We are always asking our salespeople to prospect and keep their eyes open for new potential clients. As sales managers, we need to treat recruitment the same way.
Recruitment will continue to be a buyer’s market in 2022. According to The Undercover Recruiter, the best candidates are in and out of the job market within 10 days. It’s tempting, and easy, to fall victim to lowering your hiring standards to fill positions.
The most effective way to ensure you’re able to hire better talent is to build and maintain a strong talent bank.
Building a Talent Bank
While that may sound daunting, let’s think about it in terms of sports. What would happen if an injury occurred on the field and the bench was empty? Pressure and responsibilities would mount throughout the rest of the team, or worse, the team would have to forfeit the game.
Without a “we’re always hiring” mentality, you risk putting yourself and your team in the same position. Set a goal for monthly talent bank deposits and stick to it. We recommend creating a recurring weekly event on your calendar to remind yourself to devote time to recruitment.
Now that you understand the importance of your talent bank, how can you go about gathering prospects?
Overwhelmingly, we find the best place to gather prospects is through referrals. Ask your team! We recommend first considering the specific behaviors you’re looking for that will lead to success. Use these behaviors to cultivate a few questions to ask your team.
For example, do you know anyone who is trustworthy and always follows through on their promises? How about someone who has contagious energy with a “never give up” attitude? Referrals offer many advantages, but one of the biggest advantages of referrals is that your team is likely to refer those who they know will align with your existing culture.
Additional avenues to locate prospects include LinkedIn, advertising, and email campaigns. Use the bulk link to your Sales Talent Assessment and pair it with some of the questions you asked your team surrounding referrals. Consider making connections with any local colleges or universities. Remember, when hiring for talent, we’re less concerned with experience and more concerned with innate abilities.
When a prospect completes the Sales Talent Assessment, be sure to provide them with their Top Talent Report, even if you don’t add them to your talent bank. This provides them with the opportunity to learn more about themselves and can assist them in future job searches.
When you find the right prospects to add to your talent bank, it doesn’t mean your job is done! Let’s circle back to our sports analogy. We need to keep the players on our bench warm, so they’re ready to get out on the field when we need them.
Keep your prospects warm by reaching out to them with job-related content and training resources. Provide them opportunities to collaborate and connect with members of your team. The warmer you keep your prospects, the easier it will be to bring them on board when the time comes.
*Editor's Note: This blog was originally published in 2014 and has since been updated.
