Hire Sales Representatives
Sales representatives are the first point of contact between a business and its customers, whether those customers are individuals, companies, or government organizations. A sales representative introduces the products or services of the business to these prospects, answers their queries, and negotiates on pricing if required. Sales representatives may work in-house and contact customers directly, or over the phone or internet. Depending on the requirements of the job, they may also go out on sales calls and meet prospects personally. Hiring a good quality sales representative is one of the most important responsibilities of a hiring manager.
A well-written job description
The job description you include in your advertisement for hiring a sales representative proves crucial in attracting the right candidates. This description should clearly spell out the duties and responsibilities expected from a sales representative. The job listing should be able describe the exact role of a sales representative in your company. It should also mention the qualifications as well as the qualities you are looking for in an ideal sales representative.
Most common responsibilities of a sales representative
- Find new business leads
- Meet potential customers and introduce products and services
- Work on presentations to impress leads with creativity
- Negotiate on pricing with company’s financial interests in mind
- Enter all the details of customers and leads into CRM and keep updating them as and when there are any changes
- Categorize leads as cold, warm, and hot and develop presentation plans for them accordingly
- Maintain good relationships with all the leads and customers
- Work as a team member and coordinate with other members of the team to optimize sales efforts
Most important qualifications for a sales representative
- Bachelor’s level degree in marketing, business, or communications
- Sales experience of 2-3 years in a similar industry (unless you are willing to train them)
- Ability and motivation to meet sales targets
- Track record of successful relationship management with customers in previous jobs
- Excellent people skills
- Working knowledge of MS Office and CRMs
Desirable qualities in a sales representative
There are certain attributes that prove far more crucial in the success of a sales representative than all his qualifications. These qualities are hard to prove in the form of documents but the past work history of the applicants clearly demonstrates them.
- Skills in closing deals
- Ability to meet and exceed sales quotas
- Thorough management of the territory given
- Skills in prospecting leads and negotiating with customers
- Sound knowledge of the products and services of the company
- High level of self confidence
- Ability to deliver professional presentations
- Ability to manage relationships with leads and customers
- Practical knowledge of handling the software and communication channels being used in the business
As different companies have different expectations from their sales representatives, you should tailor the requirements specific to the job opening in your organization.
