B2B Sales Talent

Finding B2B Sales Talent

Last week during the Communitech Sales Leaders Peer2Peer, we had a great session on Hiring and Recruiting for Sales. One of the biggest challenges for technology companies in the Kitchener-Waterloo area is finding strong B2B sales talent. The local community has been working on organizing recruiting events and Communitech has even created a Sales Apprentice Program to increase the available sales reps in the region.
 
A few of the things that came up in the meeting were some creative and effective strategies to find B2B sales talent. Here are a few of those strategies that you can apply to your B2B sales recruitment efforts:

 

Internal referrals

 
Employees recommending friends and formal colleagues can be a great source of sales resources. Many companies have or are considering a formalized internal referral plan. One company even mentioned, during the meeting, that they’re offering a paid vacation credit in exchange for referrals.
 

Coop talent

 
I was a coop student from WLU, and I ended up working for my coop employer for 10 years after I graduated. A coop placement is a great way to find the right candidates on a temporary basis, with them potentially becoming a full time employee once they’ve graduated.
 

Target University groups and organizations

 
Many B2B SaaS companies are targeting sales talent with little or no sale experience. This is due to the short supply of talent and sometimes due to affordability. Students that are part of entrepreneur or sales/marketing focused groups at their university are likely interested in a career in your field and can be a good fit. Find the groups that may have interests relevant to your company and start make connections.
 

Build a pipeline for senior talent

 
For more senior sales resources you will likely always need to be recruiting. This means identifying potential candidates in advance of your actual needs. You will have to prioritize meeting and getting to know these candidates beforehand so that when an opportunity does arrive, you have potential hires ready.
 

Look for other job titles that share similar traits

 
Are there other people within your organization that could be a fit for sales? Are there external candidates that don’t have sales experience but might be a fit? During the P2P, the group talked about success with people from customer service roles, HR recruitment, and even non-profit fundraising. Look for a candidate with coachable skills that may settle nicely into sales.
 
The market is very competitive for B2B sales talent. Find some different and creative ways to build out your team. If you would like to talk about how VA Partners can help you with your B2B sales talent please connect with me.
 

Finding B2B Sales Talent