Executive Sales Recruiting

Executive sales managers have a different focus than other sales employees. They run departments whose primary function is to offer and sell goods and services to your customers. They handle a variety of duties that are significantly different from the duties of a salesperson. Primarily, a sales executive or sales manager will spend most of their time managing people, rather than buying and selling directly to customers.

Considering the notable differences, recruiting a sales executive is a very different task than recruiting a salesperson. When hiring a sales agent, you are looking for someone who has a passion for your industry, a competitive spirit, the ability to build and grow relationships, and, ideally, a good length of tenure in past positions. A sales executive, however, needs these skills plus other proven abilities.

What to Look for in an Executive Sales Professional

Executive sales positions are highly specialized roles. Executive sales managers need to be experts in both sales and management. They should bring a wealth of sales experience and highly honed abilities to the table. There are some key qualities to look for when recruiting for an executive sales position.

A sales executive should:

• Be motivational and inspiring
  Training and experience as a public speaker is a huge plus to look out for.
• Have a proven record of success with all aspects of the sales cycle
  From planning, to closing to everything in between, a sales executive should be an expert in understanding every aspect of the sales process.
• Be an excellent listener
  Being willing and able to listen to not only customers but also subordinates ideas and concerns is a must for a good sales manager.
• Have leadership skills
  This is a management position, after all. Working in tandem with being motivational and inspiring is having the ability to lead people when things are going well and when they are not.
• Be comfortable stepping in with special customers if subordinates need help with a task
  A sales executive has spent many years already as a sales agent, so they have the experience with sales that is needed for this. But the expertise they bring to the table, leading and helping as needed, is imperative.

Promote internally or hire externally?

Many, if not most, organizations choose to promote from within when hiring for an executive sales position. The best performing Superstar Salesperson is a tempting person to promote to this position. The individual is tempted by the managerial position of an executive sales role and your organization may be tempted to replicate this employees’ successes by having them pass their knowledge down to the rest of the team. However, while this incredible salesperson may possess the skills, drive, and well-rounded experience to fulfill the managerial executive sales role, the different skillset necessary to be effective as an executive sales manager could prove to be a challenge.

In order to make the best decision for you and your organization, understanding the pros and cons of promoting an executive sales manager or recruiting one externally is key.

Hiring executive sales internally – the pros

• A proven record
  Your best sales agent has a proven track record of success. They clearly understand your product or service and truly know how to communicate successfully with your customers. These abilities and knowledge allow them to build a sales team with comparable skills and salesmanship. Additionally, they understand your organization’s culture and processes already. You don’t need to spend additional time on training, and you are already familiar with and confident in their skill set.
• Corporate messaging
  Hiring your executive sales manager from within promotes the idea that your organization rewards success, steady revenue generation, and hard work. For long-term planning, training your sales team members in sales management can help ensure that, in the future, you can help make promotions to executive sales roles more desirable. Developing your own sales managers over time can show your sales team you are invested in their career success.

Hiring executive sales internally – the cons

• Creating a potential sales gap
  Does benching your MVP by promoting them to executive sales damage your revenue stream more than it helps it? Your top salesperson won’t be spending nearly the same amount of time in the field.
• Great at sales doesn’t always mean great at leading

As mentioned, the skillset for a successful sales agent is not all the same as they are it is for an executive sales manager role. With top sellers are often being independent-minded workers, it’s not guaranteed that they will transition well into a role that requires great amounts of collaboration and engagement with their subordinates.

Hiring executive sales externally – The pros

• New ideas, new perspective

A refreshing boost can be brought in with an external hire. A successful organization grows when stagnation is avoided. Hiring an executive sales manager from outside your company can provide a new perspective, enhancing existing internal culture and help avoid the groupthink that can curse a mature sales team.

• More candidates to choose from
  You want to hire the best for your executive sales position. Hiring managers can attract a more diverse and potentially more experienced pool of candidates by looking externally, discovering new skills and experiences that may not have been considered when only looking to promote from within. Partnering with an executive recruiting firm can help locate an even greater pool of candidates.

Hiring executive sales externally – the cons

• Onboarding learning curve
  The time it takes to onboard a new employee can take a toll. Often, hiring a new executive sales manager follows an uptick in revenue and organizational success. A new external hire can slow this trajectory, causing a loss of momentum.
• Effect on the sales team
  An external hire must learn to direct an existing team. They have procedures and expectations for their work environment that are inbuilt and habitual. If the new external hire introduces new protocols or procedures, or even a different style of management, new dynamics can cause some upheaval, in turn disrupting the success of the team.

Executive Sales Recruiters

Hiring and recruiting in executive sales can be very different than other types of sales positions. A specialized executive recruiter can be an incredibly useful partner in locating and hiring the ideal candidate to boost your revenue and keep your existing sales team happy. Their knowledge and expertise in executive sales can help you avoid the potential pitfalls of filling this important and specialized role in your organization.