Recruiting top producers - hiring salespeople for magazines

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Annual, 1994 by Helen Berman

A hit-or-miss approach just won't work when it comes to hiring salespeople. You need a plan, discipline and organization.

Finding the best salespeople is one of the most important things an advertising manager, sales manager or publisher does. Hiring the right people makes the job of training, motivating, controlling and evaluating the sales team much simpler. Unfortunately, many companies start with a self-created handicap: They hire mediocre salespeople and then berate their lackluster performance.

The search for salespeople is often frustrating. Sales managers complain, "I just can't find qualified salespeople!" Sales managers may be professional marketers when it comes to selling advertising space, but they sometimes fail to approach the recruiting function with the same degree of care and business savvy. Although few sales managers receive training or much direction on how to hire, careful and creative planning can help make the process of finding and selecting salespeople more successful.

Getting a clear picture

The first step is to define your needs as specifically as possible. Looking for salespeople is like matchmaking--you're trying to pair the most appropriate candidate with a specific job. To begin, define the job and the hiring criteria. Once you know what you are looking for, you have a much better chance of attracting and recognizing the best candidates.

Then, list all the duties and responsibilities this salesperson will have--a kind of brainstorming on paper. Once you have a complete list, go back and prioritize the items. This written job description will help guide you in your selection process and should be shared with your final candidates.

As you write the job description, consider objectives and responsibilities in the areas of prospecting, servicing current clients, increasing running business, territory planning, sales reporting, maintenance of client files, submission of timely and accurate sales orders, attendance at trade show and company events, providing market feedback to sales management, travel, and field versus telephone sales. In addition, be sure to include any unique aspects of this position.

Once you have a written job description, ask yourself what criteria--such as experience, personality, educational background, intelligence and appearance--a person must possess to accomplish these tasks. Are your expectations realistic? For instance, I have encountered publishers who were looking for high-powered salespeople with impressive accomplishments and credentials, but were not offering appropriate territories, career opportunities or compensation packages. These managers set themselves up for continued disappointments.

Sometimes it may seem that you're looking for a needle in a haystack. This is especially true if you expect to find a terrific salesperson who has a publishing background in a vertical market. Although I prefer to hire someone with publishing experience, I find it easier and more fruitful to hire an effective salesperson and teach him or her an industry rather than hire someone with market expertise and teach him how to sell. In some markets, however, a specific technical background is very useful. Be sure that these candidates also have good communication and presentation skills.

Before you begin your search, there are some questions you should ask yourself: Do I need an experienced salesperson or someone with the raw talent I can develop? What resources and time will I commit to developing this talent? How polished or sophisticated must he or she be to be accepted in my market?

There are other aspects of compatibility you should consider: Are you looking for a generalist or specialist? Do you prefer someone with trade or consumer experience? How much agency selling experience is necessary? What type of management style do you have, and what kind of person responds best to that style?

What type of corporate culture does your company have? Is it highly structured with close supervision and reporting, or is it more loosely organized and laissez faire?

When do you start looking?

The best time to look for that special salesperson is when you don't need him. When a salesperson leaves, the company is sometimes in a crisis position: You need someone fast to cover the territory. But moving fast can limit your options: You may have to settle for what's currently available. You may find yourself at a psychological disadvantage. And when it comes to negotiating the compensation package, you may not be in as strong a position as you would prefer.

There's a better way. I call it creative recruiting, and it involves seven methods of staying ahead of the need to bring a new salesperson on board.

1. Networking: By developing and nurturing relationships with possible candidates, you lay the groundwork for future openings and develop a pool, or reservoir, of applicants. Publishing and industry tradeshows, conventions and association events are traditional job hunting grounds and a great place to network. Many associations have formal or informal job placement services. One manager I know got her first job through an association and then used its informal placement network to fulfill her sales positions for years.