Why is the SGS recruiting process effective?

We raise the bar in building top performing sales teams.

SGS assists in accomplishing your growth goals by filling open sales positions faster and improving internal recruiting results. Plus, we offering a more effective recruiting process for the toughest positions to fill, sales people who will consistently land new accounts. Getting the right candidate for these growth positions requires strong processes, skills and tools. Here is a brief outline of the SGS process:

Define your unique selling requirements

Assess client market position and strength of competition
Evaluate the cultural needs of the company
Define specific requirements and metrics of the sales role
Benchmark compensation requirements

Define the sales DNA required for the position

Assess current staff and benchmark DNA requirements
Identify root causes of past sales performance issues
Customize assessment tool to sales requirements

Data driven selection process

Invite candidates and generate awareness
Automated resume filtering process
Assess remaining candidate pool for sales skills and DNA
Phone interview of qualified candidates who passed assessment
Series of one-on-one interview with top 3 candidates

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Consider the cost of a bad hire

Why are profitable companies are starting to watch it?

Less than 50% of new hires meet minimum sales expectations set by the company. And less than 10% become top performers. When you take the time to consider all costs associated with a weak sales hire, the cost of wasted resources is shocking.

Bad hiring costs to consider:

Wasted hiring and training costs
Loss of current clients
Lost sales opportunities
Wasted management time
Lower gross margins
Unfavorable market PR
Open sales regions

$100K – $250k+ is the average cost reported for a bad sales hire

When companies consider all the costs including: the initial cost of the hiring process, the cost of repeating the hiring process, and the cost of opportunities sales lost, the impact bad hires have on the bottom line is staggering.

Why a great sales person might be a bad hire for you.

One of the most common reasons for a “bad hire” is a mismatch of employee skills and
company needs. A great account manager who is hired to be a hunter will fail. An
outside sales person who is asked to be an inside sales person will struggle. If the
hire does not fit your market or company culture, they will not thrive. There are many
examples, but the most common root causes are starting with poorly defined
hiring criteria and a weak recruiting process.

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When recruiting, should you set your expectations higher?

Most managers assume their weak hiring results are normal, so why change.

It’s common to see companies that have set low performance expectations for their sales team. When they’ve hired the superstar sales rep, they think they got “lucky”. Why do sales managers live with the 80 – 20 rule, where 80% of the sales results come from 20% of the staff? Why allow under performers to stay on staff? When asked, most managers say they live with sales mediocrity because a staffing change is too stressful, time consuming or difficult.

Truth is, sales people who can win new accounts can be found. It might be true that replacing staff will take some effort. but how much better would your life be if your team hit these sales goals:

Grew or held margins
Gained market share
Increased order size
Retained more clients
Achieved sales goals
A motivated sales team

Finding the right sales DNA is easier than you think

A sales person with the right set of skills and experiences exists for your market and industry.  When you find this person, it will drastically improve your company’s sales results.

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Sales recruiting overview

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Why does sales recruiting seem like a game of chance?

90% of sales hiring decisions are still based resumes & interviews

According to the University of Michigan study, using just resume information to make a hiring decision is only 14% accurate in predicting future sales success. This is true because 70% of all resumes contain misinformation about the candidate’s experience and success.

Will a good interview help?

Assuming you’re not clairvoyant, interviewing a skilled sales person will not give you a clear picture of future performance.  Compounding the problem, most managers do not have clearly defined requirements or interview process.

Should my manager be good at staff recruiting?

Yes. Unfortunately, few managers were hired for their interviewing skills. even less receive training or tools needed for this important management function.

What about HR staff doing the recruiting?

Most HR professionals readily confess that the most frustrating position to hire is the hunter or new business development sales professional.  Few understand the unique sales DNA and the sales interviewing process required to hire a sales person who can consistently land new accounts.

Why not hire the competition’s sales stars?

There’s simply no guarantee that your competitor’s best sales people will
repeat their past successes when they become part of your sales team.
Why? Because hiring for high-performance selling isn’t a plug-and-play
process. A manger must consider product feature differences, pricing,
process and sales culture issues will all impact success. Plus, there’s often
a culture clash.

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Give managers more time to focus on growing sales

Outsource when managers lack time, value confidentiality & need expertise

The SGS recruiting service has unique programs designed for managers that want the best candidates available but:

Lack time or are short staffed
Need confidentiality
Need recruiting expertise
Value a larger selection of candidates

How will SGS results compare to internal efforts?

Comparing internal vs. external is difficult since it varies from company to company. If the sales manager is actively involved and they have strong processes and validated assessment tools customized for the unique position that’s required,  they can be comparable. However, most clients confess that when it comes to hiring sales hunters, are process is more effective and efficient.

Typically, in-house efforts are more costly.

Why? Because lack of sales-specific sourcing, recruiting and hiring processes will result in a weak sales hire.  The long-term costs of a weak sales hire cancel the savings of an informal recruiting process.

Do you prefer to keep your recruiting in-house?

SGS offers award winning tools and  a proven consulting process for internal recruiting efforts that want to improve their own metrics in hiring these difficult positions.

Are SGS results competitive with other sales recruiters?

SGS offers a significantly more comprehensive, results-driven recruiting process.
This process consistently delivers a better company fit and a higher quality candidate.

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Efficient processes & an extensive network = better value

Typically, fees are 30 to 40% less than standard rates.

SGS can offer these exceptional values because we have an automated recruiting process. We have been in business a long time and have a large peer network and a database of over 25,000 sales professionals

Is it a good value?

That depends on your current recruiting success. If your in-house recruiting process is low-cost (including opportunity costs) and has delivered results, it may be best to keep recruiting efforts internal.

When recruiting results are disappointing, the value is high.

Ask yourself if you can afford the risk of another under performing sales person? Can you afford the cost involved in the delay of filling an open position or making another bad sales hire? The long-term value of having a strong recruiting process or partner is one of the best investments you can make.

Take advantage of our free Right Fit Meeting.

If you believe your sales team could be better than it is today and want to explore a more comprehensive solution, please contact us.

For specifics see SGS rates see program section

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Programs to meet your recruiting and budgeting needs

SMART HIRE

Recruiting Project Set-up

• Define sales skill requirements for the position
• Define position metrics & compensation
• Customize screening tool to match criteria
• Write client specific screening questions
• Write ad to attract ideal candidate

Attracting Qualified Candidates

• Post on appropriate job boards
• E-mail personal invites to candidates on file
• Notify SGS Social Network of the opening

Candidate Selection Process

• Review, score & prioritize resumes received
• Send qualified candidates link to DNA Screen
• Select top 10 based on assessment & resume
• Phone interview the top 10 candidates

SMART HIRE ELITE

• Includes all services in SMART HIRE
• 2-Stage Face-to-Face Interviewing process
• Assist with terms of final offer negotiations
• Detailed skill coaching reports
• Assist in set-up of on-boarding process
• Personal Talent Plus Assessment

Search Specifics

• Fees based on expected first year earnings (base & commission)
• Includes all assessments and advertising fees
• National Searches add 3% to fees noted

Terms & Conditions

• 50% due prior to launch of recruiting project
• 50% due when qualified candidates are identified and sent to client
• 50% credit hire leaves or is terminated in first 90 days (to be applied to new search)
• Final 50% of the fee will be waived if no qualified candidates are identified
• If any identified candidates are hired within 12 months, the remaining fees are due

Client Commitments

Client should be prepared to proceed quickly on a hiring decision with first follow-up interviews in 3-5 business days after notification. A job offer should follow in 2-3 weeks. SGS is not responsible for candidates lost because of client interviewing delays. If the client changes hiring criteria or decides not to hire, fees are still due as agreed.

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Free sales recruiting resources

Looking for additional resources on sales recruiting?

Over the years, SGS has developed a wealth of resources – you’re welcome to take advantage of them. We encourage you to share with others that might benefit from the material, so feel free to pass them along.

Resources offered today

LinkedIn?  Facebook?  Blogs?

Regardless of your social media method of choice, we have you covered.  If you’re not quite ready to commit, feel free to check out all of our web content at any time.  With over 2,000 pages of content, there will be something there for you.

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Is it time to improve your sales team’s ability to win new accounts?

SGS’s mission is assisting clients grow sales

If the time to sales growth was speedy and predictable, every company would be successful. SGS offers a wide range of services including: C–level strategic consulting, sales management coaching, sales skill development  and recruiting services–all focused on helping our clients win new accounts and gain market share.

20-to-1 ROI Commitment

SGS clearly defines the goals, requirements and actions required to achieve over a 20-to-1 ROI on all coaching or training engagements. If at any time that result can’t be achieved, we part friends.

Performance Guarantee

SGS guarantees that all coaching or training engagement meetings will provide actionable recommendations that lead to sales or bottom-line growth. Or that meeting is FREE.

Now is the time to start a sales growth effort.

Take advantage of our FREE Right Fit Meeting and consultation. Discuss solutions, options & determine fit.

To learn more, contact SGS today

Phone 612.246.4806 or email.

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Is SGS right for your needs?

Clarity on who we serve is why we can guarantee results

We typically deliver ROI in excess of 20 to 1. However not every company is a fit for the services we provide. Our ability to grow is tied to the success of each new client project. This is why we start all engagements with a Right Fit Meeting, to determine whether or not there’s a match.

Who is an ideal client for SGS services?

• One focused on winning new accounts
• Committed to gaining market share
• Values predictable processes & insightful data
• Wants experience & proven success
• See SGS client testimonials

What types of companies work with SGS?

• Mid-sized companies or divisions
• Annual revenues of $20 to $300 million
• Managing a complex sales process
• Selling products or services B to B
• See SGS client list

Why clients partner with SGS?

• Recognized expert for sales growth
• 15 years of documented client successes
• Data driven improvement processes
• Customized sales growth solutions off
• See SGS case studies

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