Sales Recruiting is an important element in building a successful company. Without a solid sales team to spread the word and secure orders, companies are facing an uphill battle.

If you're in the market to hire a new salesperson or wondering why the salespeople you've hired in the past aren't producing, here are some important characteristics of top salespeople that may help you improve your Sales Recruiting skills.

Hire a Racehorse

Based on my experience, top salespeople are a special breed. Salespeople are kind of like horses. Some horses are destined to be racehorses, while others are better suited for plowing fields or carriage rides. Top salespeople are similar to great racehorses in that both seem to have huge drive and huge egos. Racehorses can be a bit tempermental, even tough to work with at times, but their inner drive helps them win and deliver more sales for their companies.

Companies and sales managers hoping to jumpstart their sales production hire racehorse-like salespeople. One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make with their Sales Recruiting efforts is that they look for and ultimately hire "nice", as in "I think he/she will fit in nicely with our team". In other words, they hire a plow horse. Plow horses are nice. They work 'til they drop and don't have and aggressive bone in their bodies. They tend to move rather slowly, and so will your sales if you hire salespeople like this.

To be successful in sales, customers must like and trust their salespeople, and the salesperson needs to have the skills to move a customer forward quickly. I'm not suggesting that you hire overaggressive salespeople, just likable, positive people who have honed their selling skills.

Create a Qualifications - Skills List

When it's time to start the Sales Recruiting process, have a list of qualifications and skills that you require which would be beneficial to the position but not necessarily required. If no quantified numbers are available, you can still ask a candidate to rate his or her specific skill level (ability to overcome objections, closing skills, for example) on a scale of 1 to 10.

Since people are generally drawn towards enthusiastic people, enthusiasm should be at the top of your list. Most companies insist on hiring someone with knowledge of the industry above all else. In almost every industry I can think of, you can teach industry knowledge, but it's almost impossible to teach enthusiasm and like ability. Other characteristics of top salespeople: Ability to think on their feet; flexible, good problem-solvers; consumate listeners; and good sense of humor.

Taking the time to create a qualifications checklist will help you write your ad for your sales position, whether it's online or the newspaper. Online job boards such as Sales Careers Online, are used by many as the primary place to look for jobs, especially in major cities.

Prepare For Your Interviews

I always encourage interviewers and everyone involved in the Sales Recruiting process to have a mini-commercial about strengths of your industry and company ready. Years ago, when unemployment was high, employers didn't have to sell their industry, company or position. Times have changed, smart companies realize survival depends on having the best possible talent. Today, qualified candidates have lots of choices, so it's important to have a presentation that paints the most favorable view of your company and a Sales Recruiting plan that's at the top of it's game!

Rob Halvorsen is President and Founder of SalesCareersOnline.com one of the internet's fastest growing career web sites dedicated exclusively to the sales and marketing industry! Visit SalesCareersOnline.com at: www.salescareersonline.com.

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