You did it—your startup has grown from a dream to a thriving small business. Moving into this new phase of growth can be daunting and continuing to meet your goals even more so.
Your next step is to build a sales team from scratch that has the same passion for the business as you do. Here’s a good place to start.
Look for Versatility, Not Specific Skills
While larger companies have the luxury of being able to hire a diverse team of sales reps, each with their own unique strengths, startups need their employees to take on a number of different roles. You’ll want to hire people who will be eager to learn a blend of skills and are comfortable with a bit of ambiguity.
Hire to Ensure Consistency with Your Corporate Values
When building a successful business, it’s imperative that all of your employees have similar core values to your organization. Not only displayed within your office and amongst co-workers but equally important, in front of your customers.
Find People Who Want to Grow
When you’re sitting across from a potential hire, watch out for the ones who try to sell you on how great and talented they are. It’s the people who want to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, reach higher and gain experience, who will be motivated and valued team members.
Be Competitive
Every penny counts when you’re working to get your startup off the ground and now that you’re profitable, you need to keep it that way. Offering what the big players can might not be an option, but you can put together a competitive compensation program to ensure you’re attracting the right talent.
Identify “compensation hot buttons” with each successful sales candidate and determine whether you can make it a win-win for both the company and the sales team—as the company’s revenue grows, the team’s earnings will grow as well. You’ll need to assess the compensation program throughout the year and have the flexibility to make adjustments as needed.
Develop a Strong Interview Strategy
Solid interview skills are key to sifting through applicants for successful sales reps. Many founders of startups don’t have experience interviewing potential employees and may feel uncomfortable asking the tough questions.
Building a successful sales team takes time, but finding the right people will have a positive and lasting impact on your company culture and bottom line.
Whether you need assistance building your interview process, designing an effective compensation program or looking for training for your sales team, we can help.