The Sales Dodo: Priming the Sales Applicant Pump
August 15, 2008
Many confuse the purpose of a job advertisement with a job description. These are both valuable tools, but are not replacements for one another.
By Lee B. Salz
One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from my clients is that they struggle to get salespeople to apply for their jobs, leaving them to settle for less-than-ideal candidates and risking a wrong hiring decision. When I see the ads that they are using on the job boards, the root cause of the problem is quickly exposed. Somewhere along the way, a practice has been developed of using a job description as a job advertisement.
Sadly, these are not synonyms, nor are they designed for the same purpose. Using a job description as an ad is the equivalent of trying to hammer a screw into a wall—it's just not the right tool for the job. A job description is the spec sheet for the job. There is no flair, just information. On the other hand, a job advertisement should primarily be flair.
For example, I came across a sales job advertisement that said that accurate forecasting was required. I can appreciate the importance of accurate forecasting, but is that going to entice someone to send in a resume? I highly doubt it. Not only is such description superfluous, but it could create a negative impression on a potential sales candidate—such as the illusion of there being a lot of sales administrivia, a bugaboo among sales professionals. As a result, they won't apply for your job.
Putting It Into Sales Terms
Remember: The sole purpose of a job advertisement is to attract people to apply for the job. (I know that seems obvious, but many miss that point.) The ad should be structured in a way to accomplish that objective. There is an old expression in sales that says you should "sell the sizzle, not the steak." It means you need to focus the discussion on the benefits, not the features of the product. When designing a job advertisement, it means that the ad should excite, not completely inform.
Use the strategies you already know: In sales industries where leads are generated for salespeople, the lead is structured to provide just enough information for a prospect to call a salesperson. The ad does not include all of the information so that the person can make a buy/no buy decision without making the call. The same holds true for recruiting. The ad should attract candidates to apply.
Attracting the Right Candidates
In my mind, there are three types of candidates out there.
• Anything Goes Candidates. There are those that apply for every sales job they can find. Chances are these are not your rock stars. They just want a job, not your job.
• The Semi-passive. These are salespeople that have their pinky toe in the "new job opportunity waters." They haven't made the definitive decision to pursue another opportunity, but would be receptive if they came across one to their liking.
• Passive Candidates. These professionals are not even thinking about another opportunity at this time.
Regardless to say, the ad should be designed to attract the semi-passive candidates. One industry that you can learn much about recruiting semi-passive candidates is supermarket retailers. Man, they have it down to a science! Everything that you see on the shelves has been placed there with the consult of psychologists. They have gotten inside the minds of buyers and structured the store so that they increase their average check out order. Items are placed strategically around the store so a semi-passive buyer will be enticed to pick it up and put it in their cart. How often do you go to the market and buy only what you intended to buy? Rarely.
With that in mind, where do you start when developing your ad to attract these semi-passive salespeople to apply to your company? For starters, how about interviewing your current sales team members? Ask them what attracted them to the company and what keeps them there. You will be surprised by the valuable information you will learn.
With that information, visit with your marketing department and ask for their assistance in designing an ad that will attract sales candidates to apply. If you can provide them with the mission of the program and the data learned from the sales organization discussions, I'll bet that they can develop an ad with super sizzle. Remember, this is a marketing person's area of expertise, so leverage it.
The goal of this exercise is to grow your candidate pool so you don't have to settle for the wrong candidates just to fill a seat.
S&MM online columnist Lee B. Salz is the CEO of Business Expert Webinars, President of Sales Dodo, and author of "Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager." Known as "The Sales Dodo," Lee specializes in helping companies and their sales organizations adapt and thrive in the ever-changing world of business. He is the host of the Internet radio show, "Secrets of Business Gurus." Look for Lee's new book in 2009 titled, "The Sales Marriage…How to Hire the Right Sales People." He is a passionate, dynamic speaker and a business consultant. Lee can be reached via e-mail at lsalz@salesdodo.com, or by phone at 763.416.4321.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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