Does your Sales Hiring Measure up?-by Marie Warner -
I just heard from a candidate (Let’s call him ‘Tim’; that is not his real name) who was the finalist for a Senior Sales Representative role at a fast-growing media technology firm (We’ll call them ‘ABC Media’; also not the actual company name). To clarify, this was not my referral, my client nor my search engagement – which is some relief when you hear this cringe-worthy story. Tim, whom I knew from a past sales training workshop, called to ask for my advice and to let me know that his hunt for a new job was still ongoing.
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Here’s what happened.
Over a nine-week stretch, Tim was interviewed by the HR Manager and by all four members of the senior executive team of ABC Media. Tim ‘wowed’ everyone. Each executive agreed that an offer would be forthcoming. Tim was excited about the role and eager to wrap things up before his family vacation to Cape Cod. The VP of Sales extended verbal job offer (informally – still some “details to work out”) and told Tim that the formal, written offer letter would be waiting when he returned from the beach.
But wait. There was one final step – an interview with the CEO, who would then huddle with the company co-founder to “rubber-stamp” the offer. Tim had an engaging interview with the CEO, and once again he was told the formal offer would be made.
Tim happily left for a relaxing vacation on Cape Cod with his family, looking forward to the new job at ABC Media and a future career with a dynamic company, working with savvy colleagues.
Upon his return home, there was no offer letter awaiting Tim’s signature. He called the VP of Sales for an update, and was told that the CEO and Co-founder had disagreed on the job definition and responsibilities of the role, and therefore the verbal offer was being withdrawn.
What does this grim story tell you about this the ABC Media recruiting process - and their integrity? While this seems an extreme example, how does your sales recruiting process measure up?
But wait. There was one final step – an interview with the CEO, who would then huddle with the company co-founder to “rubber-stamp” the offer. Tim had an engaging interview with the CEO, and once again he was told the formal offer would be made.
Tim happily left for a relaxing vacation on Cape Cod with his family, looking forward to the new job at ABC Media and a future career with a dynamic company, working with savvy colleagues.
Upon his return home, there was no offer letter awaiting Tim’s signature. He called the VP of Sales for an update, and was told that the CEO and Co-founder had disagreed on the job definition and responsibilities of the role, and therefore the verbal offer was being withdrawn.
What does this grim story tell you about this the ABC Media recruiting process - and their integrity? While this seems an extreme example, how does your sales recruiting process measure up?
Ask yourself these four questions:
- Do you have a sales (sales enablement, sales management) job posting that has been open for more than 60 days?
- Have you lost a promising candidate to another company after multiple interviews or an offer?
- Does your sales interview process take more than 4 weeks?
- Have you hired and trained a sales professional, only to have that person resign within the first year?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, I invite you to contact me for a complimentary Sales Hiring Audit. After our conversation, you will receive a written report -- your road-map to improve your sales recruiting efforts and to be more competitive in today’s ‘candidate market’ for sales hiring. Just email me and we can set it up.
