Sales staff shortage?

[AutoCoinCars]

Hey everyone, my team have been trying to hire sales/bdm/telesales people for months without much success! Is anyone else struggling to hire for these roles? Any help or advice would be amazing as we really need to grow our team to keep up with demand. Thanks

 

[antropy]

Maybe resort to using a recruitment agency? (Which would be a last resort for us too!)

Paul.

 

[IanSuth]

Maybe resort to using a recruitment agency? (Which would be a last resort for us too!)

Paul.

Be wary

As an ex recruitment consultant i hated dealing with sales roles especially high volume sales. If you do use an agency use a sales specialist one and get some form of rebate guarantee.

Also quiz them over applicant sourcing - if all they are doing is smashing ads out on Indeed etc and sifting the responses then be prepared to have a lot of timewasters who will not get back to you on interviews or not turn up.

I would suggest getting 2 agencies (don't do a sole agency as it reduces incentive of the recruiter to really graft unless you put a v.strict say 2 week limit to get a shortlist and arrange interviews before you talk to others) - tell both that you will not go to other agencies and if they promise to fully brief applicants up front including on your name before sending the cv and reasoning on why that candidate is great then you promise to interview their 3 best applicants out of hours if need be but within 48 hrs of the introduction. Tell them if you receive the same cv form both agencies you will ask the applicant who told them your name first and go with that agency as having made the effective introduction.

Anyone who baulks at that isnt worth talking to - the decent recruiters will take it as a meaning they won't get shafted by someone else throwing mud at the wall.

Also ask the recruiter what you can do to make the job more attractive to applicants - tell them your salary budget and what if any movement there is on it. Tell them if you have to have to push that there will still not be extra money to pay a recruiter so don't waste their time sending those 20% over budget in the hope you take them on and they make a bigger commission.

The cost of using a mud slinger promising 10% fee can be far higher than a decent consultant who charges 20% of base - remember the right person will make you a lot of money in higher sales going forward.

The other alternative is engage a cheap one but tell them exactly what you want them to do - as in just say "i want you to scour the internet and world for telesales people, send me any that meet these criteria having verified X, Y & Z and I will do the rest but you are only getting £2k 30 days after they start and if they leave for any reason other than redundancy within 90 days I want my money back

There is not really much in between

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Well I was in sales for 20 years and earned a good living because people do not like being in sales. Hence the trend to make the job more attractive by euphemisms like Business Development Manager, Area Manager, or Consultant.

Even I hated telesales it is so boring.

Certainly sales recruitment consultants are too be avoided.

I recall one MD saying he never uses recruitment processes. He hires a temp and if they work out well he gives them a permanent job. So you could try a temping agency and try this route.

I would also try and make the whole job more interesting instead of breaking it down into three jobs. You may also need to up the basic salary and conditions.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Telesales is a world on its own - almost equal to chefs in the psychopath league.

I'm referring to outbound, 100 calls a day environments.

The basis for recruitment seems to be to employ in bulk, on the back of promises of huge earnings and about 10% will work out.

If you are looking for 'softer' sales roles - relationship building - then it is very different