Emi Dawson’s Post

SaaS sales usually works out some effective techniques in the sales process that reach the recruitment industry 2-3 years later!! There's a quick win that I think recruiters should learn from the SaaS sales industry. You can deploy it today and stand out from the crowd in your next conversation: Learn how to do an ACTUAL discovery. The credibility this gives you, and the differentiation to your competition, is massive. Questions like: - Why is there a vacancy? (Did someone leave, is it a new role?) - If they left, why? Can I take any learnings into my search? - What was the initial target start date? Has that changed? - When was the last time you hired this role? Or in this department? - Who was involved in the interview process? Use the answers to these questions to make the role easier to fill. Remember, the main problem is not always the size of your fee. A lot of the time, it's how quickly you can solve the problem. In that case, offer some ways to speed the process up: - Sounds like the same person is on 3 interviews, could we combine 2 and 3? - If you move to our premium service (retained) I can put more resource on this and probably shave 2 weeks off of the process, would that help you? As I mentioned on yesterday's webinar, setting yourself above the crowd through credibility and good questioning is VASTLY underrated. And so easy & quick to fix. I've prepared a short deck with 25 discovery questions that you may want to give to your recruiters. 🚀 Comment below and I'll send you it on! 👇

Recruiters need to handle double-edged swords. Recruitment is marketing, or recruitment is sales, is a statement I often hear or read. And yes, a recruitment process looks very much like a regular sales process. It's like helping consumers move from awareness to finally buying the product or service offered. Having clear steps in your recruitment process helps get it done better, just like any other sales process. The first step is getting attention. This is where job ads come in. They get people interested. Next, recruiters tell candidates why the company is a good fit. They talk about the job, the team, the company culture, and chances to grow. The last step, the buying moment, is making candidates say "yes." But there's a challenge. Hiring isn't like selling a product or a service at all. In recruitment, both the job seeker and the company have a say. This makes the whole process way more complicated. In essence, you have two sales funnels running alongside each other. And to make it worse, these two sales and marketing funnels are very different. The funnel for candidates is very similar to a classical B2C funnel, and, for lack of a better word, the 'selling', of the candidate to HR or the hiring manager is very similar to a B2B sales and marketing process. Every recruiter experiences this in their daily work. As a small example, you have finally found a good candidate for the job, but organizing interviews at the company side can often be tedious and can take so long that the candidate has moved on to another job opportunity. Companies don't fully understand that a candidate has many characteristics of perishable goods. Managing a double-funnel sales process is so normal for recruiters that they often forget to tell this to both the consumer and the business customer. In short, just as a good sales plan brings customers, a good hiring plan delivers a successful job faster and with a better match or candidate for the job.

Lets make a comparison | Sales VS Recruitment...... They are the same! Prospecting: Both salespeople and recruiters need to actively search for potential opportunities or candidates. In sales, this means identifying potential customers, while in recruitment, it involves finding suitable candidates for open positions. Discovery: Both professions involve understanding the needs, preferences, and motivations of the other party. In sales, this helps tailor the product or service to the customer's needs, while in recruitment, it helps match candidates with the right job. Pipeline Creation: Sales and recruitment professionals create and manage pipelines. In sales, this involves managing leads and opportunities, while in recruitment, it's about managing potential candidates through the hiring process. Pipeline Nurturing: Both sales and recruitment require ongoing relationship-building. Salespeople nurture relationships with potential clients, ensuring they stay engaged and interested. Recruiters nurture relationships with candidates, providing support and guidance throughout the hiring process. Deal Closure: Ultimately, both roles involve closing deals. For sales, this means securing a customer's commitment to purchase a product or service. In recruitment, it means finalizing the hiring process and getting the candidate to accept a job offer. End Goal: The ultimate goal for both sales and recruitment is to secure a positive outcome. In sales, it's a closed deal and revenue generation. In recruitment, it's successfully placing a candidate in a position. The point I am making is don't let a department title hinder hiring managers from exploring options.

Been in hiring mode the past month and thought I'd share the perspective from a hiring manager... With over 600 applications for an AE role, the job market is COMPETITIVE. I was fortunate to bring on some amazing new sales folks and can't wait them to join the team. More on that later. If you're looking, you need to stand out. First - read the job description, requirements, and understand the product. If you don't qualify (either over or under qualified), please don't apply. Instead, consider investing in your future growth, or if you're over qualified and want comp that's out of the stated range, that's not good either. Second - make sure your resume speaks to your strengths and reads different from everyone else. Keep it short, simple, use bullets, use numbers, and use whitespace. What's your quota and production against quota (both $$ and %). What are typical sales cycles? How do you stack up against your peers? What sales process/methods do you leverage (if you don't know - go learn)? Why should I consider you over the other 599 candidates? If you're a sales person, I already know you likely "prospect, present, and close businesses across the United States" - that doesn't tell me anything unique about you, so... what does? You don't need to list every last bullet point - just the stuff that helps you stand out! Second - apply for the job! Then do your homework and reach out to the hiring manager with a note expressing your interest and why you're a good fit. A "connection request" without context doesn't go far enough. Reaching out without applying is an indication you're not fully invested (I'm parsing through 600 resumes and taking on calls with serious candidates; I can't take time to help explore mutual fit when I've already shared details about the role and the company). Also, if you're a salesperson, take your time to find the hiring manager specifically, not the CEO. I'm not that hard to find and if you take the easy route of sending a note to someone other than me, it's an indication of how you prospect. I like my leadership team, but they respect my decision making process and an email from them from a random salesperson without any previous connection doesn't help your chances (just the opposite, really). If you send a LinkedIn message, email, or (gasp) call - I promise it made me not only look, but spend much more time on your application. Lastly - be patient. And that hurts to say - I know how competitive it is. Take your time in the interview process to interview everyone and the company. Do they align with your personal and professional standards? If not, withdraw yourself and go find the company and the people that do! I had to turn down some awesome talent - folks that are no doubt at the top of their game. It's a tough market. Good luck to those on the search!

Last week I had a conversation with a Sales Leader about how are we able to consistently find way better Sales candidates than their internal team. If you you want better Sales candidates you need to provide your HR/Talent Acquisition team with better training and the tools they need to succeed. Let the recruiter responsible for hiring Sales candidates shadow a SDR for a few hours a week. Have them go on a few calls as a silent observer. Explain the KPI'S the SDR has and what they will earn if they meet or exceed them. Have them shadow some Account Executives for a few hours a week. Let them see what their onboarding and training looks like. Have them on some discovery calls/demos/webinars as a silent observer. Explain the territory and KPI's the Account Executive has. Have them shadow a Customer Success person and join them on some calls. Do the same with Rev Ops. Have them spend some time with a Sales Leader. Get them familiar with RepVue, PeerSignal, Glassdoor, Payscale and Indeed. I promise you if your Recruiter spends time with people that are actually doing the position that they are recruiting for they will have a better understanding of the position and the chances of them finding better candidates will increase significantly.

A strategic approach to sales recruitment is vital for business expansion and stability. Yet, many businesses opt to DIY their sales recruitment. If that sounds familiar, beware of these pitfalls. #hiringerrors #hiringmistakes #salesrecruitment #hiring #headhunters https://lnkd.in/e-cNqBWJ

A strategic approach to sales recruitment is vital for business expansion and stability. Yet, many businesses opt to DIY their sales recruitment. If that sounds familiar, beware of these pitfalls. #hiringerrors #hiringmistakes #salesrecruitment #hiring #headhunters https://lnkd.in/e-cNqBWJ

A strategic approach to sales recruitment is vital for business expansion and stability. Yet, many businesses opt to DIY their sales recruitment. If that sounds familiar, beware of these pitfalls. #hiringerrors #hiringmistakes #salesrecruitment #hiring #headhunters https://lnkd.in/e-cNqBWJ

BD isn't getting easier. You can moan about the market, or wait until after the election. OR work on becoming the best salesperson your target clients have ever heard from. And why shouldn't you? Recruitment can be a business's biggest competitive advantage. Yet most managers struggle with slow, unpredictable, frustrating processes. Your advice could be the most valuable information they ever hear. But they won't hear it if you're hiding behind your candidates, sending rubbish emails, afraid to make a cold call or reluctant to send videos. And they won't take you seriously if your outreach is all about how you can find the best people, fill their roles and refund them if it goes south. They've heard that all before. Recruitment is the most human of B2B services. Recruiters should be revered as the elite consultative sales people. Recruitment leaders should be training SaaS companies how to sell... not the other way round. Now is the time to step up. To embrace that recruitment is sales. And to recognise that sales has changed - dramatically. Over 1,000 recruiters have learned our simple and systematic approach to BD that works in 25+ markets and across 5 continents. And now you can get some of our most valuable lessons absolutely FREE. Our new email course has everything you need to confidently and consistently win new business.   No fluff. Just short actionable emails delivered direct to your inbox for the next 7 days. Calls Social Emails Mindset Products Discovery Objections Negotiation ...the whole lot. Just HEAD TO MY PROFILE and join recruiters from over 100 businesses who've taken the course.

🔎 Identifying Junior Sales Talent: Mindset Over Experience 🔎 How do you spot promising junior talent during the hiring process, especially when they lack demonstrated experience? Here are some tips and tricks to help you identify top-notch junior sales talent: 🔎Focus on Soft Skills🔎 Look beyond their CV and have a conversation. For entry-level candidates, their soft skills are the biggest indicator for sales potential. Pay attention to resilience, adaptability, empathy, proactiveness and ability to ask meaningful questions and listen. Junior candidates with strong interpersonal aptitude and a natural ability to connect with others often make excellent salespeople. 🔎Assess Attitudes and Key Drivers🔎 During interviews, delve into candidates' attitudes and motivations. Do they demonstrate determination to learn and grow? Are they driven by goals, rewards, and targets? How do they react to or overcome obstacles? Seek candidates who display a positive attitude, a competitive spirit, and a willingness to go the extra mile to achieve results. 🔎Explore Life Habits and Past Successes🔎 While direct sales experience is valuable, don't discount candidates' past successes in other areas of their lives. Look for evidence of persistence, initiative, and achievement, whether it's in academics, sports, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work. Candidates who have overcome obstacles and achieved goals in the past are likely to bring the same drive and determination to their sales roles. 🔎Role Play and Scenario-Based Questions🔎 Use role-playing exercises and scenario-based questions during interviews to assess candidates' problem-solving skills and sales instincts. Present them with hypothetical sales situations and observe how they respond under pressure. Look for creativity, strategic thinking, and the ability to think on their feet. 🔎Seek Growth Potential🔎 While junior candidates may lack experience, they should demonstrate a willingness and ability to learn and grow. Inquire about their aspirations and how they wish to grow their career in sales. Look for candidates who are hungry to put in the work to develop their expertise and knowledge, to get to the next level. By focusing on mindset, soft skills, attitudes, and growth potential during the hiring process, you can identify junior sales talent with the potential to excel in your team. Consider that it’s not just about what candidates have done in the past, but about who they are and what they're capable of achieving in the future. If you find yourself in need of expert guidance in identifying and hiring sales talent, remember that the Hunter Campbell S & M team is here for you. With our extensive networks and deep expertise, we're primed and ready to assist with all your sales recruitment needs, no matter the level. Get in touch - Sindy Ward | Rose Buffalo-Snell | Bethany Taplin | Erin Donkin | Eloise Braithwaite | Daniel Pinto