Good morning!

A few months ago, I pointed out the failure rate among new sales hires is 50% for year one and 80% for year two.

While there are many reasons, one stands out and is exemplified in this email:

“Bill, I’ve had 8 reps in 5 years and none of them stick. I make the hire, give them business cards and a sales territory, and set them loose. Six months later, they are gone. Where do I find a good sales rep?”

Too many owners think hiring a salesperson means handing off responsibility for sales. It doesn’t. Your job does not end when the rep arrives. It changes.

A new salesperson should step onto a moving treadmill. Before that first day, you should already have a clearly defined target market, a steady flow of qualified leads, a selling process, follow-up expectations, training, performance goals, and a management plan.

You should also know exactly what that rep will do during weeks one, two, three, and four.

The owner handles more of the front end by creating opportunities and providing direction. The owner also handles the back end through coaching, accountability, and support. The salesperson lives in the middle—and sells.

Before hiring, ask yourself:

If this person started Monday morning, who would they call? What would they say? What activities would I expect? How would we measure progress after one week, one month, and two months?

If you cannot answer those questions, you’re not ready to hire a salesperson.

You’re ready to prepare for one.

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These are the kinds of sales discussions Sales Vault members have every Monday morning via Zoom. Find out more at here or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036