Recruitment
- We will define the recruitment of salespeople as the process that leads to the analysis and selection of candidates to incorporate a new commercial agent into the company. We know that selling is a true profession and that the company needs sales professionals. As a profession, selling requires aptitude, study and experience. Furthermore, to be exercised usefully, it requires a certain vocation and a sufficient degree of motivation..
Is selling a profession?
- A profession is characterized by well-accepted, structured, and well-accepted principles and standards. Therefore, a profession requires a body of doctrine, of theoretical and practical knowledge that guarantees the effectiveness of said profession to third parties.
SELECTION PROCESS
- First stage: Preparation of the recruitment action.
a - Decision to fill the position or vacancy.- Normally there are signs that warn us in good time of our salesperson needs, such as an upcoming retirement, an expansion of the network, a salesperson that works poorly and without a solution. When sales networks are important, a forecast of substitutions and provision of positions must be carried out, documented in a document. Two documents are especially important: the forecast table showing the required vendors and the dates of the various stages of recruitment; and the personnel provision proposal, in which the type of contract, the expected remuneration, the residence, travel requirements, location in the organization chart, planned training and a summarized profile are stated.
b - Analysis of the position that we have to fill.- This name is given to the analytical process that allows us to define the characteristics of the seller that we need. Through a careful specification of the training, experience, responsibilities, physical conditions and risks inherent to the position, carried out from the tasks that correspond to the seller, we have a clear idea of the profile of the position.
c - Psychological or general profile, required.- It consists of the elaboration of the most synthetic information possible of the demands of the demanded job, which are already known from the previous section. It is also convenient to add those personal qualities that we want to exist in the sellers, that is, everything that guarantees good performance and quality, enthusiasm, responsibility, maturity and empathy, etc.
d - Prior determination of the remuneration, system -fix, commission or mixed- and amount.- Likewise, details that seem unimportant and yet are very important, such as payment dates, relationship of unpaid with remuneration, clear explanation of the possible incentives, if there are benefits in kind -company car, special insurance, credit cards, paid vacations-, travel expenses, settlement of the same, exact delimitation of the complementary tasks that, not being sales as such, are however to the seller and form of remuneration thereof.
- Second stage: Recruitment action, properly speaking:
a - Search for candidates.-We will have to decide where we are going to locate them, how we will carry out the location, cost in time and money, possible alternatives, evaluation and decision.
b - Reception of offers.- Time limits, means of reception (letter, telephone, visit), who carries it out, response time.
c- Selection process.- The set of tests that allow us to make decisions.
- Third stage: Process of reception and reception of the new ones.-
In this process we will take special care since it is the seller's first contact with the company, which we will develop later.
Needs assessment
- Before starting the selection process, the causes of the vacancy must be analyzed. The reasons can be several: Growth of the workforce. Is incorporation essential and profitable or are there other alternatives? When a salesperson vacancy occurs in a sales network, we must think that a solution must be given not to that vacancy, but to that territory. Promotion of a salesperson. Is its replacement essential or is it feasible to operate with one less seller? We must first analyze this situation, since it may happen that this territory was poorly structured from the beginning, therefore not / if the incorporation of a new salesperson would be necessary. Someone has "voluntarily" left the sales team.Bad direction? Lack of successes? Frustration? A better offer? Family pressures? If my salesperson has gone to another company, I have to think if the salary was low, or if there were internal problems. If I do not fix that situation, it may happen that when I admit another candidate, the same problem occurs again. The best thing we can do when there is a vacancy caused by these problems is, solve the problem as soon as possible and then find the most suitable candidate to develop that job.solve the problem as soon as possible and then find the most suitable candidate to do that job.solve the problem as soon as possible and then find the most suitable candidate to do that job.
Candidate Profile
- It is a mistake to think that a seller does not care about the product to sell, that a good seller sells whatever is false. The salesperson must adjust to the characteristics of the position in order to offer their full potential. Likewise, it is wrong to think that with good training and good management anyone can meet the sales objectives. Although both conditions are fundamental and help to achieve the objectives. The objectives, by themselves, do not correct the effects of a poor selection of commercial personnel The requirements for hiring a vendor are of two kinds: Physical and behavioral characteristics These are characteristics to be analyzed with different specific weight based on the type of sale that go to perform. They are physical and demographic characteristics such as: age, sex, image, state of health, etc.Background and experience such as: personal history and family history, level of education, general work experience, sales experience, etc. Current status and lifestyle such as: family stability, financial situation, activity habits, availability to travel, etc.
Psychological characteristics and abilities
- Elements of aptitude such as: intelligence, ability, business skills (persuasion skills, observation skills, ambition) Personality traits common to all those who work in sales, such as: Sense of responsibility, leadership skills, sociability and diplomacy, spirit of service, flexibility and empathy, creativity and initiative, loyalty and discipline, honesty, perseverance and tenacity, self-confidence, stability and enthusiasm When we put specific weight on these traits we will do it differently based on the type For example, if a seller is going to sell insurance, we will give greater specific weight to self-confidence, stability, perseverance.The first two groups of factors are inherent to the person and can hardly be changed later, unlike the last that can be developed through supervision and training programs.The impact of the aforementioned characteristics on the future performance of the sellers varies greatly depending on the type of sales work to develop: The range of products / services marketed by the company The definition of the target market segments (potential customers) The selection of areas and routes of operation The need to structure a system that provides for the delegation of responsibilities, etc. The possibilities of achieving the ideal profile will depend a lot on the economic situation of the country and the area, the financial situation of the company, its image, plans for its short-term development,of the conditions and benefits that are offered. We have to be very clear about whether or not it is time to make the selection.
RECRUITMENT SOURCES
Internal promotion.
- It is staff of the company itself. Until a few years ago, it was very common, people from other departments, thought they could do it and applied for the position, to improve their professional level, that is, to promote themselves
Advantage
- The candidate is known from within the corporation. The possibility of promotion, for certain personnel, gives the company a positive image. Create a good environment Avoid several selection processes or phases with the consequent savings (eg press announcements, selection of resumes). The candidate knows the company products, which facilitates the training and learning process.
Drawbacks
- The possibility of internal problems about non-promoted applicants May create the false idea that all applicants are promotable Frustration and the problem that the failure of the promoted would present These candidates require training in sales techniques. Know the company, not the sale. This group could include people recommended by company personnel, who, although they present similar advantages to the previous case, can also create internal problems and / or lack of objectivity in their recommendation. As a seller, a person who performed another type of task (administration, warehouse, distribution) has ceased to be a widely used custom a few years ago, to be used in a reduced number of cases. Someone from the street is preferred over a salesperson.
Consultants
Advantage.-
- They have the necessary experience to make a selection. They are usually several experts, each one captures the necessary characteristics from different points of view and they guarantee the impartiality of the process. Favorites could be avoided, if they were within the company. There is greater objectivity, it implies a significant saving of time for the managers of the company itself.
Disadvantages.-
- Higher cost than internal selection (more or less or approximately 15% of the candidate's annual salary). Counterpart of saving time and internal staff. Less in-depth knowledge of the specific job than the managers of the company itself. It can and must be alleviated since the consultant must be aware, through meetings with managers in which they explain what they want, how the company is, that is, they must be aware of the needs and problems of the client, have the detailed description of the position and preferably with experience in the sale to develop.
Volunteer Applicants
- The resumes that arrive every day at the companies. Now, if it is a large company, it is computerized, and they send you a form to fill out and return, and it is put into a database. These are people who come directly to the company (personally or in writing) in search of employment, contributing their experience and / or interest. This attitude denotes need and desire, and security and self-confidence on the part of the candidates, suitable attitudes for a sales position.
Competing employees.-
- It seems unethical and therefore its consideration is rarely recommended, except for very specific exceptions.This option is itself a symptom of the lack of vendors for the current market needs and / or the inability or resignation of some companies to Train their own elements. There may not be professionals on the street such as sellers of new products, then they are the only people who know the product. It will be known that our sellers can go, in the future, to other companies that are starting to launch the same product.
Advantage
- (All derived from your experience). They require less training, which translates into lower cost and faster availability. They are knowledgeable about the market and have experience in the sector (they usually take the client portfolio, with which there is a clause to avoid it). They provide clients (in some cases).
Drawbacks
- They tend to demand higher pay There is a danger that they will bring "bad" habits. Possibility of a new change of company in the medium term.
Selection Interviews
- The preliminary interview is used to make a first screening by age, physical appearance, personality, treatment, it is relatively short. It may not exist. There is usually when there are many candidates, and a quick screening is necessary. Or when there are not many, instead of reading them, they are quoted.The conducted in-depth interview is conducted according to a form so as not to forget significant characters of the applicant. Its duration depends on the selection process and the candidate's response.The in-depth, non-directed interview in which the applicant speaks without restrictions about the topics that interest her. The duration is as in the previous case. It is more creative and risky than the previous one. The interviewer knows where to take the candidate (no form).The final interview is the one that must be carried out once the candidate has been evaluated in order to clarify and ratify / rectify the opinions created up to that moment. The comparative interview is carried out by several interviewers simultaneously. It is only done if there is just cause, because the candidate does better with only one person. It is less recommended than individual ones.
A developed plan for the selection interview should always be drawn up with the main points to be discussed, and a last minute control must be carried out to ensure that there are no incidents:
- Review the application form for the last time Check that all the necessary documentation is available Avoid subsequent interruptions and establish breaks between interviews Take care of the image of the interview site If there are several interviewers, set the role of each one in advance We must not forget that we are doing a marketing activity, we sell the company to the person we need. We must
Objectives of the Interview
- Obtain the correct data by qualifying the information collected in the application Know the opinions of the applicant Judge the speed of response of the candidate Make a direct and global impression of the applicant Establish the candidate's trend in achievements, thoughts Attract the applicant to the position work to be covered (if applicable).
Interviews must be conducted under certain conditions:
- In private. Creating an atmosphere of cordiality and kindness that inspires the candidate to be calm and confident. Knowing how to listen and ask questions. Trying not to interrupt, contradict or argue. Without showing censure or criticism. Without making judgments. Without rushing the conversation.
The aptitude is referred to the capacity of knowledge and the skills of the worker; while the attitude has to do with the way of thinking and feeling of the individual. As mentioned, it is an intellectual, emotional and physical-motor posture with which stimuli are perceived and reacted to, which substantially modifies their performance, and can be positive or negative, depending on the circumstances. The main objective is to ensure that attitudes do not depend on circumstances, but on our will.
The aptitude and the attitude combine to apply to some specific action in a certain time. It is important to note that even individuals with a good level of aptitude and with the right attitude, do not do what they want, citing the lack of an opportunity. And although it is true that opportunities are often limited, we can consider that the basic unit of opportunity is time, and this is the same for everyone; In other words, we all have the same 24 hours a day. However, we do not all use them in the same way.
- Fitness.-
HERITAGE * What I own * I can lose it * It is subject to improvement, increase, alienation * Its results depend on how it is used.
- Attitude.-
COMMITMENT * It requires a constant effort to maintain it * It is shown to others with external signs: state of mind, tenacity, strength, long-suffering. The will is an indispensable element. It manifests itself at times. Highly engaged people show it "permanently"
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