Who will become your next IT sales superstar? What sort of outstanding new hires will consistently achieve quota and become consummate team players? What are some of the key pillars for success when recruiting and building your SDR IT sales team with entry-level talent? While none of us have a crystal ball, there are many definitive traits you can look for when recruiting to help you find, retain and flourish with future IT sales dynamos.
1. Score big with competitively minded players.
It’s been frequently documented that former college athletes and/or students who were super involved in extracurricular activities (debate team, student government, etc.) can often thrive in sales. These go-getters already successfully managed to complete their degree while participating in competitive athletics or time-consuming activities that ate into study time. They’re goal-seekers who demonstrated self-motivation, flexibility, discipline, and competitiveness. They may have overcome failure and have had the resiliency to bounce back. They’ve most likely built positive relationships within team sports or clubs and have honed their people skills. Whether on the field or in front of a dais, they can translate these abilities into sales.
2. The Hunger Games
Yes, the graduate who has attended an esteemed private university may have had to work hard scholastically to obtain this coveted spot. But an Ivy League degree doesn’t always equate to increasing your bottom line. The state-school scholarship hire may have already demonstrated a superior work ethic, perhaps working hard to subsidize their college experience, indicative of a stable work ethic. Consider this: A prospective team player who has graduated from an elite university may initially catch your attention, but the determined candidate who has already hustled to stay afloat might end up being a better hire.
3. Thinking out of the box
Creativity may be a trait not immediately associated with IT sales personnel. However, those individuals who leverage creativity can think beyond boilerplate pitches and may be better able to avoid the one-size-fits-all sales approach. Like an artist who sees the world in multi-colored tones, the creative salesperson becomes excited at what they perceive as multi-leveled problem-solving activity, particularly when it comes to negotiation. They may possess the ability to see beyond the black and white and help you develop new approaches and solutions that are still consistent with your brand. Trust these individuals to come up with unique prospecting ideas that others may not see.
4. Good communicators flourish.
These individuals are articulate, build easy rapport, and exude vocal energy and enthusiasm. You’ll know from the first moment you meet these candidates during the basic interview process that they will easily build relationships and trust. You don’t need the captain of the debate team, but someone with a strong verbal presence can persuade while exuding confidence. It’s not just the technology information they’re conveying, it’s how they’re conveying it.
5. Learning from mentorship
Optimizing your IT sales efforts begins with you and the mentorship you provide. Your new hires should be taken under the wing of a dedicated sales coach (either internal to your organization or an external resource like TSRM) who will make them feel valued as they develop their sales skills and absorb your unique product knowledge. Providing them the right tools they need from the start opens doors faster.
Setting Clear Goals
Even the most talented recruit must be presented a strong process and framework in which to flourish, one with clear goals established for them from the start. Finding and retaining the right individual means developing a plan that includes a comprehensive, customized onboarding process, an established, yet flexible, training program and resources like coaching and mentoring to help to reduce turnover and enhance sales performance.
With ourFastStartGO! IT Sales Enablement Program(FSGO), TSRM Group incorporates numerous tactics to help you identify your next generation of IT sales trailblazers.Since the post-Covid era inception of FSGO, TSRM Group has recruited and onboarded more than 50 sales rookies for both large and small IT organizations. Over 70% of these FSGO recruits are still in place two years after hiring.
With our integrated platforms, TSRM Group helps IT solution providers, OEMs, and distributors recruit, retain, and mentor entry level IT sales reps while also enabling channel development, automating marketing and demand generation programs and other customer acquisition capabilities. For more information on our recruitment and retention program, contact us today.