By Arthur Mills
What choices do you have if you're a SME looking to hire a new employee? You can post job openings on your own, leverage your contacts and network, or employ a recruiting firm, but which is best?
Here are some things to think about with respect to each strategy.
Finding the right sales talent to join their firm is one of the issues faced by small to medium businesses. Startups and small businesses want dependable, talented people who can contribute to business growth. They also require individuals who will contribute their drive and ambition.
Let's take a closer look at the difficulties SME businesses encounter when hiring sales people and what to anticipate whether you deal with a recruiting agency or do it yourself.
difficulties in recruiting
You can encounter strong rivalry from other businesses, especially from larger organizations, depending on your industry for the best people. It might be challenging to identify applicants in crowded fields like healthcare, information technology, and engineering.
It can be challenging to convince a promising prospect if you are hiring for a specialized sales role or are in a cutthroat business. You must contend with bigger rivals who offer positions with higher beginning pay, a wide range of benefits, and more room for advancement.
In a field where skilled personnel is hard to come by, finding applicants can be difficult, especially if you do it yourself. It's not just about putting anyone in the position, especially someone who only contributes the absolute minimum. You might find yourself scheduling time for interviews and going through dozens of resumes.
It can take a lot of your time to review and interview job hopefuls. Additionally, if you haven't hired salespeople before, you can get someone who doesn't match their resume.
making use of a recruiting service
There are literally hundreds of recruiting firms and services available that you may use to identify the ideal candidate for your open position. Finding the best candidates for the job is a time-consuming difficulty that professional recruitment services help to partially eliminate.
SME businesses looking to hire can benefit from using recruiting services. First off, if you don't have an internal HR department, you and your management team will save time. You may concentrate on your main business while letting a recruitment specialist identify applicants.
Finding the top sales talent requires a full-time job. Most businesses wait until the last minute to hire new employees, and they often call recruiters in a hurry. It's possible that they've used up all of their own hiring options or that people are rejecting their offers. SME companies must choose early on whether to hire a recruiter or handle hiring themselves. On the hiring timeline, it may have a significant impact.
Having knowledgeable sales recruiters who are committed to identifying the best applicant can help you maintain objectivity in your selection criteria. Additionally, it enables you to choose the finest applicant rather than settling with mediocrity for the position.
When you are moving to a new state or launching a new area, hiring sales recruiters can also be beneficial. Your network can be limited to your current location, so using a sales recruiting firm with local expertise may help you speed up the hiring process.
Recruiting services extend beyond placing job advertisements online. People who are already employed but open to a move may get interested as a result of their networking and pursuit of the specialized sales expertise. These prospective applicants are sold on your organization by the agency, who also persuades them that working for your company would make their talents more valued and rewarded.
How to pick a sales recruiting firm
If you determine that using a sales recruiter is best for your business, you must be sure that the agency you choose is a good fit. Here are four suggestions to help you choose the best service provider.
1. Conduct more research.
With so many recruiters on the market, many promises are offered, but can they fulfill your needs? The recruitment sector is notorious for its own industry churn, and you'll frequently deal with young, inexperienced personnel. Do the same amount of investigation about an agency as you would any job applicant.
2. Speak with agencies like candidates would.
It's crucial to interview agencies, and you should watch out to avoid being given to a junior recruiter. Check the companies' and people' experience, their comprehension of your particular function, and speak with others for whom they have previously handled placement.
Inquire about their review procedure from the recruiter. How do they locate and assess applicants? What updates on their progress can you anticipate from them? For how long would a position be open?
3. Verify their experience and background.
A strong track record and a wealth of relevant experience are signs that your possible cooperation will succeed. You have a better chance of finding the ideal applicant if you collaborate with a sales recruiter who has a strong network, an in-depth knowledge of sales criteria, and a sizable database.
4. Deliver a concise briefing
To help with briefing the agency, you must have a strong position description as an employer. You must specify the minimal requirements you will accept for the candidate. Don't just pretend you have some intermediate CRM experience. List your preferred level of system interaction as well as the CRM you use. A competent sales recruiter will make notes and only present you with qualified applicants. Describe your organization's culture and the kind of individual who will fit in with your company the best.
Hire Yourself
Although they can help you uncover top talent, professional sales recruitment firms can be expensive. Their fees often range from 10 to 20 percent of the offered pay. Depending on the role you are playing, this can scale without a doubt.
DIY hiring is very doable, and there are various methods to help you identify qualified individuals. For certain businesses, it is unquestionably more cost-effective.
1. Create a candidate pipeline in advance.
Be proactive and don't wait for openings to occur. Turnover is a factor in team management in sales. By advertising your business on the appropriate job boards and your website, you need to create a pipeline of possible candidates.
2. Be reasonable and patient.
Finding your ideal applicant won't happen right away. Make a schedule that gives you plenty of time to read and find applications. The quality of last-minute employment varies widely.
Finding a top applicant who can do it all at the salary you offer may not be practical if your business is a SME. Make sure the person you desire and the salary you can afford are in balance. Reduce your expectations, especially if you work in a cutthroat sector.
3. Simplify your procedure
Streamline the application process for candidates and use a methodical selection procedure. Check each applicant you receive against your minimum hiring requirements. Call the person if they pass this preliminary evaluation and ask them about what they are looking for. Don't sell your business; first ascertain what customers desire.
Invite them in for an interview if the discussion goes well. If there are other people attending, make sure they are aware of their roles in the interview process and have your questions prepared.
Make the application process simple, and gather the data you need to make a wise choice.
(4) Employ technology
Although there are many job boards accessible, a sales-specific job board is the best location to advertise your business and the position you are offering.
You might also wish to designate a page of your website to your business's careers section. Interested candidates may be directed to job boards, social media, and other sources from this website, which can serve as a landing page.
