The LandaJob Blog:
Expert Perspectives and Industry Trends

Sales recruiting is up — good news for just about everyone. We know that companies are doing better when the phone starts ringing for sales professionals. We also know that there are lots of landmines in this path and Princess Diana isn’t here to help get rid of them.

Some employers have a formal process, but in many small to mid-size businesses on-boarding consists of signing employer paperwork and learning where the coffee and kitchen are. We know because we, too, are a small business. And, coincidentally, we are getting ready to hire a temporary staffing manager.

Here are some links/resources to successfully onboarding new sales pros:

Understand who can sell to your customers: http://www.super-solutions.com/HowtoHireTheMillionDollarSalesPerson.asp#axzz1ZkWBOvnp

Four Key Skills Salespeople Need: http://www.ere.net/2011/01/19/hiring-salespeople-trust-or-consequences/

Look at it as an on-going training process, NOT a hiring event: http://salestrainingconnection.com/2011/08/05/on-boarding-sales-people-its-not-your-fathers-oldsmobile/

Onboarding salespeople is one of the toughest things my small businesses face: http://smartsalestips.com/2011/04/25/is-your-sales-person-onboarding-program-causing-underperformance/

When we enrolled in a sales training course in the past, I asked a trainer friend her opinion of some that we were considering. It won’t surprise you to hear: “Any of them can be good, if you follow them.”

So noted!