As a sales manager, I often felt like my office needed a revolving door when recruiting. I was always looking for talented candidates to keep my talent bank full. When reviewing resumes, I sometimes looked beyond people currently in sales to help develop new talent, and often times these candidates would leave as fast as they came in. This wasn't because I scared them or asked them to leave but because selling is tough. The candidates decided for themselves after asking questions about the positions I was hiring for, that a career in sales wasn't for them.
Attracting highly talented, qualified and eager sales candidates is a challenge I hear many sales managers still face. With all the additional responsibilities being added to your to-do-list, time has become scarcer. So how do you position yourself in such a way that allows you to spend more time with the right candidates? I recommend adding inbound marketing to your recruiting strategy.
Inbound marketing is a great lead generation strategy for sales, so why not apply the principles of lead generation to your recruiting efforts?
Here are 3 tactics you can start to use now to develop your online brand as a sales manager that can later be used to help support an overall inbound marketing strategy:
1. Beef up your LinkedIn profile.
Top talent seeks out managers and organizations committed to helping their employees succeed. Your LinkedIn profile is a great place to illustrate what makes working for you and your company better than other organizations. To start, your headline needs to reflect that you are a coach and developer of top talent. Your summary should also include all the things that make you a great manager with a great company. To help support your claims, ask current salespeople that work for you to write recommendations about why it's great to work for you and the company you represent.
2. Tweet about how you like to manage.
Connect your LinkedIn profile with a Twitter handle and share articles and blog posts on management strategies you believe in. LinkedIn along with other trades offer lots of great strategies and tactics to create great work environments, nurture great talent and support professional growth. You can find lots of great blog posts from The Center For Sales Strategy, but also check out the Leadership and Management channel on LinkedIn. I often find great content there as well.
3. Develop a landing page for recruitment.
Many organizations have information online to recruit, but rarely do these landing pages offer compelling content about why you are a great manager or employer. Consider adding an introductory video or images to your landing page, showcasing what's great about you and/or your company. You could also write a blog directed to potential candidates that highlights great management strategies, successes in your industry or successes within your company. Link to your Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook if your company has a presence there, too.
Job seekers, whether active or passive, utilize digital more and more as they network for growth, so now's the time to start building on your online brand as a manager and great employer. Use the three tactics above and go beyond reviewing resumes sent to your inbox and sell yourself as a great manager to work for. Inbound marketing is a strategy so recruiting via inbound marketing should be too; don't overlook the bigger picture.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published August 20, 2013 and has been updated.
