How to Hire Sales Managers

Hiring a sales manager represents the most critical organizational decision which will drive revenue growth for your company. A superior sales manager serves as an organizational multiplier who trains employees while developing successful company cultures. When sales managers fail, they create organizational drag which simultaneously reduces employee motivation, team results, and company earnings.

The process most companies follow for hiring essential roles leads to mistakes because it remains identical to their method for selecting entry-level representatives. The organization chooses their top performer for leadership but discovers sales abilities fail to develop into proper management skills.

A specific structured methodology exists to recruit sales managers who generate significant performance gains. The following guide presents a method on how to hire sales managers who achieve transformative outcomes.

Understanding What Your Sales Manager Needs to Be

Your business requirements for a sales manager need to be established before job posting. A job description needs your definition of success before you start writing its content. Your focus should be on required results instead of considering individual people. The best method to establish success criteria is by making a ‘Success Scorecard’. Ask yourself:

• What is the Team’s Current State: Evaluate the current performance level of the team. Is your organization building an entirely new sales team? Is it a team of experienced performers, or do they require strategic direction? Is the team currently performing well or does it need a specialist who can turn it around?

• What are the key Objectives for the First Year: Establish the principal goals for the upcoming year. The first year objectives might include boosting outbound meeting-sets by 30% or enhancing the lead-to-close conversion rate from 18% to 25% and decreasing new hire ramp time by one month.

• What are the Core Competencies Required: The essential capabilities that must be present in this position should be specified. The requirements surpass basic communication abilities. The document should specify particular skills including MEDDIC qualification expertise and proven call coaching abilities and experience leading remote sales teams.

Writing the Perfect Job Description to Attract top Talent 

The job description functions as a marketing instrument which serves to attract top talent rather than being an internal HR document. The goal of this document should be to draw exceptional candidates who work successfully and are currently employed. A compelling job description:

1. Leads With the why: The first line should explain why this role matters to the organization by presenting the mission alongside the available opportunities. The opening should present what makes it interesting to potential candidates. This person’s work at the company will drive what level of growth the organization achieves.
2. Focuses on Outcomes, not Tasks: Instead of listing ‘duties’, the job description should present challenges and specific objectives. For example, rather than simply stating ‘Manage a team of 8 AEs’ try ‘Lead and develop a team of 8 AEs to meet $10M annual quota goals’.
3. Sells the Company Culture: Leaders who excel as top performers seek to join organizations that maintain excellent cultures. A brief explanation of your leadership approach together with professional growth opportunities and workplace advantages should be included to present your company as an attractive workplace.
4. Clearly Defines Success: Your Success Scorecard objectives should be clearly mentioned in the job description.

Effective Sourcing Strategies: Where to Find Your Next Leader

Posting your job on public boards will result in attractive candidates who are currently searching for opportunities. However, sales managers who demonstrate exceptional performance levels are not typically seeking active job opportunities. Their main focus is on achieving sales targets while leading their existing teams, so you need to go and find them.

• Proactive LinkedIn Sourcing: A successful search through LinkedIn requires an immediate action plan. You must use Sales Navigator or Recruiter on LinkedIn to locate managers at your target companies and competitors. You can detect successful managers through their team expansion alongside an extended tenure and positive feedback from their sales representatives.

• Leverage Your Network: Ask investors, advisors, and top salespeople who the most exceptional sales manager has been during their careers. A passive candidate becomes most likely to engage when you provide a personal connection between them and your organization.

• Partner with a Specialist Firm: This is the most efficient path. A sales recruitment firm specializing in sales leader recruitment possesses an established network of accomplished sale managers who have passed screening tests. The recruitment process includes passive candidate outreach by professionals who deliver pre-screened candidates to save you extensive time in sourcing and screening activities.

The Interview Process: Key Questions to Ask

During the interview session, you need to differentiate between those who just talk and actual leaders. Your purpose during the interview should be evidence collection rather than seeking opinions. The interview process should require candidates to use behavioral questions that require them to draw from their past experiences.

Key Questions for Coaching and Development

• Describe your complete process for welcoming new sales representatives to the team.
• Share a particular scenario that required you to manage an elite performer until they left the business. How did you handle it?
• Describe a particular moment when you coached an average sales representative to become one of the top performers. What was your method?

Key Questions for Process and Strategy

• List the three essential metrics you would examine first if you took control of this team. Why?
• Describe the sales process you implemented or managed in your last role. How did you ensure team adoption?
• Describe your forecasting approach to me. How accurate were your forecasts?

Assessing Sales Manager Candidates: Beyond the Interview

• The Case Study/Presentation: Give your top 2-3 candidates a real-world business problem. You should give candidates anonymized data about team performance funnels to create a 30-day plan which they must present to the VP of Sales. The assessment combines tests of analytical competencies with strategic thinking capabilities and communication effectiveness.

• Mock Coaching Session: The candidate will receive a pre-recorded sales call from your representative before participating in a mock coaching exercise. The coaching session should be the assessment tool to evaluate how well they deliver specific actionable feedback.

• Thorough Reference Checks: You should verify employment periods but also conduct complete reference checks. Speak to both their previous subordinates and their previous supervisor. Ask questions like ‘What was it like to be coached by [Candidate]?’ and ‘What is the single biggest area of development for [Candidate]?’.

Making an Offer They Can’t Refuse

When you locate the right person, you need to act with urgency. The most skilled professionals maintain various career possibilities.

• Competitive Compensation: Do your research on market rates for base salary and on-target earnings (OTE). The compensation plan you offer should be clear, with achievable accelerators for overperformance.

• Sell the Full Opportunity: The interview should focus on showing candidates the complete advantages they will experience including freedom to act and potential career advancement. The main drivers of high-performing leaders include both professional development opportunities and challenging work responsibilities.

• Be Prepared: Have the offer letter and all the necessary details ready before you extend the final decision. Speed signals that you are serious and organized.

Setting Your new Sales Manager up for Success

Hiring is just the beginning. A new leader requires a well-structured onboarding process to start performing their role efficiently.

1. Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan: Work with your new hire to establish measurable targets for their initial 30-60-90-day period. The initial thirty days must be dedicated to acquiring knowledge about the team structure along with products, customers, and established operational procedures before bringing in sales targets at 60 and 90 days.
2. Schedule Key Introductions: Schedule meetings with department heads including Marketing, Product, and Customer Success.
3. Empower Them: Give them the authority and resources to execute their plan. The quickest path to leadership failure occurs when managers closely monitor their new leaders. Trust the rigorous hiring process you just completed.

The skill of hiring the right sales managers produces long-term benefits for your organization. Following an organized, evidence-based recruitment approach enhances your chances of selecting a leader who will reach targets and establish the future foundation for your sales organization.

At HyperHired, we can do the hard work for you. Set up a free call with one of our Enrollment Coordinators to find out more about the boost we can bring to your recruiting process and business growth.