In this episode of the MECast, Jimmy Armitage, founder of Your Wavelength, shares his insights on how to find the right salespeople for your business. Jimmy shares insights from his decade of experience matching the right salespeople with SME businesses. 

He emphasises the importance of culture and fit, and advises businesses to focus on finding people who share their values and behaviours. Jimmy also discusses the different types of salespeople and how to identify the best candidates for your company.

The biggest point of failure

The biggest point of failure in the recruitment process is culture. Jimmy defines culture as the three non-negotiable behaviours that define whether someone is a cultural fit or not.

• How they act: This refers to their behaviour and how it affects your team.
• What they believe: Do their values align with your business’s values and your personal values
• Your personal feeling: This refers to how you feel towards the person and whether you’re comfortable with them being in your team.

These behaviours are important because they help to create a company culture where everyone feels like they belong. When everyone shares the same values, beliefs, and attitudes, it creates a more positive and productive sales environment.

“Most SMEs struggle because they don’t know two crucial pieces of information –  specific sales activity they expect from a sales professional, and what do they need to pay to get someone to deliver those results?”

What kind of salesperson do you need?

“I think good quality conversation and presence, being able to sit with people and talk with people, is going to be a big win.”

Every business has different needs, and Jimmy says there are 2 different types of salespeople that match the needs for your business.

If your offering is highly bespoke, niche and high ticket, then you are looking for a ‘sniper’.

‘Snipers’ are best at focusing on quality leads over quantity. They look to secure relationships that will last and only target those they think will really benefit.

On the contract, if your business’s offering is not as heavily bespoke, and you value more, lower budget clients, then Jimmy calls this a ‘machine gunner’

This is the opposite to the ‘sniper’ as whilst there is still targeting to outreach, it is a greater amount of shots taken to ensure a greater amount of conversations happen.

Finally, Jimmy says, if your business is not turning a good profit, and when looking at the number,  can’t afford a salesperson, then it is not your solution at this current time.

The formula for more sales is simple: It’s ensuring you have the right number of good quality conversations with the right people.

Key areas to consider when hiring a salesperson

According to Jimmy’s and Your Wavelength’s methodology, there are 4 key areas to consider when hiring a salesperson:

Capability
Does the salesperson have the right skills, level of experience and natural attributes that match the needs of your business? If not, they won’t be the right fit for you, but could be for another.

Ability to perform
Will the person have the ability to perform across your required working environment? For example, do you need someone who is willing to meet clients face to face, and be ‘out on the road’ or do they need to be a confident phone caller only? Only you will know this.

Culture and Attitude

This is the cultural fit discussed earlier. If they don’t fit the culture, then they won’t succeed in their role. For Jimmy, attitude and cultural fit are the most important factors.

Motivation

What is the motivation of the salesperson? Everyone has their own motivations, whether that be monetary or experience driven. It’s important to find out why your candidates are interested in the role, and whether you can match their ambitions with their offering.

“Traditional recruitment models often fail because they focus solely on industry experience rather than cultural fit and performance capabilities …what we’ve learned is that sales success is about matching the right type of salesperson with the right environment and activity levels.”

When hiring salespeople, it is important to tell them the narrative of how they can come into your organisation and make money. This includes things like who they will be selling to, what the average sale is, and how their commission will be paid.

Jimmy also shared some great tips for each stage of the recruitment process, from writing a job description to interviewing candidates. He also offered advice on how to keep your sales team motivated and how to create a sales culture within your company.

If you would like to know more about how Your Wavelength can help your business, visit their website: https://yourwavelength.co.uk/ 

You can watch the full interview here:Yi