Managing Your Sales Team

2. Recruiting

2.1 Use appropriate channels to find potential recruits.

• Advertise in publications such as the Daily Telegraph or the Guardian. The weekly Grocer magazine is also used by sales personnel from all industries. Visit www.grocerjobs.co.uk or call 01293 613400.
• Use Internet job sites such as www.workthing.com and www.monster.co.uk
• Ask existing team members if they know of potential recruits.
• Network, and get recommendations from your customers.
• Approach competitors' sales representatives directly.

2.2 Choose your sales team carefully. A poor sales person has a disproportionate power to harm your business.

• Plan thoroughly before you interview.
• Involve existing team members in the recruitment process.
• Make sure team managers have the right skills for their roles (see 6.2).

2.3 Use an appropriate employment contract.

• Many contracts include a clause that aims to limit sales people's ability to take customers away when they leave.
• Set out a code of conduct and define clearly what is unacceptable behaviour. For example, poaching customers from other sales people or submitting 'creative' expenses forms.

2.4 Use competitive remuneration to help attract and retain good sales people.

• The aim is to achieve an appropriate balance between basic and incentive pay.
• Low-basic, high-commission pay structures are often suitable for young firms, as they keep fixed costs down.
• Use basic pay to reflect the importance of sales activities that do not generate commission, such as customer care.
• If individual sales people's efforts have little effect on sales performance, you may offer higher basic pay. For example, the job may consist largely of order-taking rather than selling.
• If the pay package includes significant performance-related pay, you will need to convince sales people that your company offers good sales potential.
• Consider other 'perks' that sales people may find attractive. For example, a company car.
• Be aware that high sales remuneration can cause conflict with other employees in less well-paid areas. Make sure sales people's pay packages can be justified.