Hire sales representatives
Most sales candidates interview well, because selling is the job. The hard part is telling the reps who sell themselves from the ones who hit target quarter after quarter. Optihire Staffing recruits sales representatives for growing businesses across the United States, including field, territory and inside sales roles, and we screen on results and method.
Contingency Recruitment
You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
What a sales representative does
Sales representatives find new customers, qualify them, run meetings or demos, handle objections and close deals. Depending on the business, they sell by phone and video, visit customers in a territory, or mix the two. Most work in a CRM and are measured against a quota.
What the job looks like depends on what you sell. A rep selling a quick, low-cost product makes many short calls. A rep selling to a buying committee manages fewer, longer deals with several decision makers. Match a candidate's experience to the way your team sells first, and weigh industry background second.
What to screen for
The skills, credentials and habits worth checking before you make an offer.
Quota and attainment
Ask for their quota and results by year, typical deal size and the number of deals closed. Then ask follow-up questions. Real numbers come with details.
How they build pipeline
Ask how much of their pipeline they generated themselves, and how. If your reps find their own leads, you need someone who has done it.
Sales cycle and buyer
Ask who they sold to, how long deals took and how many people were involved in each decision.
CRM habits
Ask which CRM they used and how they kept it current. Your forecast is only as good as the records behind it.
Coachability
Ask about feedback that changed how they sell. A specific answer is a good sign.
How we recruit sales representatives
Tell us what you sell, who buys it, the deal size and sales cycle, the territory, where leads come from and the full pay plan. We source reps who have sold the way your team sells, including people who aren't actively looking, and question their numbers on the phone screen. Your shortlist comes with notes on deal size, sales cycle and the markets each person knows.
Sales hiring suits contingency recruitment, where you pay a fee only when a successful candidate is hired. If you are deciding whether to use an agency at all, read our comparison of recruitment agency vs in-house hiring. See all our sales and business development roles and our recruitment services.
Interview questions to ask
Open questions that make candidates describe real work. Follow up on anything vague.
What was your quota last year, and how did you finish against it?
Walk me through the biggest deal you closed, from first contact to signature.
How much of your pipeline did you build yourself, and how?
Tell me about a deal you lost. What would you do differently?
How do you plan your week?
Hiring sales representatives?
Send us the role, the shift and the pay range. You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.