What makes a sales superstar? There are many important qualifications that sales professionals need to be successful and bring in revenue for their organization. One of these is industry experience. While there are other qualities and personality traits that indicate a person’s ability to relate to prospective customers and close deals, having deep knowledge of your industry will greatly shorten the onboarding process. If your business needs top-performing salespeople immediately, this is critical. In this article, we explain why.
An industry-specific sales recruitment agency can show you how to speed up the productivity of your entire sales team.
Why is Industry Experience Important in Sales?
A sales recruitment firm might tell you that industry experience isn’t as important as other qualities for sales representatives and sales managers. However, this isn’t true. While you can train a new hire to be knowledgeable about your industry and your company’s products and services, this takes time that many businesses simply don’t have.
Most of the time, a manager doesn’t say, “You know what, I think it might be a good idea to hire more salespeople.” The need to bring sales experts on board is usually far more urgent, such as the inability of the sales team to close deals, rapidly falling revenues, the sudden departure of a key team member, or poor sales team performance. Having to train new hires in your sector will lose your company valuable time. You need to regain profitability NOW!
Having sales experience isn’t just about having a large list of contacts or even about closing deals. A highly qualified sales pro must know the pain points and needs of their customers and prospects, so they can find solutions quickly and navigate them through the sales funnel. This is best accomplished by having a deep understanding of the daily challenges of the business as it competes with others in its industry.
What Other Qualities Are Important for Sales Professionals?
Beyond having industry experience to expedite the onboarding process, a sales professional at the top of their game will usually have the following skills and personal characteristics.
- Outstanding listening skills
- Enthusiasm and interest
- Gets along well with others
- Excellent communication skills
- Grit, perseverance, and determination
- Can adapt to change and handle the unexpected
- Strong understanding of business models, sales cycles, and sales principles
- Open to developing and improving their skills
An organization’s decision-makers are usually focused on strategy, metrics, and the company’s bottom line. A true sales superstar can connect with customers and prospects on that level and show how your organization’s products and services can help them.
Why Industry Experience Still Gives Salespeople the Edge
A sales professional with industry experience can bring their existing relationships to your company, giving you a head start in sales success. Hiring someone with industry expertise reduces training time for a smoother transition. They’ll be able to jump right into your marketplace and serve your existing customers. They’ll also know what challenges prospects face in their specific industry and can better position your company’s offerings.
What Makes a Good Sales Recruiter?
The best sales recruiter knows how to identify top talent for your company. If they’re highly experienced in your industry, they’ll already know what you’re up against, who your top competitors are, and how you can distinguish yourself to rise above the fray. They’ll have a deep understanding of the skills your team needs to achieve your organization’s goals. In addition, recruiters with experience in your industry are able to effectively vet candidates based on knowledge and skillsets that will be most relevant.
The CulverCareers Difference
With more than 30 years of industry-specific sales recruitment, our dedicated team can help you find the skilled talent you need for your business to thrive. CulverCareers can help build sales teams for companies in a wide variety of industries We build strong partnerships with clients in marketing and advertising, financial services, medical and pharmaceutical, and manufacturing. Our industry-specific recruiters also work in the business and consulting, commercial commodities, technical software and services, and engineering sectors, among others.
To unlock the secret to your own sales success, contact one of our sales professionals. See the different CulverCareers can make for your business.
Ty Culver is the Client Development Director of CulverCareers focusing on talent acquisition and workforce solutions with a wide variety of local, national and global clients.
Ty has been working in various aspects of the industry for over 10 years and developed deep expertise in Executive Search, Executive Benefit and Talent Acquisition Programs along the way. He has a range of experience from SMB to Enterprise clients and hyper specific executive searches to high volume recruiting with companies in a dynamic state of flux.
Today, Ty leads a talented team of Talent Acquisition Specialists, Executive Recruiters and Client Success Managers at one of the most respected Recruiting Firms in the Nation, CulverCareers. While leadership is a key aspect of his role, Ty still enjoys working with clients on recruiting strategies, executive benefit solutions and workforce solutions to help clients build a holistic approach to talent acquisition and talent retention.