Working with a sales recruiting firm is one of the most efficient ways to enhance your recruiting endeavours, eliminate risk and turnover costs, as well as even guarantee annual sales performance achievement on the new sales hire for your organization. Partnering with a B2B sales recruiter is perfect if you’ve been struggling to find the right sales talent or would like to deploy proven best practices to source ideal sales candidates quickly from the passive market which encompasses the top 20 % of sales performers. Job Posting ADS which is a common sourcing method targets primarily the active market and does not represent Ideal Candidate Profiles in most cases, thus other sourcing methods applied to the passive market achieve the required success.
When an organization or hiring manager needs to fill a sales position, there are a few fundamental variables to consider. These include how to source and generate interest from a sizeable amount of qualified sales professional that meet the job descriptions criteria, how to conduct interviews and so on. When this becomes overwhelming, takes too long or are not successful in finding qualified and interested applicants then the option of hiring a B2B sales recruitment agency to manage such duties is a sound choice.
Not only it reduces the time to recruit qualified applicants, but also reduces the likelihood of a bad hire which eliminates a 2-3X turnover cost and achievement of the annual sales quota by a new sales hire. For ie. Sales Talent Group is the only North American sales recruitment agency to guarantee their sales hires 1st Years sales quota achievement through their 12-Month Sales Placement Guarantee. Thus, it effectively allows the HR function to concentrate on more strategic business goals.
A B2B sales recruitment agency (also known as a placement agency, employment agency, or hiring agency) primary duty is to help your organization in sourcing and short listing qualified prospective sales applicants, screening them and presenting the best ones for your open positions. Furthermore, these companies can be thought of as an extension of your talent acquisition arm; they reflect your brand and serve as the face of your company to prospective employees.
67 percent of salespeople do not meet their annual sales quotas (Source:Hubspot), so choosing the ideal sales recruitment partner to hire top sales talent is important. Before hiring a third party to run your sales recruitment process, make sure you know what to look for and have enough information. Here are important traits to look for in a B2B sales recruitment firm before engaging and some benefits of hiring a B2B sales recruitment agency.
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Expertise in B2B Sales Recruitment
Look for an B2B sales recruitment agency that has a proven track record of success in placing B2B sales professionals and also specializes exclusively on placing sales professionals is invaluable. You can ask for references to get a sense of their past accomplishments. Find out how long they’ve been in the industry and do some research on their profile. Reading internet reviews and asking around are two simple ways to determine a recruitment agency’s image. You can also contact other companies that they have previously served or other business experts who can provide first-hand information on the sales recruitment agency’s services.
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Strong Industry Knowledge
The agency should have a good understanding of your industry and the specific sales roles you’re looking to fill. They should have an excellent grasp of the B2B sales industry, including the latest trends and challenges.
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Ability to Source Top Sales Talent
A good B2B sales recruitment agency should have an extensive network of candidates and contacts within your industry. This will help them to find the best sales candidates for your business in a timely manner. Aside from being able to source and headhunt for qualified sales applicants, the recruitment company in charge of your selection process must also have extensive knowledge and expertise in evaluating top sales talent. When hiring, consider their ability to create and use suitable assessment instruments and tools when assessing sales candidates.
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Effective Screening Process
The agency should have a thorough screening process in place to ensure that candidates are a good fit for your organization. When engaging a B2B sales recruitment firm, it is critical that you understand their strategies, sourcing and recruitment methods for sourcing, selecting and evaluating top sales talent. Do they interview applicants in person or over the phone? Do they use competency-based interviewing? Different agencies take varying methods and have varied deadlines for their procedures, and most agencies will provide comprehensive information in their candidate presentations or during meetings.
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Understanding of your Organization’s Culture
The agency should take the time to understand your organization’s culture and values to ensure a good fit. You should meet with them to see if they understand your criteria and have the ability to meet your sales recruitment needs. Ensure that the B2B sales recruitment agency understands your company’s culture, beliefs, and ethics and that they check to see if a candidate is a good match for your company.
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Excellent Communication Skills
Hiring is a people business. Recruiters speak to candidates, hire them for businesses, and close the gap. They develop relationships and establish a big network of contacts. Top B2B sales recruiters are excellent communicators in person, on the phone, or via email.
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Collaborative Approach
The agency should work collaboratively with your organization to ensure a successful outcome. They should update you constantly about the hiring process. Collaborative approach is key to any successful partnership. Look for an agency that is responsive and transparent in communicating with you throughout the sales recruitment process.
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Core Specialization
Some recruitment companies recruiting for a wide variety of positions because that is the business model of choice. Other recruitment agencies, on the other hand, specialize in recruiting for particular positions. As a result, you must decide whether you require a generalist employment agency to assist you in meeting your recruiting requirements or whether you would prefer an agency with specialization in the role you are seeking to fill, such as a c-suite role or an Account Executive position who can meet their annual sales quota.
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Strong Candidate Relationship Management
The agency should have strong candidate relationship management skills to ensure a positive candidate experience. The agency should take a proactive approach to recruitment and always be on the lookout for top sales talent.
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Risk Reversal Policies
Some recruitment companies distinguish themselves from rivals by providing a degree of assurance to their customers and taking on the risk of recruitment. If you decide to work with an employment firm, you should learn about their risk-reversal policies and how they plan to minimize recruiting risks as they occur. For ie., Sales Talent Group offers a unique 12-month sales placement guarantee including achievement on the annual sales quota for a new sales placement, while others offer only 3 months with conditions. Sales Talent Group will provide a suitable replacement with no conditions or cost to clients if required at any point during the 12-month period for both termination and resignation outcomes. In addition, Sales Talent Group removes upfront risk by not charging any deposit fees to commence service and provides a 45 Day Placement Guarantee with a cancellation of service option.
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Strong Negotiation Skills
The agency should have strong negotiation skills to secure the best possible terms for your organization. Look for an agency that is results-oriented and focused on achieving your recruitment goals.
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Expertise in Multiple Channels
The agency should have expertise in multiple recruitment channels, such as social media, job boards, and networking events. The agency should also have a data-driven approach to recruitment, using analytics to inform their decisions.
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Training and Development
Look for an agency that offers training and development opportunities for candidates to help them succeed in their roles. Training and educating your new sales hire about your practices, goals, company culture, and how things need to be done is very important for their and your company’s success.
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Long-Term Partnership
The agency should be focused on building a long-term partnership with your organization to support your recruitment needs over time. They should come up with new ideas and solutions every now and then and be proactive in addressing your hiring issues and concerns to keep you satisfied.
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Customization
The agency should be able to tailor their recruitment process to fit the specific needs of your business. This may include creating job descriptions, screening candidates, and sales interviews.
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Technology
A good B2B sales recruitment agency should be up-to-date with the latest recruitment trends and tools. This can help to streamline the recruitment process and ensure that you get the best candidates.
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Government compliance
You never want to get into a legal situation. That is why you must ensure that the recruitment firm you hire is safeguarded against such concerns. Recruitment companies must be up to date on current government policies. As a customer, you should be aware that the agency you intend to employ must be a recognized recruitment agency that is up to date on the latest government recruitment policies.
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Value for money
Finally, look for an agency that offers good value for money. It’s important to find an agency that can provide quality services at a reasonable price. A dedicated B2B sales recruiting firm must ensure that the prospects they send to your company are useful in the long run. They must follow up with your management or HR staff on a frequent basis to determine whether the applicants meet your performance standards. So, check to see if a b2b sales employment firm is transparent in compliance and processes, adheres to deadlines and commitments, addresses grievances on time, and so on to make sure that they are the perfect match for your company.
Benefits of Engaging a B2B Sales Recruitment Agency
When it comes to hiring the proper sales employees for your company, the procedure can be time-consuming and difficult. That’s where B2B sales recruiters come in. These firms specialize in assisting companies in finding and hiring the best sales talent for their particular requirements.
One of the most significant advantages of working with a B2B sales recruitment agency is having access to a large group of qualified applicants. These organizations have vast networks and databases full of talented people seeking new opportunities and leverage the most successful sourcing and recruiting methodologies, as well as strong placement guarantees. When compared to trying to find candidates on your own, this may save you tremendous time, effort, risk, potential turnover costs.
A B2B sales recruiting agency will have industry information at its fingertips. Specialists can provide sales managers with information about what’s going on in the business right now, such as current trends, best practices, and much more. They also know where to find available talent, how to contact them, what salary must be presented, what job expectations the market’s best salespeople have, and what attainable skill sets are presently in demand or in short supply. Recruiters will be your source of information in the market, telling you what your rivals are doing and acting as your field companions.
Improved employee retention is another advantage of dealing with a B2B sales recruitment agency. These agencies conduct extensive screening to ensure that the sales professionals paced are a good match for your company. This reduces the possibility of turnover, which can be expensive and disruptive to your company.
Final Thoughts
Every prospective sales hire, from a new intern to a seasoned executive, has the potential to lead your business to new heights or, in some unfortunate instances, new lows. As a result, it’s critical that the individuals you employ share your company’s values. However, as someone who works in human resources, you are aware that this is simpler said than done. You must conduct several subpar interviews to find the right applicant while also handling other HR responsibilities such as payments, attendance, employee involvement, complaints, government regulations, and more.
With so much on the platter, there is always the danger of errors or some of the tasks not receiving full attention from HR. As a result, it is preferable to outsource hiring to a B2B sales recruitment agency. By searching for the above-mentioned key characteristics, you will be able to employ the most proficient hiring firm and ensure that your organization always has the best talent coming in.
