This week I am at the LAMP convention in San Diego, CA. This is the convention for the General Agents and Managers Association (GAMA). It’s the financial services industry trade show for managers who are seeking training resources in order to grow their sales force.
As I tend my booth in the resource center, I visit with people from many different countries, companies, levels of experience, drive and motivation. Many are successful. Many are chasing success. Many have what it takes to be successful while others are chasing a dream. I admire all of them for their efforts. I also sympathize with many who desire the success, but who are not willing to pay the price of hard work, gaining of knowledge, and listening to wise council.
On the flight over, I have been reading Dan Miller and Jared Angaza’s book, Wisdom Meets Passion. Dan and Jared have spurred some thoughts about recruiting the best salespeople that I wanted to share.
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness.”
This ad was placed in the early 1900’s by explorer Ernest Shackleton as he was looking for men to help him discover the South Pole. The ad drew more than 5,000 brave candidates.
Truthful words attract people whose natural wiring and ambitions match the words.
When you post ads for your sales position and send emails advertising a career at your company, use truthful words that will attract the best candidates and repel the rest.
A missionary society wrote to David Livingstone deep in the heart of Africa and asked,
“Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to help you.”
Livingstone wrote back,
“If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
Selling and leading salespeople is a career only for those craving an opportunity to build something lasting.
We must recruit people who are not looking for the easy, secure road, but people who want an opportunity to grow, build, and advance. People who believe in something grand while making a difference in the lives of others and while getting paid for results, not effort.
We want people who are not looking for where a path may lead, but who are looking for where there is no path so that they can leave a trail.
These adventurous people are naturally wired for this type of entrepreneurial journey. They have experiences in their past that have created attitudes and motivations that can only be satisfied by challenges with a big payoff. They view failing as part of the journey to success. They are willing to pay tuition to the School of Life for the knowledge which will be used for their future successes.
These people are of the minority. Search hard for the authentic and don’t settle for the pretender.
Happy recruiting.
Learn more about the following:
• Where to find sales people, where to find sale reps
• What to look for while recruiting salespeople – 5 Dimensions of the Best Salesperson Profile Hiring sales, hire salespeople, hire sales people, hiring sales people, hiring sales reps, IT sales recruitment, recruiting sales people, sales job recruitment
• How to look for the 5 Dimensions – get questionnaires – interview questions for sales, interview questions for salespeople, sales interview, interview questions for sales people
- Sales test, sales assessment, CPQ, Craft Personality Questionnaire (now the CTS Sales Profile personality questionnaire)
- Sales interview tips
- Sales job description – page 79, Can They Sell book
- Tips for screening resumes – Chapter 13, Can They Sell book
To YOUR Success,
Steve Suggs
SalesManage.com/Recruiting
CanTheySell.com