Behind almost every successful business is a successful sales team. It's no secret that a successful sales team is essential for any thriving business. Sales teams are the key to success, from small teams of inside sales to large outdoor sales teams and wholesale departments working on distribution partnerships for new products. Hiring a sales consultant well-versed in contemporary technology, methodology, and trends needs a sound strategy that is crystal clear in its terms and needs and is well-aligned with the brand as a whole.

Unfortunately, it's so easy to overlook the art of hiring great sales consultants. Many businesses are so focused on AI and data forecasting that they think they can transform sales performance from an art to a science.

But, while it’s true that data can improve sales, it’s no excuse for failing to hire the right sales experience for your team. Needless to say, hiring salespeople is a tough job. In this article, we’ll discuss hiring the right sales consultant for your organization.

Sales Consultant!!!! Who are you???

A sales consultant is someone who is charged with the responsibility of finding and securing customers to purchase company products. They can also be an individual who uses skills and experience to help businesses increase sales. They are the main contact between an organization and its consumers. Through meeting sales goals, sales consultants perform product demonstrations and negotiate contracts with clients. Some of their other duties include visiting clients, answering questions, and maintaining records.

LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2017 study shows that sales positions are the 1 hiring priority for talent acquisition leaders. If your team needs to add some all-star sales talent, read on.

Daily tasks: Maximizing Your Sales Potential Every day!

A sales consultant’s services might include:

- Building an inbound and/or outbound sales process your team can follow

- Evaluating and identifying weak spots in your current sales process

- Helping you define a clearer ideal customer profile (ICP)

- Creating inbound email sequences and workflows

- Writing a cold email or cold-calling scripts

- Setting up sales operations and CRM

- Improving the product demo processes

Watch out for the signs: When to hire a sales representative

1. Falling Behind Competitors:

Have you noticed you're falling behind your competitors lately, with low sales, losing ground, investors leaving, and losing major clients? It might be time to talk to a sales consultant. They can help you create new strategies to turn your business around.

2. Your Sales Team Doesn’t Understand What To Do:

A successful business has several components at its core, one of them being a sales cycle. However, it’s not just a sales cycle. It must be clear and definitive, with all the steps outlined and in a logical order. Your sales representatives should understand and implement these steps for successful sales.

3. When Sales Forecasting Turns Out to Be Wrong:

Sales forecasting helps businesses predict sales and revenue, as well as evaluate performance to implement the appropriate remedies. A sales consultant will help create a framework that will guide sales reps on how to accurately forecast sales. They also define and help meet the expectations of a company.

4. Margins Are On a Down Trend:

If you noticed your margins dropping or your sales volume decreasing, it may be time to bring in a sales consultant. They can help pinpoint problems and come up with solutions. Also, they can train your sales reps on strategies to help increase your sales and margins.

5. Losing employees:

Perhaps you’re blowing through employees faster than you’re making sales, or you spend more time recruiting and hiring new staff than you are meeting the company’s financial expectations. All these are reasons enough to hire a sales consultant. Their presence within your company or business is guaranteed to bring positive results. They will help you identify and resolve the reasons why you’re losing employees.

Consider these traits while hiring a sales consultant

There are a few important skills you need to look for while hiring a sales consultant. Consultants help you brainstorm new ideas, such as new strategies to try, alternate copies to experiment with, and new systems and tools to use to see better results. You'll work together to come up with a better plan moving forward. Some consultants will also offer their own knowledge and expertise, training and educating your staff to become better salespeople. Here are a few traits of a good sales consultant.

- Curiosity: The tendency to identify, question, and pursue answers

- Feedback: The desire and ability to receive and quickly process feedback

- Motivation: Comfort in understanding what truly motivates themselves and others

- Listening: The ability to listen for why, in addition to what, how, and when

- Empathy: The ability to sincerely and authentically identify with a prospect’s emotions

- Closure: The ability to know when to hang on and when to let go

- Growth Mindset: The outlook that enables increased levels of achievement

- Timing: The understanding of when urgency is required and when to be patient

Best practices for hiring a sales consultant

1. Be keen on when to hire a sales consultant

The backbone of any successful sales hiring strategy requires team leaders to hire sales consultants at the right time. Before we start the hiring process, it's essential that you stay in the know when it comes to the latest trends and patterns in the sales world and in your company. Keeping tabs on these things and making an accurate demand forecast will help you figure out if it's the right time to bring in more consultants. Long story short, only hire when your data and trends back up the need for more sales consultants.

2. Gear up with your team

If you have been considering bringing in a sales consultant, it seems like it might be the right time for some outside assistance to help tackle business challenges. Before you move forward, making sure your entire team is on board with the idea is critical. Make sure your sales team knows there's no need to worry about this consultant being a threat. Talk to them about what you're trying to do and why you need help, so they understand that the consultant is here to help, not take away from them. Communication and transparency are key, so make sure everyone is on the same page.

3. “Hiring profile” plays a key role

When it becomes obvious you need more sales consultants, there comes the need to create a hiring profile for your sales team. You should know what type of sales consultant you want in your team. It's essential that your hiring profile is tailored to what your company deems as relevant experience. A specific profile will help you find the right people for your team.

Target sales consultant with experience in selling to a specific field, working in a cross-functional role, using a tool or application, and knowledge about technology/software services. It becomes extremely essential to make sure your hiring profile accurately reflects your whole sales eco-system. It's really important that a consultant’s profile matches up with the ideal sales hire because it is easier for them to understand your product and become part of your business.

4. Develop an interviewing strategy

Interviewing strategy that measures your candidate’s unique traits is the next step in making sure your hires are a good fit for your company.

A recent talent acquisition study commissioned by Glassdoor revealed that 69% of companies said their broken interview processes were the reason they weren't able to hire quality candidates. It also found that companies without a standardized interviewing process are five times more likely to make a bad hiring decision than those who have a clear-cut strategy in place. Pretty crazy, right?

5. Craft a job description that will attract the best talent

Companies often make the mistake of trying to explain every single aspect of a job role in their job description, which can be overwhelming for applicants. It would be much better to create a job description that's clear and straightforward. Describe your company and position in a way that appeals to the type of person you want to hire.

Explain key tasks and responsibilities, the company’s product/service, the hire’s earning potential, the culture/vision of your company, and how the candidate will be expected to fit in with your team. Use your company's distinctive style and express your enthusiasm and determination to be successful. make the position stand out from the crowd. The reader should be motivated to join a team that is striving for greatness.

Innate qualities to look for in a sales consultant

1. Resourcefulness:

Problem-solving capabilities the candidate possesses. Have they ever held a job that necessitated quick and creative thinking?

2. Coachability:

If you are unable to mentor a sales representative to improve, it will be an arduous task to make them successful. It is even worse if the sales consultant is convinced that they know all there is to know.

3. Resilience:

Not everyone wins every deal, even the best sales consultant. But being a good sales consultant means having a positive outlook. What have they done to stay optimistic despite past failures? Their response should give you a good idea of their attitude.

4. Teamwork:

If every sales consultant is working towards meeting both the group objectives and individual accolades, the team is sure to meet its goals. However, if they are reluctant to share their knowledge and sales tips with other team members, it could be a hindrance to the team achieving its goals.

5. Ambition:

A little bit of competition isn't necessarily a bad thing. See if you can find candidates who are really motivated and want to do their best in the role. Ask them about their career goals, but also what they're hoping to get out of the role. That way, you can get a better idea of their ambitions.

6. Assess your candidates through a pre-employment test

A skills test can be a good way to assess the sales abilities of the best sales consultants, such as their proficiency in dealing with clients or their understanding of sales principles.

Our field sales representative test is an ideal test for recruiters and hiring managers to assess and identify the right talent for a field sales representative’s role. Give it a shot and get on a call with our team of experts to book a demo.

7. Make an attractive offer

It is important to bear in mind that the recruitment process is a two-way street. Although you are looking to have the sales consultant join your team, you must also be able to show them that your company is the optimal place for them to work. You should use the job offer to emphasize why the job is suitable for them, as well as thoroughly explain their compensation and the benefits they will receive.

Don't miss out on great talent by failing to provide an attractive salary package. Rewarding your staff with an attractive package will make them feel valued and appreciated, leading to increased productivity and loyalty, thus saving your business from the costs of replacing workers regularly.

The average annual turnover rate for sales-based roles floats between 27% and 39%, depending on the year and the industry says this source.

A sales consultant needs to have a thorough understanding of the product and the customer's needs so you can provide a great solution when they ask for help. It's also important to establish relationships with customers and maintain them so as to ensure their loyalty and satisfaction. Also, have to be able to handle customer complaints in a professional manner.

Bringing on board a sales specialist can be a great way to enhance sales and attract new customers. It is essential that the consultant is qualified and has experience in the field. Furthermore, you should be explicit with them in regard to desired outcomes and targets, and give them feedback to make sure they are meeting those goals. In conclusion, appointing a sales consultant can be a beneficial move to expand your business and increase profits.

To know more about the best practices to hire sales consultants, get in touch with our team of experts at HireQuotient.

Maximizing Your Business Potential: The Benefits of Hiring a Sales Consultant