Develop an effective sales team

Before recruiting sales staff, you should establish what skills, experience or training they will need. Will they need knowledge of a particular market or the ability to use a certain piece of equipment or software? Or is it preferable for candidates to show a strong sales record?

Identifying recruitment methods

Once you have identified your requirements, the next step is to choose the most suitable recruitment method for the business. There are four main recruitment options to consider

Newspaper or magazine advertisements

Advertising in newspapers or magazines can be a relatively cheap and direct way of recruiting. For example, advertising in a trade magazine gives you a good chance of finding suitable applicants, but the response could be quite low. Newspapers might reach more readers, but you could receive many unsuitable applications.

Online advertising 

Posting job adverts on your own website, on specialist online recruitment sites or on social media can reach a wide audience at a relatively low cost. Adding a link to your website can drive traffic and provide more information about the job role. However, you may receive lots of applicants, making shortlisting time-consuming.

Recruitment agencies

Using recruitment agencies can be efficient as they have experience in matching the right candidates to the right jobs. The fees can be high and you might have to pay the agency a percentage of the candidate's salary. However, they should save you time by conducting the interview selection process for you.

Networking

Networking is a cheap way of finding suitable staff. You could offer an incentive for recommending suitable candidates or approach a good salesperson you know. You should still do the necessary checks if you act on a recommendation.

Look at the applicant's CV and check references. This could prevent misunderstandings and potentially costly tribunal claims. A disadvantage of networking is that it's unlikely to identify a large number of potential candidates at the right time.