What levers can I use to attract the right candidate?

In 2000, sales representatives still had to convince companies to hire them. In 2022, successful sales representatives are in demand everywhere, and it's up to companies to attract them!

In short, the situation has changed.

This is true in many sectors. It's especially true in the technology sector, where the adage "Winner takes allencourages up-and-coming start-ups to invest as much as possible in their sales teams in order to dominate their markets as quickly as possible.

Do you want to develop your team? You' ve identified this candidate's potential right from the first interview, and you'd like to integrate them into your team. However, they seem hesitant and are probably receiving other offers. So what can I do to entice a suitable candidate to join my team?

Upstream: develop your employer brand

First and foremost, the employer brand represents the company's image to its employees and. applicants. Basically, this image will determine whether you receive 200 applications or 5 mediocre CVs that don't measure up. It will also lead the most popular potential candidates on Linkedin to respond to you... or not!

When you consider how difficult it is for companies to recruit, it's easy to see why it's important to have a strong employer brand. The question then arises:

How can you develop your employer brand among salespeople?

To achieve this, there are 3 effective levers:

1. Word-of-mouth from employees ⇒ Ultra powerful. They're your best ambassadors, and therefore your best showcase ;) => Clear and essential co-optation process to play with.
2. The company's main mission, and the prospects it offers ⇒ The future you offer may be enough to attract people! Explain your ambitions clearly.
3. The extension of marketing and communication ⇒ These must no longer focus solely on products, but also on the life of the company.

But that's not the real battle. To have a strong employer brand, you need to understand :

What are good sales reps looking for, and how can you let them know you can provide it?

In my opinion, here are the 5 main reasons why a salesperson joins a project:

• Work and product: "I have a concrete vision of everyday life, and I believe in the solution I'm selling. "
• Confidence: "I have the confidence to succeed: there's coaching, a good team. The culture and atmosphere suit me."
• Learning: "I'll be rubbing shoulders with inspiring people and learning a little more every day."
• Outlook: "The company is growing fast and has great plans for the future."
• Salary: "I want my salary to be in line with the market and to reflect my performance more closely.

At Modjo, for example, we tried very early on to recruit an outstanding team (so far, I think we've done pretty well 😁 ). But when growth accelerates or becomes exponential, recruitment needs intensify and a strong employer brand becomes essential. This is where Modjo stands out in 3 ways:

1. Modjo software is mainly used by sales people. We've even received applications following demonstrations by our prospects!
2. We're our own users, which means we know our solution inside out, and feel very comfortable talking to our prospects about it.
3. Much of our communication focuses on sales-related topics, and is therefore directly relevant to this demographic.

In short, we pulled out all the stops. Now you're going to tell me: "Yes, but it's Modjoentreprise's. My business hasnothing to do with it. My business has nothing to do with it. How can I do it?"

You're right. Here is the sales engine that, in my opinion, surpasses all others (few will admit it): recognition!

And yes, sales people want to shine, both internally and externally! When a salesperson wants to join Modjo, we want them to know that they'll be playing at Champions League Level. On the outside, you can take a look at our Linkedin page, where you'll find :

• Des articles sur la vente et le gestion<Des posts sur nos nouveaux clients
• Articles about our new customers
• Sales webinars hosted by our sales team (cc: Tom Le Cochün).

Result: We receive a large number of applications, and 1 out of every 2 salespeople we contact already knows us!

II. During interviews: what matters to the person in front of me?

All candidates are different! While some appreciate the flexibility of working hours, for example, others see no added value.

Your first objective is to identify the expectations of the candidate you are dealing with:

What interests this person?

What are their personal drivers?

What kind of career are they planning?

You are a recruiter. Your mission here is to understand your deepest motivations. This is a complex exercise, because during an interview, candidates will tell you what you want to hear. So you need to delve into each answer to identify the candidate's motivating factors (+ "Why"):

1. "Where are you today?" => To understand immediately whether the candidate is actively searching or "listening".
2. "What will your next role be like?" => To understand what the candidate wants to do in concrete terms. Does he have a precise idea? Does he have convictions about his next job, or on the contrary, is he looking for a bit of everything and anything?
3. "What are your ambitions for the next 5 to 10 years?" => To understand the candidate's North Star and how they plan to get there. There are no right or wrong answers, it simply triggers a discussion and possibly coaching on the professional project.
4. "What are your other leads?" => Does he really want to be dirty? Or is he also applying to structures that have nothing to do with it? (⚠️⚠️⚠️)"
5. What criteria will be important in your decision? What does he think separates the boxes? To be challenged if the person has no criteria.

III. In the interview: present the elements that hit the nail on the head

The technique lies in the art of adapting your company's pitch to its expectations. Take point by point the elements mentioned by the candidate to build your presentation. Simple and effective:

If learning is important :

"We organize a weekly coaching session with the whole team, here's how it goes:.... " - "Every other day, you'll have a period of time to listen to your calls with Modjo, so that you can improve "

"We have international ambitions. To achieve this, you have one hour of training per week with Globale Exam to study the language of your choice."

If support is important :

"If you join Modjo, you'll benefit from Kaspr to generate your leads, Outreach to automate your email sequences, Aircall and Modjo to record and analyze your exchanges, all centralized on Salesforce."

"Our sales operations enable us to structure information, analyze it and make the best decisions."

If the prospects are significant :

"We're here to help you evolve as quickly as possible, which is why we train constantly. Once you've proven yourself, anything is possible."

"At Modjo, the variable is uncapped: the better you perform, the more you're rewarded."

"All the indicators are in the green: retention rate, upselling, scalability, etc. The company's outlook is more than encouraging! The company's outlook is more than encouraging!"

Everything is true, but you don't have to say everything. As in sales, present only the aspects that are relevant to that candidate;)

Finally, when you are sure of yourself, but feel that the person is hesitating:

• Give a positive answer at the end of the interview, and ask them in turn where they stand. A real YES from a recruiter right after an interview is a pure mark of confidence. Quite powerful on the candidate's side.
• Arrange a meeting with one or two members of the sales team as soon as possible, so that the candidate can get a good idea of what he's up to.

💎 Prime: Once recruited, you still need to know how to integrate newcomers into the team! To help you with this, we've put together a guide to successful sales integration, which can be adapted to suit your teams.

Conclusion:

We've deliberately decided not to focus on compensation in this article, even though it remains a fundamental aspect of commercial recruitment.

The elements presented here will enable you to differentiate yourself through other levers, levers that are often under-exploited by your competitors:

1. 🎓 Develop your employer brand.
2. 🧐 Identify the candidate's expectations.
3. 🎯 Tailor your presentation to expectations.

In conclusion: every candidate who hesitates should end up choosing you.

We can do better, even with less;)

Better,

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