reach their full potential. 

How to Accelerate Sales Rep Development

So, what can you do to hasten the process and get a salesperson firing on all cylinders more quickly? 

Mike Schultz, president of RAIN Group, boils it down to focusing on two main things — strengthening your onboarding and sales enablement. 

“With a strong onboarding and sales enablement process, this timeframe can be shortened considerably,” Schultz writes. “We’ve seen ramp-up time cut by greater than 50% when companies hone in on improving in this area, increasing seller effectiveness, and correlating turnover of sellers for whom getting up to speed was taking too long.”

In terms of specific actions, you’ll want to first identify the skills that are most essential to your sales team’s success and make those focal points during onboarding and continually reinforce them during the subsequent phases of a rep’s development. Schultz also suggests systematically teaching additional skills as a rep becomes more comfortable in their position. This allows you to effectively distill foundational knowledge and gradually build upon it over time. 

Finally, Schultz emphasizes the importance of holding sales reps accountable when using those skills. One of the best ways to do this is to use tangible metrics such as a leaderboard like this that shows performance.

This creates a high level of transparency, while at the same time creating some friendly competition — something many reps thrive on. In fact, research found that 55% of salespeople enjoy a competitive environment. 

“A well-built curriculum not only shortens ramp-up time,” Schultz says, “but also transforms sellers into top performers.”

Besides developing a strong onboarding and sales enablement process, there’s one last thing I’d like to suggest, which I’ve personally had a lot of success with. And that’s hiring sales candidates with amazing selling skills over those who simply possess a wealth of industry knowledge. 

From my experience, I’ve found that most people can be trained on products, but very few people have naturally outstanding sales talent. Unfortunately, many companies hinder the growth of their sales team because they zero in solely on finding candidates with X years of industry knowledge. 

Like I said in a previous post, as long as someone knows how to sell and will sell, their skills are usually transferable, and they’re likely to thrive in less time than it would take if you have to teach someone to sell from scratch. 

So, this is definitely something to keep in mind. 

Building a Framework to Help Sales Reps Succeed

Although the findings vary somewhat from study to study, research suggests that it takes most sales reps somewhere around 11 months to really get going. And that’s longer than what I think most sales leaders would prefer. 

That’s why it’s important to consciously look for ways to expedite that process — something that can usually be done through a strong onboarding and sales enablement process. That alone has the potential to cut salesperson development time in half. 

Also, don’t get so fixated on industry knowledge that you pass up A+ salespeople with transferable experience. These types of reps should be able to climb the ranks faster and have a much higher ceiling than their counterparts who simply possess a ton of industry knowledge but are only mediocre at selling. 

sales rep ramp time

A great way to do that and find the best of the best is by using a hiring tool like HireDNA. It uses science-based assessments based on 21 core selling competencies and intelligent matching that analyzes 20 key data points to help you filter through the candidate pool and find high-level salespeople, while saving you a ton of time.

2021 Sales Hiring Forecast: 5 Juicy Stats You Need to Know

2020 was a tumultuous year to say the least. It was a year that reminded us how important adaptability and resilience are, and it showed us how critical it is for sales hiring managers to keep evolving. 

Now that 2021 has arrived, what can we expect in the New Year?

Here’s an in-depth sales hiring forecast to help shape your approach. 

1. 19% of Salespeople Will Work From Home Permanently

One of the biggest trends that’s resulted from the pandemic is a growing number of salespeople working from home indefinitely. 

“A majority of North American employers expect that most of their furloughed workers will return to work by the end of the first quarter of 2021,” writes Stephen Miller of SHRM. “Nevertheless, more workers will continue working from home on a permanent basis than before the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In fact, experts predict that roughly one out of five salespeople will continue to work remotely. That’s a percentage that’s down considerably from its peak of 44% in July 2020. But it’s nearly three times what it was prior to the pandemic, which was just 7% in 2019. 

Bottom line: working at home is becoming mainstream, and it’s wise for sales leaders to account for this trend when building their sales team. 

2. 92% of Salespeople Think 2021 is a Good Time to Look for “Gig” Work

The “gig” economy, which refers to people working temporary, flexible jobs rather than full-time, permanent positions, has been steadily gaining steam in recent years. But just like with the surge of remote workers, COVID has accelerated its growth as well. 

According to recent data, a staggering 92% of salespeople think 2021 is “a good time” to look for gig work. And a growing number of businesses are adopting this hiring framework, with “15% of the total job market consisting of open sales positions.”

This graph from VizWorld illustrates projected growth in the gig economy from 2017 to 2027, and conversely, shows how the number of traditional employees is declining. 

This really puts the trajectory of the gig economy into perspective and shows that hiring salespeople on a contract-by-contract basis is something to at least consider in 2021. And if you need extra manpower for seasonal spikes, this can be a great solution. 

3. 81% of Hiring Experts Say Virtual Recruiting Will Continue Post-Pandemic

In addition to a growing number of sales reps working remotely permanently, there’s also a huge trend where companies have turned to 100% virtual-based recruiting to find quality candidates. 

More than 4 out 5 talent professionals believe virtual recruiting will continue after COVID, and 70% believe it will become the new norm. 

“Companies have dabbled with video interviewing and remote assessments in the past, but the lockdown realities of COVID-19 have sparked them to create an end-to-end virtual recruiting process for the first time,” explains Gregory Lewis of LinkedIn. “And they’re both noting and embracing the cost and time savings that that change has brought with it.”

Although traditional face-to-face interactions during recruiting will likely rise as COVID vaccines are distributed and the overall situation stabilizes, it’s clear that developing a virtual recruiting strategy is advantageous and something that’s definitely worth your attention. 

4. 77% of Hiring Experts Say Diversity is Essential to the Future of Recruiting

Besides the pandemic, several other topics have shaken the headlines, and the push toward racial equality has gained massive momentum. While many companies have embraced diversity for some time, it should be taken to a whole new level in 2021. 

More than three-quarters (77%) of talent professionals say diversity is “very important” to recruiting not just in 2021, but to the future of recruiting. 

And as Gregory Lewis adds, “Diversity is not a feel-good ‘initiative’, but a business-critical imperative — one that recruiting can lead.” 

Just look at the numbers. 

Businesses that rank below-average in their diversity scores only generate an average innovation revenue of 26%. But those with above-average diversity scores generate an average innovation revenue of 45%.

Further, a separate study found that diverse teams make smarter decisions 87% of the time — largely because of the insights that stem from different perspectives and experiences. 

This isn’t to say that you should make diverse hires just for the sake of being diverse and blindly jump on the bandwagon. But the data clearly shows that salesperson diversity can have a positive impact, both financially and culturally. 

And with a virtual framework for recruiting and working remotely already in place for many businesses where you can reach sales candidates all around the world, this shouldn’t be all that difficult of a transition to make. 

5. 44% of Companies Currently Use AI to Find Top Salespeople 

AI has spread its tentacles to multiple areas of HR and has a plethora of applications. One of which is identifying top tier sales candidates. 

At the start of 2021, 44% of companies already used AI for recruiting to find the best salespeople, and beyond that, 40% use AI for screening and assessing candidates throughout the process. 

This chart shows the details. 

Many sales hiring managers are familiar with applicant tracking systems and use them in some capacity to filter through the sales candidate pool, but AI takes things to a whole new level. With it, you can zero in on an extremely targeted segment of candidates, narrowing it down to the small handful that meet key criteria and making the overall process much more efficient. 

It’s also helpful for reducing bias with hiring and creating a level of objectivity that up until this point has been impossible. So, this is definitely a type of technology worth your attention in 2021. 

Gearing Your Sales Hiring Up For Success

By nature, sales hiring is always evolving. But you could argue that it’s moving at a faster rate than ever before. These insightful stats should crystallize your approach in 2021 and help you attract the best and brightest

If you’re looking for a top of the line tool to hire better sales talent, faster, check out HireDNA. It uses cutting-edge technology that analyzes candidates based on 20 key data points and 21 core selling competencies to help you find the perfect fit. 

The Dos and Don’ts of Headhunting Next Level Sales Reps

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, applies to many aspects of business, including sales rep performance. Under this principle, roughly 80% of salespeople will account for 20% of sales, and the other 20% of salespeople will account for 80% of sales. 

And it’s the latter — the elite, top performers — you want to focus on hiring. One of best ways to find these next level sales reps is with “headhunting” where you proactively target a handful of hyper-qualified individuals who you believe would be major assets to your company. 

Here’s an overview of how headhunting works and actionable tips on how to implement it into your hiring process. 

What’s the Difference Between Regular Recruiting and Headhunting?

“Recruiters advertise jobs and wait to be contacted by potential candidates, or approach a wide network of potential candidates,” explains WikiJob. “Headhunters approach a select few candidates, and only the ones that fit the brief.” 

These are highly skilled sales reps, the exclusive candidates that, if hired, could be potential game-changers for your company. As you might imagine, these salespeople are in high demand and often already employed, which means they have a ton of leverage. 

Therefore, you need to go after them, tailoring your approach to capture their attention and effectively differentiating your brand from the competition. 

What to Do When Headhunting Sales Reps

First, you need to be ultra specific when narrowing down the candidates you want to reach out to. By nature, headhunting goes after the best of the best, so it’s essential that you only contact individuals that meet the right criteria. 

This graphic from SOCO Sales Training serves as a good starting point for traits to look for. 

Also, note that possessing amazing selling skills that are transferable to the position is often better than going after reps with a lot of industry/product experience — something I discussed in detail in this blog post

Next, it’s essential to give a salesperson enough incentive to realistically entertain your offer. And if they’re currently employed, it needs to clear that joining your company would be a legitimate “come up.” Better pay, more benefits, clear cut advancement opportunities, and an amazing company culture are all potential areas to focus on. 

To better understand the reasons why elite sales reps are attracted to new companies, check out this graph from PayScale

Finally, find the right balance between persistence and pushiness. Fittingly, headhunting elite sales reps is a lot like selling where you’ll naturally encounter rejection. 

Therefore, you’ll want to follow-up with these candidates to stay on their radar and remind them of the benefits of joining your team. However, you don’t want to be a pest because that’s going to reflect poorly on your company culture. 

What Not to Do When Headhunting Sales Reps

I think one of the biggest mistakes businesses make when headhunting is making their offer all about the money. Is earning a handsome salary — and for sales reps that are already employed a larger salary — important? 

Sure. Increased pay is the third biggest thing that attracts salespeople to a new organization. 

But it’s not the only thing to focus on. Over a quarter of people (27%) seek the opportunity to do more meaningful work, and 16% seek increased responsibilities — both of which are more important than money. So, you never just want to make it a cash grab. 

Rather, you should look at the big picture and articulate the full range of benefits to make the position more desirable. 

Something else to avoid is reaching out to sales candidates prematurely without doing adequate research on their skills and background. Oftentimes, someone looks great initially and seems to check all of the boxes. Maybe, for instance, they’ve worked for a Fortune 500 company and have over 10 years of experience in your industry. 

But when you dig a little deeper, there are chinks in their armor. Perhaps they’re hyper-aggressive and lack listening skills, or they’re so confident in their skills that they’re unwilling to accept feedback. Or maybe, they have a history of jumping ship and lack loyalty. 

The specifics can vary, but you’ll want to take a close-up look at what they’re like before investing the time and resources into acquiring them. Digging through their LinkedIn account is usually a good place to start.

Besides that, you’ll want to avoid approaching any candidates that have non-compete agreements in place with their current employer. “Because no-poaching agreements eliminate competition, the government generally considers them to violate anti-trust laws,” writes Alison Doyle of The Balance Careers

If you violate one of these agreements, even unknowingly, it can potentially lead to costly litigation. While this won’t be an issue if you’re headhunting someone who isn’t currently employed, it’s definitely something to be aware of if you’re going after a sales rep who is. 

Hiring the Best of the Best

You can’t expect A+ salespeople to come to you. Often, you need to go to them. 

That’s why taking a conventional recruiting approach where you simply put up a job ad can lead to subpar results. At the end of the day, the true rockstars don’t usually need to spend time perusing job boards and applying to positions. They’ve got enough talent that they can pick and choose the companies they want to work for. 

Headhunting, when done correctly, creates a framework that allows you to get in touch with the best of the best and provide them with the right incentive to choose your business over your competitors.  

To learn more about sourcing top talent while filling open positions faster, check out HireDNA. It’s a platform that utilizes cutting-edge technology like science-based assessments and intelligent matching to find ultra qualified sales candidates to fill your talent pipeline. 

HireDNA has been proven to lower hiring mistakes by 96%, and 92% of candidates found through it go on to reach the top half of the salesforce within a year. 

Boost Your Sales Candidate Application Rate By 34% with This Simple Tactic

Recruiting talented salespeople has been and continues to be a struggle for many of today’s businesses, especially smaller ones. In fact, nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of small businesses reported having difficulty attracting qualified talent in 2019 — a trend most experts predict will continue in the 2020s. 

Fortunately, there’s a tactic — a hack, if you will — that can boost your sales candidate application rate by a staggering 34%. And it’s incredibly simple. 

Use video. 

A Potential Game Changer

Video has already proven to be huge for marketing. 89% of companies that use video say it’s increased traffic to their site, and 83% say it’s aided in their lead generation. And it’s easy to see why, considering “66% of consumers prefer watching a video to reading about a product.”

To provide a bit more perspective on the popularity of video, just look at how big YouTube has become. It went from having 1.35 billion users in 2016 (a respectable number) to 1.86 billion in 2021

Besides just being useful for marketing, video can be a potential game changer for recruiting as well. Rather than sticking with the same old technique of creating an entirely text-based job ad, brands can benefit greatly from incorporating a video. 

In fact, “the candidate application rate goes up by 34% when a job post includes a video,” explains Ivana Vojinovic of SmallBizGenius

So, if you’re looking to maximize the number of qualified sales candidates you receive when posting a job ad, including a video is a great way to do it. 

Why Sales Candidate Are So Receptive to Video

There are three main reasons why video is such an amazing aid for sales recruiting.

  1. Video is a Natural Attention Grabber

Just put yourself in the shoes of a sales candidate. You’re browsing through a variety of job ads with most containing the usual information — a job description, required skills, day-to-day tasks, and so on. They all sort of blend together, but nothing stands out in particular.

Then, you come across a job ad with a video featuring actual company leaders and team members explaining the ins and outs of the position. You get a feel for their personalities and a sense for what the overall company culture is like. In short, the job ad brings the position to life and allows you to engage in a way that simply isn’t possible using only text. 

In turn, your interest level would likely rise, and you’d feel much more compelled to apply with that company.

  1. Video Increases Sales Candidate Engagement

A study by job description software company Ongig found that, on average, candidates spent 55 seconds viewing a traditional text job ad. But when candidates looked at a job ad with a video (even without actually viewing it), they spent 2 minutes and 54 seconds on the ad. And when they watched the video, that number spiked all the way to 5 minutes and 23 seconds — a 487% engagement increase! 

The numbers speak for themselves, and this massive increase in engagement ultimately leads to more qualified sales candidates applying, which quickly beefs up the size of your candidate pool. 

  1. Video Gives Sales Candidates a Full Rundown

Finally, video is the perfect medium for conveying a lot of information into just a few minutes. If you’re only using text, it may take several paragraphs to cover everything you need, and it can be arduous for candidates to read. But with video, you can pack everything you need into an easily digestible format.

“In a job ad video, include footage of the office, workspace, how employees interact and events that happen at the organization, says career and workplace expert Heather R. Huhman in Entrepreneur. “Such footage will help prospective candidates determine if the employer provides an environment that matches their work style.” 

Not only should it help you bring in more candidates, it should also improve the overall quality because it naturally filters out those that aren’t a great fit culturally. 

How Long Should a Video Be?

One of the biggest questions companies have is how long they should make a video for a sales candidate job ad. While every situation is different, Huhman points out that the average length of videos is around 4 minutes and 20 seconds. This tends to be the sweet spot where you can get your message across without overwhelming sales candidates with extraneous details. 

Or as Huhman puts it, “when creating a video job ad, make it long enough to explain the most important information, yet short enough so the job seeker won’t lose interest.”

A Real-Life Example

Finally, let me leave you with a real-life example of a sales candidate video job ad. It’s from display advertising company ReTargeter, and it’s for an inside sales representative. 

This should hopefully provide you with some ideas and inspiration to get you started. 

Maximizing Your Sales Candidate Pool with Video

A big part of effectively recruiting quality sales candidates is simply grabbing their attention and getting them to engage with your job ad. But with all of the competition out there, this is often easier said than done. That’s why it’s important to be creative and create job ads that truly stand out. 

Incorporating video is hands down one of the best ways to accomplish this, and it can boost your sales candidate application rate by as much as 34%. So, this is definitely a medium worth experimenting with when attempting to fill your next sales position. 

And if you’re looking for a cutting-edge tool to hire better sales talent faster, check out HireDNA. It uses intelligent matching and science-based assessments to find the best of the best salespeople using data, and 92% of those recommended through HireDNA climb to the top of their sales team within their first year. 

Why Selling Skills Are Often More Important than Industry/Product Experience

There’s an interesting trend I’ve noticed in the sales world recently. Often, the hiring decisions of companies are based more on a sales candidate’s industry/product experience rather than their actual selling skills. This is understandable to a point, but I’ve found that this isn’t always the best approach. In fact, it can be quite detrimental. 

Why?

Because companies often pass up on many great salespeople with transferable experience because they’re so blindly focused on industry/product experience and not selling skills. And that’s exactly what I want to discuss for this blog post — why you should go after salespeople with amazing selling skills over those who just have a lot of experience. 

Let’s jump right in. 

Employer Hiring Preference

To gain a better perspective on this phenomenon, let’s take a look at data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2017 survey. They found that nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of employers “prefer to hire candidates with relevant work experience.”

However, only a fraction of employers (5.1%) said that experience wasn’t a major factor in their hiring decisions. 

Although this particular survey applies specifically to companies hiring recent college graduates that are new to the workforce, it does a great job of illustrating the collective mentality most companies have when forming their hiring preferences. This data shows that industry/product experience is often the number one thing companies look at when deciding which candidates to bring on board. 

And while it certainly doesn’t hurt to have industry/product experience, you shouldn’t overlook top tier candidates who possess next level selling skills just because they don’t have the same level of experience. That’s a huge mistake and one I feel holds many of today’s companies back.

An Example

Let’s say there are two candidates for a sales position. Candidate A has been in your industry for 10 years and knows your product inside and out. They’ve got a wealth of experience on industry history, trends, product features, benefits, and so on. However, their actual sales performance is pretty mediocre. They’re okay at what they do but have never been at the top of the totem pole. 

Candidate A is a “safe bet,” and you know for a fact that they’re an industry expert. That said, there’s nothing overly remarkable about them. 

Candidate B is brand new to your industry and only knows the basics of your product. They’re still learning the ropes and don’t quite have a full understanding of your offerings, product features, and benefits, but they’ve got a proven track record of sales success. They’re a complete rockstar and have consistently performed at a high level in all of the other companies they’ve worked for. 

Person B gets results, but in terms of industry/product experience, they simply haven’t had the time to gain the knowledge that Candidate A has. 

Conventional hiring wisdom would say that you would choose Person A because they have more experience. But often the wrong move for one main reason. 

It’s Easier to Train on Products Than it is Selling Skills

Let’s be brutally honest. Selling is hard, and quite frankly, not very many people are good at it — let alone great. It takes a very distinct skill set that only a small percentage of people are truly cut out for. The underlying sales processes, psychology, strategies can be learned — sure — but those that truly thrive usually have the “it factor.” According to Sellect Sales Development, the “it factor” often involves things that can’t be formally learned like ambition, tenacity, initiative, and vigor.

And even with a boatload of experience, many reps fall short of expectations. One study even found, “Hiring experienced sales candidates will produce an unsatisfactory result as much as 80% of the time!” Training someone to sell comes with a lot of challenges, and there’s really only so much you can do, as much of it boils down to natural talent. 

Training someone on products, however, is pretty straightforward. As long as they’ve got the talent and know how to sell, their skills are transferable. So in time, they can learn your industry/product and leverage their abilities to flourish. 

While an average candidate with even the most in-depth knowledge will likely plateau, a rockstar candidate with only minimal industry/product experience has the potential for massive success. 

This is something that’s extremely important to keep in mind when developing your salesperson hiring strategy. You don’t want to lose out on making a potentially game changing hire just because someone doesn’t have xxxx product service/experience. Rather, you need to see the big picture and look at their overall value. As long as you have an efficient product training framework in place that quickly gets salespeople up to speed, the results should come as long as the talent is there. 

Adjusting Your Hiring Approach to Achieve the Best Results

Don’t get me wrong. Having industry/product experience is important. But you shouldn’t get so fixated on a sales candidate having prior experience that it gets in the way of hiring legit rockstars with less experience. 

At the end of the day, what’s most important is being able to sell. As long as a sales candidate can do that, the rest should fall into place. 

Looking to elevate your sales hiring using science-based assessments and intelligent matching? Check out HireDNA right now.

It leverages cutting-edge technology based on 21 core selling competencies and 20 key data points to find the best of the best sales candidates. And a staggering 92% of candidates recruited through HireDNA reach the top of the salesforce within their first year. 

Should You Recruit Salespeople from Competitors? The Pros and Cons.

When recruiting salespeople, the goal is always to find those that are the most talented and qualified — the best of the best, the cream of the crop. Often that means choosing between the pool of candidates that apply for a job posting. But other times, the true rockstars are already employed by the competition and aren’t even looking for a job. 

This raises an interesting question. Should you recruit salespeople from competitors? 

Let’s find out.

Why Passive Candidates Often Make the Best Salespeople 

Passive candidates are individuals who are currently employed but open to new career opportunities if they come along, as long as they meet the right criteria. For example, a passive candidate would potentially entertain an offer if they could earn more money, receive better benefits, have a more flexible schedule, and so on. 

These people aren’t always on a recruiter’s radar, but they definitely should be. 

“Passive candidates can offer a lot of value to your business, and they shouldn’t be ruled out just because they’re not actively searching for a job,” says Mike Kappel of Forbes. “In fact, they’re often the most valuable type of candidate.”

Just think about it. Who’s likely to be the better salesperson? One who has to apply to dozens of jobs and is low on the totem pole for consideration? Or, one who was headhunted by top companies across your industry and is gainfully employed?

The latter, of course. 

Not only would they have the right qualifications, they probably wouldn’t need much training to get up to speed. You’re essentially plugging them into your system, which means you shouldn’t have to do any of the “hand holding” that’s often required with conventional hires.  

And what’s interesting is that 75% of candidates considered themselves passive, with most willing to talk to a recruiter. In fact, only a small 15% of candidates are completely satisfied and don’t want to move. 

It should also be noted that younger generations of Millennials and Gen Zers have a significantly higher average churn rate than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, meaning they’re especially ripe for the picking. 

So, if the only candidates you’re considering are the ones that are applying with you, you’re likely missing out on A players that could bring immense value to your company. 

An Ethical Quandary 

With all that said, recruiting salespeople from competitors does have its downsides. Mainly, it creates a moral dilemma where “poaching,” as it’s sometimes called, can bring your brand integrity into question. 

If this is a strategy you use time and time again when assembling your sales team, it can potentially give you a bad rap. Those within your industry could potentially view your company as being unscrupulous and underhanded, which isn’t going to do your reputation any favors. And we all know how fast negative publicity can spread in today’s social media age. 

Other Issues

You also have to consider the legal implications. “Very few job applicants for key positions show up without any competition restrictions,” explains attorney Oberman Thompson. So, making the wrong move could result in costly litigation and all of the headaches that come along with it. 

That’s why you need to “know the issues in advance, and address them — up front,” Thompson adds. One of the first things you should ask a candidate you’re seriously considering is whether or not they’re bound by a non-compete clause. If not, there shouldn’t be any major obstacles in the way, and you can pursue them unencumbered. 

Besides that, you could also make the argument that recruiting a salesperson from a competitor while they’re already hired means their loyalty is questionable. “Common sense will tell an employer that if a sales representative is willing to break an agreement with a past employer, it is more than likely that the employee will repeat their action,” writes Ken Sundheim of Forbes. “This behavior does not exist in a vacuum.”

In turn, they could potentially be snatched away from you by a different competitor whenever the slightest hint of a better offer comes around. In other words, you could “get a taste of your own medicine” in certain situations.

The Pros and Cons of Recruiting Salespeople from Competitors

At this point, you should have a pretty good overview of this tactic as a recruiting move. But to ensure that you see the full picture, here’s a list of the pros and cons. 

The Pros

  • Salespeople who are already hired are often highly skilled and talented
  • They usually don’t require as much training as salespeople you hire through a traditional job ad
  • Most candidates are willing to talk, and only 15% don’t want to move from the current position they’re in 
  • These candidates may have valuable connections you can leverage to find even more top talent

The Cons

  • If done inappropriately, it can potentially hurt your reputation
  • In many cases, there are legal issues you have to deal with
  • If handled incorrectly, it can potentially lead to lawsuits
  • Salespeople who are recruited this way may be more likely to “jump ship” later on if wooed by another competitor

A Recruiting Strategy to at Least Consider

Trying to recruit salespeople from competitors is something that runs through most organization’s minds at some point. After all, it’s hard to do better than a key competitor’s best rep. There are solid arguments both for and against this strategy. But at the end of the day, it’s clear that it definitely can work as long as you do things the right way and don’t overstep your boundaries. 

Want to take your recruiting to the next level and hire better sales talent, faster? See how HireDNA can help you source top talent from a verified national network of sales recruitment experts. 

Attract the Best and Brightest Salespeople By Offering These 10 Benefits

There are numerous factors that go into attracting top salespeople. Compensation, advancement opportunities, and company culture are often some of the first things that come to mind. 

But benefits have become a major factor as well. “In today’s hiring market, companies have to fork out more and more to create benefits packages that both attract and retain talent,” writes Kerry Jones, marketing director at Fractl, a growth marketing firm. 

The question is, which specific benefits should you offer? 

What the Data Says

Fractl performed a comprehensive survey that asked 2,000 people which benefits out of a list of 17 were most important to them. Here are the most valued benefits according to the data.

What we want to focus on here is the top 10 benefits so you’ll know which ones to prioritize. They are as follows. 

  1. Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

Unsurprisingly, this is the number one benefit — something that’s primarily due to the rising cost of healthcare. Just look at how the total national health expenditures have increased between 1988 and 2018. 

It’s becoming a bigger and bigger challenge for Americans to keep up with rising healthcare costs, so offering fully paid healthcare to salespeople can be a game changer for attracting top tier talent. This is no doubt one of the most expensive benefits, averaging $11,394 for a base salary of $60,000… 

…but it can be well worth it when you consider the competitive edge it can give you. For a rundown on offering health insurance to employees, check out this guide from Gusto

  1. More Flexible Hours

This came in just behind health, dental, and vision insurance at number two on the list. 

“Steering away from a traditional 9-to-5 workplace structure that dictates the whereabouts of an employee, moving toward a modern workplace model that improves satisfaction and productivity, is ideal in today’s job climate,” says Joshua Stowers of Business News Daily

Giving salespeople more say over their schedule and allowing them to balance their professional and personal lives can be instrumental in attracting the best and the brightest talent. 

  1. More Vacation Time

Not far behind health insurance and more flexible hours is more vacation time. Here’s how much paid vacation the average salesperson receives according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

If you can go beyond that, your company instantly becomes more attractive to elite salespeople.

  1. Work-From-Home Options

Being able to work remotely at least part of the time has been an attractive benefit for a while. But with COVID turning the world on its head, it’s pretty much a must for businesses nowadays. 

There’s never been a more important time to invest in technology that allows your salespeople to work-from-home than the present. To learn how to help your team make the shift to remote processes for talent acquisition, check out this previous post we wrote

  1. Unlimited Vacation

At first glance, this benefit may sound a little crazy, but it’s really catching on as of late. “Although the perk is far from widespread,” says Kerry Jones, “unlimited paid time off has been adopted by a growing number of organizations” with some of the most notable being Netflix and LinkedIn. 

When done right, it can offer multiple advantages, including a healthier work-life balance, more time for salespeople to recharge, and a deeper sense of trust between you and your team.

  1. Student Loan Assistance 

In 2020, the average student loan debt was $30,062, which is more than a $6,250 increase from what it was in 2010. 

So it’s no wonder that student loan assistance clocks in at number six of the top 10 benefits. This is a perk that more and more companies are offering, including Chegg, Estee Lauder, and First Republic.

  1. Tuition Assistance

And for younger salespeople who are still finishing their education, tuition assistance can be an extremely enticing benefit — especially for those attending private institutions, which have an average tuition cost of over $35,000 per year. 

  1. Paid Parental Leave

“The United States is one of only two countries in the world that doesn’t provide paid maternity leave to its workers,” notes Kerry Jones. “However, this benefit is important to employees.”

In fact, 26% of salespeople reported that they’ve switched jobs specifically for family benefits. Offering paid parental leave can put your company at the top of the list for ultra talented salespeople that are family focused.

  1. Free Gym Membership

Lower on this list but still important is a free gym membership. We’re living in a day and age where people are becoming more conscious of their personal health. So, being able to stay in shape by going to the gym — something that costs nearly $700 a year — can definitely be enticing. 

While interest has obviously waned post-COVID, it’s likely to pick up again in the near future. 

  1. Free Day Care Services 

Finally, there’s free day care. In 2019, about 40% of US households had children under the age of 18, which makes this attractive to a good chunk of salespeople. And with all of the complications that have arisen with child care due to COVID, this can be a major selling point for those with young children. 

Make Your Company a Top Contender

The success and longevity of your company relies heavily upon the quality of your salespeople. And one of the most effective ways to attract the best and the brightest is by offering the right benefits. 

The list above zeroes in on the 10 most popular according to reliable data so you’ll know exactly which benefits to prioritize moving forward. 

Learn how HireDNA can help you take your recruiting and hiring to the next level. See how it allows you to source top talent and use intelligent matching and science-based assessments to find elite salespeople in your industry. 

Book your live demo today

The Latest Innovations in Technology That Can Empower HR Teams

Driven largely by the need for better recruiting and to help salespeople and sales leaders realize their full potential, HR technology has grown by leaps in bounds in recent years. In 2019, it was a $148 billion market. And with 74% of companies increasing their spending on HR tech in 2020, that market is quickly accelerating.

The HR Technology Conference & Exposition, which took place on October 20, 2020 featured the latest innovations in technology, including “AI and machine learning, chatbots and blockchain, digital transformation, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and more.” 

Here are some of the most game changing new products that can empower HR teams moving forward. 

Bryq Bias-Free Pre-Hire Assessment

Bryq utilizes cutting-edge AI technology to “blindly screen for skills and personality, not resumes.” It’s designed to mitigate bias and provide companies with an objective means of assessing salespeople. In turn, this greatly reduces the chance of recruiters falling victim to common hiring biases such as the halo effect, expectation anchor, and affinity bias. 

One of the more noteworthy features is Bryq’s Profile Prediction, which analyzes a job description and comes up with the ideal combination of concrete skills and personality traits.

It then ranks candidates according to how well they stack up based on the assessment and how good of a fit they are for the position, while taking hard skills and personality factors into account. 

This platform is built on powerful input/output psychology data that not only helps HR teams pinpoint exactly who they’re looking for but adds a level of unparalleled objectivity that has eluded recruiters so far. Bryq takes factors that could skew hiring decisions such as gender, race, and ethnicity out of the mix, which is huge for increasing workplace diversity and finding top tier salespeople

And the results are undeniable. Companies that have used Bryq collectively reduced their time-to-hire by 54% and lowered turnover by 62%. 

If unconscious bias keeps getting in the way of your hiring, Bryq could be just the solution you’ve been looking for. 

Explorance Employee Journey Analytics

Roughly a third of salespeople fail to meet expectations and don’t reach their quota at least part of the time. It’s an ongoing struggle not only for salespeople themselves but also for the HR teams and sales leaders that are responsible for managing them. 

But Explorance, a company that offers sophisticated “employee journey analytics,” could have an answer to this problem. They offer a new type of machine learning called Blue, which allows companies to gather feedback across a multitude of different surveys, including the following:

It then takes that information and synthesizes it to provide a 360 degree view of what’s going on. That way HR teams “can start understanding employee sentiments, improving performances, and identifying patterns across different stages of the employee journey.”

Explorance automates the feedback gathering process and uses a comprehensive reporting engine to provide HR with actionable guidance on what they can do to help salespeople maximize their potential — from the moment they’re hired to when they retire. 

This makes it a promising end-to-end salesperson development tool that could have a huge impact on long-term company culture. 

ePerkz Offboarding Tool

HR teams spend a ton of time and money on onboarding and give it a massive amount of attention. However, they don’t always do the same for inevitable offboarding whenever salespeople leave the company. 

ePerkz is a newly developed platform that’s specifically designed to streamline severance and offboarding while ensuring compliance every step of the way. It offers a robust Employee Transition Hub with the following features:

By using it, companies can automate end-to-end calculations, agreements, and workflows to reduce the offboarding processing time by an average of 50%. ePerkz also features powerful compliance tools to prevent litigation due to unlawful termination. 

So, when it’s all said and done, HR teams can offboard salespeople with minimal friction, while at the same time providing a better employee experience. 

Optify Leadership Coaching Management System 

Finally, there’s Optify which provides “scalable leadership coaching that supports organizational growth and impact, one person at a time.” At the HR Technology Conference & Exposition, they announced the launch of their Leadership Coaching Management System (LCMS) that’s built to provide companies with scalable coaching programs with one on one coaching to help sales leaders elevate their skillset and maximize their potential. 

The process is highly individualized and matches sales leaders with handpicked coaches to reach concrete goals.

Users complete assessments to determine what their current capabilities are and what specific goals they’re looking to accomplish. They then work with coaches to successfully reach those goals, using proven training to accelerate results. 

It’s all about tangible, measurable growth, which Optify ensures by incorporating robust analytics to keep track of progress and identify additional areas for improvement. 

So, if sales leadership development is one of your top priorities, Optify is definitely a platform to consider. 

Taking HR to a New Level Through Tech

Although HR has historically been slow moving in terms of tech adoption, there now appears to be a more open mindset with many companies taking strong initiatives to leverage new technology. And as we’ve just learned with the products mentioned above, there are some exciting advancements that can help HR teams flourish. 

For a full rundown on the products featured at the the HR Technology Conference & Exposition, check out this press release from Global Newswire

And speaking of innovative platforms. If you’re looking for a science-based software that offers an all-in-one solution to recruiting, screening, hiring, and retaining top level salespeople, check out HireDNA

It eliminates 96% of hiring mistakes and reduces turnover by more than 33%. And 92% of candidates that are recommended through it are top performers within their first year.