How to Hire Effective Salespeople for Your MFP and Managed Document Services Business

In today's competitive marketplace, having a talented and dedicated sales team is essential for the success of any MFP and Managed Document Services business. The right salespeople can help drive revenue growth, increase market share, and build lasting relationships with customers. But finding and hiring these salespeople can be a daunting task. In this comprehensive ebook, we'll share expert strategies and insights on how to hire effective salespeople for your MFP and Managed Document Services business.

Start With Understanding Your Needs

Identifying the specific skills and experience your dealership requires from its salespeople is the first step in hiring effective salespeople. 

Coaching points to help you identify and articulate your sales needs:

1. Understand Your Business Goals: Take a step back and evaluate your business goals, both short-term and long-term. What do you want your sales team to achieve? Are you looking to expand your customer base or increase revenue from existing customers? Understanding your business goals will help you identify the skills and experience you need in your sales team.
2. Review Job Descriptions: Reviewing your current job descriptions can help you identify the skills and experience that are essential for success in your sales roles. Look at the responsibilities and qualifications listed in the job descriptions and evaluate whether they accurately reflect your sales needs.
3. Leverage Industry Data: Researching industry trends and benchmarking against competitors can help you identify the skills and experience that are most valuable in your sales roles. Look for data on the most successful sales techniques, the most in-demand products and services, and the most effective ways to reach and engage customers.
4. Consult with Current Sales Team: Your current sales team can provide valuable insights into the skills and experience needed to be successful in your dealership. Consider conducting focus groups or one-on-one interviews with your sales team to get their feedback on what works and what doesn't in your sales roles.
5. Partner with HR and Recruiting Experts: Partnering with HR and recruiting experts can help you identify the key skills and experience needed for success in your sales roles. HR and recruiting experts can provide guidance on how to articulate your sales needs and create job postings that attract the right candidates.

Evaluating Sales Skills and Experience

Once you've identified the skills and experience you need in your sales team, it's time to evaluate candidates' sales skills and experience. 

Coaching points to help you evaluate candidates' sales skills and experience:

1. Develop a Structured Interview Process: Developing a structured interview process that includes behavioral and situational questions can help you evaluate candidates' sales skills and experience. Structure the interview process around the specific skills and experience you identified in Chapter 1.
2. Evaluate Sales Metrics: Evaluating sales metrics such as quotas met, deals closed, and customer satisfaction ratings can help you assess candidates' sales skills and experience. Ask candidates to provide specific examples of how they've achieved these metrics in the past.
3. Assess Ability to Handle Objections: Salespeople must be able to handle objections from customers effectively. During the interview process, ask candidates to describe a time when they faced a difficult objection and how they overcame it.
4. Look for Customer-Centricity: Effective salespeople put the customer first. During the interview process, ask candidates to describe how they approach building and maintaining relationships with customers.
5. Consider Simulated Sales Scenarios: Role-playing simulated sales scenarios can help you evaluate candidates' sales skills and experience in a more realistic setting. Create a scenario that mimics a real sales situation and ask candidates to walk you through how they would handle it.

Assessing Cultural Fit

Assessing cultural fit is essential for ensuring that candidates will be a good fit for your dealership's values and work culture. 

Coaching points to help you assess cultural fit:

1. Define Your Culture: Before assessing cultural fit, you need to define your dealership's values and work culture. Create a list of values that are important to your dealership and describe the work environment you're striving to create.
2. Evaluate Communication Skills: Communication is key to building a strong sales team. During the interview process, evaluate candidates' communication skills, including their ability to listen, speak clearly, and convey information effectively.
3. Assess Teamwork Skills: Salespeople must work well with others, including colleagues, management, and customers. During the interview process, assess candidates' ability to work in a team environment and how they collaborate with others.
4. Evaluate Work Ethic: A strong work ethic is essential for success in sales roles. During the interview process, ask candidates to describe how they prioritize their workload and manage their time effectively.
5. Conduct Team Interview: Conducting a team interview can help you assess how well candidates will fit within your dealership's existing sales team. Involve current team members in the interview process and ask for their feedback on each candidate's fit within the team.

Ask the Right Questions

Asking the right questions during the interview process is critical for evaluating candidates' experience, skills, and fit. 

Coaching points to help you ask the right questions:

1. Prepare a List of Questions: Develop a list of questions that focus on the specific skills and experience you identified in Chapter 1. Structure the questions around the job responsibilities and qualifications listed in your job descriptions.
2. Use Behavioral Questions: Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe specific situations and how they handled them. Use behavioral questions to evaluate candidates' experience and problem-solving skills.
3. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Open-ended questions encourage candidates to provide detailed responses and can help you assess their communication skills. Avoid yes-or-no questions and ask questions that require candidates to provide a more in-depth response.
4. Use Situational Questions: Situational questions present hypothetical scenarios that salespeople might face in their roles. Use situational questions to evaluate candidates' problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations.
5. Role-Play Sales Scenarios: Role-playing sales scenarios can help you evaluate candidates' approach to sales and their ability to handle objections. Create a realistic sales scenario and ask candidates to walk you through how they would handle it.

Providing Ongoing Coaching & Development

Providing ongoing Development and support is essential for ensuring that salespeople can succeed in their roles. 

Coaching points to help you provide ongoing training and support:

1. Develop a Comprehensive Onboarding Program: Develop a comprehensive onboarding program that includes training on your dealership's products and services, sales techniques, and customer service best practices. Ensure that new hires receive the training they need to succeed in their roles.
2. Provide Ongoing Coaching and Support: Provide ongoing coaching and support to help salespeople improve their skills and overcome any challenges they face. Provide regular feedback on their performance and offer support when needed.
3. Use Performance Metrics to Track Progress: Use performance metrics such as quotas met, deals closed, and customer satisfaction ratings to track salespeople's progress. Use the metrics to identify areas for improvement and provide coaching and support where needed.
4. Encourage Professional Development: Encourage salespeople to attend industry events and training sessions to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices. Offer opportunities for career growth and development within your dealership.
5. Foster a Culture of Learning: Foster a culture of learning within your dealership by encouraging salespeople to share their experiences and best practices. Create opportunities for salespeople to collaborate and learn from each other.

Retaining and Motivate

Retaining and motivating salespeople is critical for building a strong and successful sales team. Salespeople are often motivated by personal growth, recognition, and financial rewards.

Coaching points to help you retain and motivate salespeople:

Personal Growth: Provide opportunities for personal and professional development. Offer training and mentorship programs, encourage salespeople to attend industry events and conferences, and provide opportunities for skill-building and career growth.

1. Recognition: Salespeople thrive on recognition and praise for their hard work and contributions. Implement a recognition program that acknowledges top performers, and celebrate successes as a team to boost morale and motivation.
2. Financial Rewards: Salespeople are often motivated by financial rewards, such as commissions, bonuses, and incentives. Offer competitive compensation packages and consider implementing a performance-based incentive program to reward top performers.
3. Autonomy: Salespeople often perform best when given a degree of autonomy in their roles. Allow salespeople to take ownership of their work and give them the flexibility to work in a way that suits their strengths and preferences.
4. Positive Feedback: Provide positive feedback to salespeople to boost their confidence and motivation. Recognize their successes and offer constructive feedback on areas for improvement in a way that is supportive and encouraging.
5. Provide Regular Feedback and Coaching: Provide regular feedback and coaching to help salespeople improve their performance and feel supported in their roles. Offer constructive feedback and coaching that focuses on areas for improvement, and provide ongoing support and encouragement.

Hiring effective salespeople is critical for the success of your MFP and Managed Document Services business. By following the tips and coaching points outlined in this ebook, you can identify the skills and experience you need in your sales team, evaluate candidates' sales skills and cultural fit, ask the right questions, provide ongoing training and support, and retain and motivate your sales team for long-term success. Remember to stay flexible and adaptable, and adjust your hiring and retention strategies as needed to keep up with changes in the industry and the needs of your dealership.