Why Hiring Inside Salespeople is like Shopping for Groceries

Weight loss and personal finance experts agree that the worst time you should go grocery shopping is when you have an empty stomach.

You make impulse purchases that you end up regretting later. Do you really need the Family Size bag of Potato Chips, a gallon of New York Super Fudge Chunk Ice Cream and this week’s Us Weekly?

The same holds true when hiring inside sales professionals. When you have an empty chair on your sales team, you’re the most vulnerable to making a poor hiring decision. The temptation to hire the first serviceable candidate you interview is almost irresistible. A candy bar will help satisfy your hunger quickly, but you could probably find a much better choice.

The challenge in both situations is picking the best option and not just the first option.

Given the prohibitive turnover in inside sales (both positive and negative), sales managers face this issue on an ongoing basis. Smart companies are winning the war for top talent largely due to their recruiting strategy: They have one!

These companies don’t interview—or hire for that matter—willy-nilly.

Everything done by these organizations is thought out in advance. They know what they’re shopping for and where to shop. They’re always interviewing. They topgrade by replacing poor performers with new blood.

Most of all, they know it’s only a matter of time before they need to hire another inside salesperson and they have a shortlist of top candidates to tap into when the time is right.

Your next inside sales hire is coming. Plan ahead so you don’t have to make hiring decisions with a bare cupboard of candidates.