An excellent sales manager can be a game-changer for any business. So, when it comes to sales manager recruitment, you don’t want to be taking any chances.
To help you find a top tier candidate you can rely on to motivate your sales teams, boost your bottom line and support business growth, we’ve put together our top tips on how to recruit a sales manager.
And, with the cost of a bad hire being so high, it’s really important you get it right when it comes to recruiting at this level.
With our guide, we hope you’ll be able to recruit efficiently and hire with confidence. Take a look at our guide below.
1. Define the skills and traits you’re looking for when recruiting a sales manager
A successful sales manager should possess a combination of key skills and personality traits that enable them to lead and motivate a sales team, drive revenue growth, and build lasting relationships with customers. Here are some of the most important skills and personality traits that a sales manager should have:
Strong communication skills: A sales manager should be an effective communicator who can articulate the company's vision and sales strategy to their team and customers.
Leadership abilities: A sales manager should be able to inspire and motivate their sales team to achieve their goals, and lead by example through their own sales performance.
Sales expertise: A sales manager should have a deep understanding of sales techniques, customer psychology, and market trends.
Analytical skills: A sales manager should be able to analyse sales data and identify trends and patterns to inform sales strategy and decision-making.
Time management: A sales manager should be able to prioritise tasks, manage their time effectively, and meet deadlines.
Adaptability: A sales manager should be able to adapt to changing market conditions, customer needs, and sales goals.
Emotional intelligence: A sales manager should have strong emotional intelligence, with the ability to understand and manage their own emotions, and empathise with their team and customers.
Resilience: A sales manager should have the resilience to handle rejection, bounce back from setbacks, and maintain a positive attitude.
Team-oriented: A sales manager should be able to work effectively with cross-functional teams, and collaborate with colleagues in marketing, product development, and customer service.
By possessing these skills and personality traits, a sales manager can effectively lead their team to success, build strong customer relationships, and achieve revenue growth.
2. Consider Your Sales Manager Recruitment Methods
As you can see in the section above, there are quite a lot of traits and skills required to find in a high performing sales manager.
And, when you factor in just how competitive the market is for sales managers, it makes sense that the recruitment process is a little bit different for this caliber of employee.
You can of course take the traditional method of developing a job description, advertising and waiting for them to come to you.
However, at this level, this might not always bring you the best candidates. Here, you’re relying on a top tier, highly qualified individual actively looking for a new role.
And, if they’re a truly great candidate, the chances are they’re actually already quite well embedded into a role, and looked after by their current employer.
What’s more, this type of individual is few and far between. So again, your chances of them finding you are getting smaller.
As such, if you’re committed to recruiting a brilliant sales manager, you might need to take a more proactive approach, where you look for them.
If this is the case, it might be time to look into a sales manager recruiter, or executive search consultant.
3. Don’t wait for them to come to you - Find a sales manager recruiter
As we’ve established above, recruiting a sales manager can be a challenging task, as it means finding a candidate who has the right mix of sales skills, leadership abilities, and personality traits that match your company's sales goals and culture.
On top of that, sales manager positions are typically highly competitive, with many qualified candidates vying for the role.
If you’ve been out to advert a few times and you just haven’t found the right candidate, it might be time to consider a sales manager recruitment agency or search consultant.
A search consultant can use their tried and tested methods, along with a network of connections to navigate that highly competitive field, and take a proactive approach to finding the right candidate, rather than waiting for them to respond to an advert.
This takes all the guesswork out of your sales manager recruitment process, and instead allows you to home in on the most appropriate candidates with the right cultural fit, personality traits and experience.
While hiring a sales manager may be challenging and using a search consultant may seem like an additional cost, let’s not forget just how valuable a top performing sales manager can be.
Taking the time to find the right candidate can have a significant impact on your company's sales performance and overall success.
To find the right candidate that will add value to your business, and cut out the time it can take to find a top tier individual in a highly competitive field, get in touch with SPS International today. Our team of experts will be happy to help.