TSE 1279: How To Identify, Recruit, And Train A Diverse Sales Team That Sells

How To  Identify, Recruit, And Train A Diverse Sales Team That Sells

 

Your company’s hiring process must have key steps and criteria for hiring a sales team that will consistently maximize profit.  They should be able to identify, recruit and train a diverse sales team that will push the business forward. 

 

For the last five years Amos Schwartzfarb has been the managing director at Techstars in Austin, Texas and is now running his fifth program for Techstars. In the mid 90s, prior to his job in Austin, Amos led an early-stage sales organization and just late last year, he published a book called Sell More Faster.   

 

Hiring the right people

When hiring, Amos believes that many founders and CEOs often look for the characteristics they think a salesperson should have, even before they’re able to answer three important questions. He refers to them as W3:

 

 

• Who is your customer? 

 

This identifies the people who are actually buying your products, considering every detail. What is their title?  What type of organization do they work for? What is that particular individual’s role?

 

 

• What are they buying from you?

 

What are the exact products they are buying from you? Is it the product itself?  The results of the service? Are they trying to create a margin of time? 

 

 

• Why does the customer buy that from you?

 

Why are they going to you instead of your competitor?  What is it about your brand that causes your customer to choose you? 

The answers to these three main questions will help you define the profile of the sales people you want to hire.  Your future team will have to have an understanding of these elements in order to connect with these customers. 

The natural salespeople
There are some people who are born with the natural skills of connecting with prospects and closing with clients.  Because it’s innate to them, they can’t articulate it to others. These natural salespeople tend to thrive in a company that looks at the W3. Once they have a clear understanding of their customer they are able to adjust as needed.  

 

Looking for the right customers

This may sound easy but looking for the right customers can be hard work. What Amos tells his clients is to start with the narrowest and most specific definition of who their ideal customer is. While it’s okay to have a general idea, the more specific the better. It is this niche group that is typically going to purchase from you almost every time.  

 

When you identify the attributes of your target customer, it will also be easier for you to spot the potential customers who may still be on the peripheral.  You can broaden your base by just replacing one attribute with another. Before you know, you see new potential clients. This can be a hard process but worth it if time and effort are applied. 

 

What you’re selling vs what they’re buying

As a business owner and sales leader, you need to know the difference between what you sell and what someone is buying. Let’s take Google as an example. Google sells a lot of things including product, advertising, buying leads, and more.  Not every customer needs every product or service. Customers purchase from Google based on the product they’re providing specifically for their needs. Amos realized there is a difference in, ‘what you do versus what do you do for me.’ Making that shift is what resonates for most people who are busy taking cold calls/warm calls.  The detail is worth the attention. 

 

Why do they buy from you

The reason a client buys from you may not be obvious to the buyer so you need to ask the right questions in order for them to get to the answer. You do that by giving them a way to measure the value of their purchases. For example, you may discover that they make purchases based on what saves them money. If that’s the case, engage them in a conversation about how your product or service could help them save even more money.

 

Why does it matter to the individual buyer

When you find the values that move your customer to make a purchase it’s easier to duplicate what is most important to their purchasing decisions. 

 

Treat your potential clients as people, not as transactions, and they’ll treat you the same. #SalesTips 

 

Be your company’s first salesperson

In a company’s early stages, the founder/CEO should be the first sales person. Regardless of your background, whether you grew up in sales or not, the W3 should resonate with the head of the company before they start looking for other people to help grow the business. Once they’ve seen that the profile of the sales team can be duplicated, then  repeatability in the hiring process can be executed. This process creates a competitive sales team. 

 

Diversity in the sales team is also a great asset. It helps bring a variety of experiences into the company and the more diverse the environment is, the more your company will be able to maximize the sales potential. 

 

Visualize your sales process

Before you begin hiring, it is imperative you learn your sales process, map it out and execute well. It might have several steps but the idea is to collect the data along the way so that you can get a deeper understanding of best hiring practices.

 

Know your W3s to start targeting your campaigns. 

 

“How To  Identify, Recruit, And Train A Diverse Sales Team That Sells” episode resources

Until you hit scale, you’re still in full customer development mode. Always keep learning. Collect data, analyze the data, and take the time to learn what’s going on underneath the hood. 

Reach out to Amos via [e-mail]. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald about it. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part  by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at [phone]. 

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Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.