Our consultants have been recruiting sales leadership and sales roles for over 30 years. If you seek an experienced partner to help you appoint either a new role, or a replacement position in the UK - Standley Associates can help.
We ensure that we start every process with an exceptional out-come for all parties in mind, and use our extensive experience, networks and skills to focus on reaching a successful conclusion in a cost effective and timely manner.
If you are hiring sales, leaders and professionals in the UK for the first time, or you have been doing it for years, you will know there can be many things to consider. These factors can change depending on a variety of circumstances.
Understanding the current hiring trends, salaries, and expectations is essential and this is where Standley Associates can help you build the foundations of a successful hiring process when recruiting sales professionals in the UK.
If you are working with a consultancy or going it alone, here are some of the hints and tips we strongly suggest are undertaken before, during and post recruitment of your sales positions:
Key Building Blocks of effective Sales Recruitment in the UK:
Getting the Basics Right:
- Create and agree on a job description and candidate specification, in consultation with all the key stakeholders. (This can often be one of the most problematic stages for organisations to get right).
- You will need to agree on a description and specification that sets the scene accurately and conveys the role, responsibilities and objectives for each / the position in hand. This should act as the blueprint/template for the recruitment project.
- Alongside the above, you should then give active consideration to the salary and benefits you intend to pay. This should be developed with a good knowledge of what others are being paid in similar positions and where possible benchmarked.
- Be aware that benchmarking a salary in UK sales recruitment, whilst interesting, and sometimes relevant, can often be misleading. If you intend to attract someone to join your business - will you be paying the correct package to entice them to join?
- Remember: A good sales appointment can ensure your organisation succeeds where others do not. Sometimes you may want to agree to be flexible on salary and benefits parameters, to ensure you do not miss out on the sales talent you need. It is a good idea to agree in advance what that package flexibility actually is, being sure of the maximum ceiling beyond which you cannot go.
- When compiling the above, ensure you give equal priority to the desired candidate specification, as much as the job specification - a common error is for organisations to focus only on the job description. This can often be a major contributory factor to organisations either having delays, false starts or even failed recruitment projects.
- Develop a thorough candidate specification, ideally highlighting the desired and essential skills, experience and attributes required for the position in hand. Be sure to be able to back up with facts about each requirement, for instance, if you say you need the individual to be degree qualified, be prepared to explain why, with reasoned explanations. Ensure your specification complies with UK employment law and equal opportunities legislation.
- Ensure you are aware of and have researched similar roles within either competitive or related products/services and sectors within the chosen geography
- Develop an organisation brief, detailing its history, vision, values and potential to prospective employees. Where possible outline commercial and sales metrics of note. Sales professionals want to know as much as possible.
- Define and agree on your intended recruitment approach for this assignment, agree if you want this to be confidential or open - deciding on the channels that are most likely to work for the level and sector of the vacancy in mind.
If you are considering hiring sales leaders or professionals in the UK - then for a free and confidential approach on how we can assist contact us here:
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