How to choose a sales manager questions. Selection of cold sales managers. Problems with line management in the structure

“Male (woman) 25-35 years old, higher education, sales experience of 1 year, motivation, communication skills, ability to work in a team…” We have already read this somewhere, haven't we? Job search engines are flooded with job offers in the sales field and the requirements that employers have are very similar to each other.

Finding a good sales manager is incredibly important, because he will bring you new customers and increase the company's profits. How do you know if the young man sitting across from you in your office is right for you? Let's look at some useful principles.

Tip 1.Draw a portrait. Who is he, your salesperson? It would be good to decide in advance what specific qualities you need and then purposefully find out if the candidate has them. The portrait of a manager depends entirely on the specifics of your company. Answer a few questions:

• Who and what are you selling to? If you are going to sell anti-wrinkle and anti-aging cosmetics, then it would be strange if guys of 23 years old were doing this. Most likely, in your case, everything is not so obvious, but still it would be nice to at least roughly understand what gender and age people will be able to find a common language with your potential customers.
• How should customer relationships be built? If you work in the b2b segment and are in contact mainly with major leaders, that is, with serious people, then communication with them should be appropriate. A young and naive seller who takes "impudently" will simply not be allowed to negotiate. A calm and balanced approach is needed here, and this must be taken into account when selecting staff.
• How should the sales department work? Perhaps you are going to build a multi-stage system where sales are carried out in stages. Then you need to select people for specific tasks: cold calls - separately, base formation - separately, meetings and signing of contracts - separately. If all stages are performed by one person, then you need people with a universal set of qualities.

Tip 2. The ability to present yourself. Trite, but usually it's really important. At an interview, it is easy to assess how a person behaves, whether he knows how to put words into sentences, whether he understands at all where he came and why, and so on. Your assessment will most likely be terribly subjective, but some things can be determined immediately.

Tip 3. Motivation. The most important success factor for any seller. Many of the shortcomings of your manager will come to naught if he is extremely motivated. Can this be determined in an interview? Sometimes this can be done by tactfully inquiring about the person's life situation. If you have a lonely woman with a small child in front of you, then she will have to do everything to earn money, and this is only to your advantage.

Tip 4. Probation. As perceptive as you are, it's still hard to tell in a few minutes if the person in front of you can sell effectively. Therefore, if you are in doubt, or the choice is small, it is better to give the applicant a couple of weeks and look at him in the daily work. Is he capable of learning? Does he deal with stress? Does his communication skills show up? And in general, to what extent is it collected, organized and can it work systematically? You can find out all this during the trial period, and only then you can select the best.

There is no universal formula for choosing a sales manager. When dealing with people, it is difficult to guess who will be able to sell and who will not - there are too many factors influencing this, so you still cannot do without mistakes in this matter. And yet, if you know your customers well and have a clear idea of ​​​​who you need, your search will be successful!

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The word "income" refers to the material resources that any organization brings. If there is no income, then you should think about this issue and decide whether to continue to achieve goals and increase profits, or to quit this business and start looking for yourself in another. If you choose the first option, then it is worth considering the fact that you will need to constantly look for ways to increase income. Otherwise, all financial activities just collapse.

Tired of working for "aunt" or "uncle"? Did you understand that such an approach will make you bury dreams of a better life forever? So it's time to invest. Only by taking steps towards creating your own business or investing in someone else's, you can achieve great goals. However, due to the crisis, many are afraid to start or expand their business. And they think right! First you need to study the issue from all sides, read several analytical articles with forecasts for the next year and consider interesting ideas that can inspire to exploits. After all, first of all, the soul must lie in the cause!

“Once the carpenter Giuseppe came across a log,
an ordinary log for the hearth in the winter
- Not a bad thing - Giuseppe said to himself, -
you can make something like a table leg out of it ... "

Thus begins the fairy tale "The Golden Key". What does it have to do with recruiting sales staff? The most direct! These lines perfectly demonstrate the two main mistakes in the search and selection of sales personnel:
* First: take what "came to hand."
* Second: they try to make something out of the “log for the firebox”.

As a result, instead of logs put into the furnace for their intended purpose, many companies instead of the sales department have an army of Pinocchio - untrained, unmanaged dolls, incapable of systematic work and effective communication with customers.

How do most companies attract sales staff? And what are the selection criteria? Almost all companies, at the dawn of their existence, go through the stage of attracting friends, acquaintances and acquaintances to work. The selection criterion here is simple - recommendations.

As the company grows and the circle of friends and acquaintances that can be recruited as a "proven" workforce is exhausted, firms must use other ways to attract sales personnel and other selection criteria for candidates.

First, let's talk about the selection criteria. Most often in Russian companies you can meet two at first glance different, but, in fact, identical situations:

1. There are no clear, formalized selection criteria at all. In the head of the person conducting the selection, there is a vague, semi-intuitive image of the future sales manager. A sort of mixture of past experience, read books about recruiting, own complexes, fears and Freudian associations. With this approach, the selection is carried out in the coordinate system "like - dislike" and the intuitive forecast "should do the job - most likely will not do the job" (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Intuitive coordinate system in the selection of sellers

Ideally, a candidate is selected who meets the criteria of Quadrant 1 - "like" and "should handle". In the case when there are “not many” candidates for a trial period, applicants from other quadrants are invited. Most companies take candidates from Quadrant 2 - "don't like it", but "should do it". In other, dying companies, working on the principle “if only the person is good, and we will find a place for him” (which is becoming less and less as competition increases and business profitability decreases), candidates from quadrant 4 are taken. Work here is based on the principle “a all of a sudden ... "- suddenly he starts selling, suddenly he succeeds - the guy is not a bad guy ... In general, the expectation of a miracle ...

2. The declared criteria and requirements for candidates are excessively high and redundant, and serve not as a “Procrustean bed”, with the help of which everything unnecessary is cut off, but in some way an ideal employee, a utopia that does not exist in reality. As a result, there is no more sense from these criteria than in the case of their complete absence. They are like the moral code of the builder of communism in Soviet times - a good thing and essentially true, but it has nothing to do with life.

What are the requirements for candidates for the position of sales manager? We will reveal to you one secret - universal requirements No! Each company, taking into account its specifics, must itself formulate the criteria for selecting sales personnel.

FEATURES OF THE CANDIDATE

A classic recruitment ad for sales managers looks like this:

“Male (female) 25-35 years old, higher education, sales experience from 1 year, motivation, communication skills, ability to work in a team…”

Let's analyze its components in more detail.

Floor.
Most companies prefer the strong half of humanity. The logic is simple - a man needs to feed his family, it is easier to send him on a business trip, he will not go on "maternity leave", he will be less absent from the workplace for reasons like "took the child to the doctor" and "need to go to school on Parent meeting". Our experience shows that the determining factor in the success of sales is not the gender of a person, but his worldview and psychological characteristics, motivational sphere, past experience, and life situation in which he is currently located.

CASE STUDY
In the late nineties, Dmitry Tkachenko headed the sales department of one of major agencies real estate. Based on empirical experience, he deduced the social profile of the "ideal" real estate agent:
* Woman;
* 23 - 35 years;
* With a child aged 2 to 10 years;
* Without a husband and partner;
* Living together with the mother (grandmother of the child) in the same living space.

Candidates corresponding to the above profile showed excellent results in work and, not least, a long “life cycle” - they worked as agents for many years. “And the chest just opened” - they had no one to hope for - work was the only source of income. In addition, the work of an agent with a "flexible" schedule was ideal for solving "children's" issues, and the grandmother could look after the child during the absence of the mother agent. Plus, women with children were reluctantly hired by many organizations. And, no matter how cynical it may sound, the probability of getting married in such a situation, and, consequently, getting another source of funding, tends to zero. As a result, candidates corresponding to this profile did an excellent job and, it must be said, earned several times more than if they went to work full-time in their specialty.

Age
We agree that 25-35 is the most productive age for a person. There is motivation to achieve, physical resources have not been wasted, there is not yet sufficient social experience to transform time and effort into money with high efficiency. This is the ideal "infantry", whose units shouting "Hurrah!" you can drive on the mines of marketing fields and throw them at the embrasures of competition. There are two situations when it is worth accepting people of “pre-retirement” age into the state:

1. "Star" with its client base;
2. "Type for the client."
In a number of businesses, "boys" salespeople are not taken seriously by their target audience- clients.

CASE STUDY
The staff of the company engaged in the supply of spare parts for agricultural machinery and working with the "village" consisted of young people aged 23 - 28 years. One of them asked management to hire his uncle, a 53-year-old man who had retired from the army and had not previously worked in sales. After an interview, in which the candidate showed excellent communication skills and motivation, the management decided to conduct an experiment - to hire him.
He did an excellent job and showed excellent results where the “boys” were slipping. The fact is that by age, social experience, worldview, topics for discussion, etc. he was "their" for the chairmen of the former collective farms, and now the heads of agricultural firms and holdings. He easily found a common language with them, established informal relations and agreed on cooperation where the "pioneers" were not even allowed on the threshold.

Education
People standing at the origins of the arrival of Western FMCG companies (companies selling consumer goods) in Russia remember those times when a mandatory requirement for sales representatives was the presence higher education. Times have changed. Now, in most cases, the letters "v / o" in a job advertisement are a wish. Is it worth considering education as a mandatory requirement for candidates? Yes! But only in those cases when it really gives a certain basis necessary knowledge or structure of thought. Indeed, in cases where a salesperson works with a technically complex product or service and must master not only sales techniques, but also the knowledge of an engineer, then it makes no sense to take a person who does not have the necessary knowledge base. In a number of companies, the requirements for the education of candidates were formed as a result of generalization of empirical experience. So in one of advertising agencies came to the conclusion that the best advertising agents are graduates of the Mekhmat. They are more “systematic”, more collected, more practical, they have less creative ambitions and desire to “sculpt creativity” where this is not necessary.

Sales experience
A candidate's experience in sales reduces the likelihood of dropping out during the first month of employment. A person already knows what sales is, knows what he has to do and the essence of the work. He needs to be taught the details and peculiarities of working in your company. As always, the medal also has a downside - “candidates with experience” have already developed guidelines on how to work, maintain documentation, and report. Requirements that contradict their ideas are perceived with hostility and are often sabotaged. In some cases, there is also an “infection” of other employees of the sales department with “rotten” ideas and techniques learned at the previous place of work. “Experienced” employees teach their new colleagues how to “cut” kickbacks, write off gasoline, make deliveries bypassing their own company, etc. So, a number of banks do not hire candidates who have worked at Sberbank for at least one day.

Psychological characteristics
In our opinion, the listing in the job advertisement of the classic set of traits of an ideal salesperson - "motivation, communication skills, ability to work in a team" - is a waste of expensive advertising space. It is difficult to find a person who would not recognize the presence of the above characteristics in himself, but with a small amendment “if necessary”.
Is it even worth adding these characteristics to the list of requirements for candidates?
In our opinion, the cornerstone of the success of a salesperson is motivation. Another issue is that it is extremely difficult to evaluate it at the interview stage, and besides, it is a dynamic process with a general downward trend. But the general answer to motivation is "yes" - it is the most important selection criterion. Although it happens that “appetite comes with eating” - an initially poorly motivated employee suddenly lights up with an “inner fire” and ..., but this is extremely rare.

CASE STUDY
A demotivated girl, who had recently experienced the loss of a close relative, was accepted into the sales department of a "glossy" magazine. The head of the department hired her on the basis of logic: she would either “break down” or work hard to get away from negative experiences. During the first month, the work of this girl was almost not going on, but thanks to the support of the leader, she was able to reach the first results. In the third month, it reached consistently high volumes. At the same time, most of the other, as it seemed at first, motivated and experienced salespeople who went to work at the same time as her, quit by the end of the third month.

The main question for "sociability"- how will you evaluate it? Number of contacts per hour? Established trust ratio? Communication is not measurable. Therefore, you can enter it in the list of requirements, but at the exit, a tick next to this item will mean that the candidate simply tried to make a good impression on you.
"Teamwork skills" most sales people don't. They are loners. But for some reason, all the media informing about vacancies are full of this phrase. Yes, there are team sales technologies in which this skill is necessary as air, but in our experience, companies with such an organization of the process are 3-5% of the total. In other cases, all the “ability to work in a team” is replaced by normal work regulation and a transparent workflow system, in which the employee does not have to due to personal charisma and friendly relations with colleagues from other departments to move business processes that are stalled due to the mess and confusion prevailing in the company.

Coaches-consultants
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How to assess the competencies of a sales manager at the interview stage so as not to make a mistake when hiring a key specialist?

Today's realities of the labor market, on the one hand, inspire us that there are more than enough specialists in the field of sales who are looking for work, on the other hand, a considerable proportion of these specialists, unfortunately, are not effective “salespeople”. How to assess the competencies of a sales manager at the interview stage so as not to make a mistake when hiring a key specialist? Let's look at the main criteria that should be carefully evaluated when deciding whether to hire a sales specialist.

1. The logic of building a career

Even at the stage of evaluating the resume, it is necessary to analyze professional experience candidate. If the candidate moved from sales to process activities ( financial management, engineering, technical support etc.), it is quite possible that his “salesman” competencies are very lame, or he is not sufficiently motivated to work in the field of sales, or, perhaps, he is process-oriented, which is unacceptable for a successful sales manager. It is necessary to find out the reasons for such a dramatic change in his career and draw the right conclusions. It is also necessary to evaluate the dynamics of the candidate's career growth in accordance with age. If a candidate is over 40, and in his professional experience there are only positions of specialist managers, without managerial functions, it is worth considering: why did the candidate not reach a higher career level? Either he did not strive for career growth due to fear of responsibility, or his management did not mark him. professional achievements or he lacked management skills. It cannot be ruled out that the candidate is only interested in sales, and he deliberately did not move to a higher level. last reason should not be confused with the rigidity of the candidate, the fear of leaving the "comfort zone" - these are already negative signals when evaluating a candidate.

2. Frequency of transfers from Company to Company

For a sales manager, in my opinion, a discount should be made when assessing his stability in terms of choosing an employer. As a rule, a good "salesperson" is motivated by money, but, unfortunately, the motivation system for the sales department is not always transparent, understandable and fair. In conditions of inadequate motivation, the sales manager “burns out”, as a rule, after a year of work. There may be other objective reasons for changing employers, so it is important to thoroughly find out why the candidate changed jobs. It happens that candidates are cunning, not voicing the real reasons for leaving, it is quite difficult to check this. Therefore, it is important to create a trusting atmosphere during the interview. It is not a fact that even after that the candidate will talk about everything in good faith, but the chances that he will be more open will increase significantly.

3. Self-presentation skills

This issue requires careful and comprehensive consideration. On the one hand, if a candidate can correctly position himself, of course, it is a plus. But you need to understand that the candidate could simply carefully prepare for the interview, or visit a sufficient number of them before coming to you. In this case, an experienced recruiter will hear “learned phrases”, they, as a rule, are difficult to integrate into the structure of the narrative if the interview is conducted competently by the recruiter. On the other hand, we must not forget that an interview is usually stressful for a candidate, in this regard, he cannot always show off a bright self-presentation. Therefore, in the process of the candidate's answers, to a greater extent, attention should be paid to the structure and sequence of the narrative. Numerous digressions, avoidance of answers, the manner of answering a question with a question, an overly long story full of numerous details should be considered as negative factors.

4. Company Level

This evaluation criterion should be considered in three directions:

The number of the Company. If the candidate worked in small organizations, it will be difficult for him to integrate into a large structure, since the level of communications, approvals and time frames in solving certain problems differ significantly.

client level. DMP (decision makers) on different levels- various. If a manager concludes a deal for a million rubles, one circle of people communicates with him, if for 30 million - a circle of people, firstly, it expands, and secondly, the level of negotiations becomes more complicated. Usually, large organizations are focused on tangible financial results and attracting large key customers, so the "salespeople" there are stronger and more experienced. Of course, there are exceptions, in which case it is necessary to analyze the sales volume of a candidate within a particular Company.

Company mentality. Yes, there is such a concept, it includes corporate culture, Company policy, leadership style, organization of jobs. For example, if a previous employer had an "office" system, it will be difficult for a candidate to adapt to the "open-space" format. Or, for example, if the candidate previously had a democratic leader, it will be almost impossible for him to adopt an authoritarian leadership style. I recently interviewed a candidate who had left a major construction company due to the fact that profanity was constantly present in communication between colleagues. Here it is important to provide an opportunity for the candidate to assess his strength: whether he will be able to reorganize and accept the "rules of the game" of the new employer. The main thing is to announce all the nuances to the candidate “at the entrance” so that there are no unpleasant surprises for him after he becomes an employee of the Company.

5. Adequate self-esteem

Basically, this criterion is expressed in the cost of the candidate, in the level of his salary expectations. If a sales manager wants to earn 35 thousand rubles, then this is not a sales manager. If a sales manager expects a monthly financial reward of 300 thousand rubles, this is either a good sales manager or an inadequate person. How do you know if a candidate's self-assessment is adequate? It is important to find out two points: 1. How much the candidate earned at the previous job. Perhaps his income was close to the amount indicated in his resume, then there are no questions, everything is quite understandable. Again: if the candidate does not embellish reality. This can be checked by looking at the vacancies of the Company in which the candidate worked and the level of payment for these vacancies. Or ask the candidate for a certificate 2 - personal income tax, if his income at the previous place of work was official. 2. Whatever "fix" would be comfortable for him. If a candidate names a salary that is close to his expected income level, this is a bad indicator. Any sales manager wants to earn, so he will tie his income to a percentage of sales. Of course, a low level of a fixed amount is not good, but during the interview process it is important to understand whether the candidate is salary-oriented or ready to tie his financial reward to the results achieved. It is worth noting the following negative factor when evaluating a candidate: if a candidate announces the amount of his monthly expenses, this may indicate his infantilism and passive life position.

6. Self-confidence

A successful "salesperson" is full of self-confidence. He sold, sells and will continue to sell, as a rule, he does not have a negative sales experience, he is ready to cope with any non-standard situation, his luggage has everything that is necessary for effective sales. A real "salesperson" will never prepare for failure in advance. This can be understood from the questions he asks. If they are of an organizational nature or relate to the specifics of the product, you can breathe freely: the candidate does not feel fear of the sales process itself. An insecure candidate asks "guaranteeing" questions. He asks you if the customer base is provided, is it necessary to make “cold calls”, what will happen if he does not sell, who will teach him the specifics of selling this product - this means that he is either not quite competent or has a negative sales experience, and more precisely, "non-sales". In short, if the candidate's questions boil down to external factors and possible failures - it is unlikely that a true seller is sitting in front of you.

7. Excitement

Ask the candidate to talk about the most difficult transaction in his professional experience. He will talk about it in an interesting, “delicious” way, his eyes will burn, remembering the recent victory. Another gambling seller, with a competent construction of a conversation on the part of the recruiter, he will begin to voice possible options search for customers, potential markets, ask about competitors. It is as if he is already working here, he is, as it were, “trying on” the role of an employee, he already sees the goals set for himself and ways to achieve them.

8. Mixed reference

As we all know, internal reference is important for leaders, external for performers. For a sales manager, a “skew” in one direction or another threatens negative consequences for sales. If the reference is internal, he may not have enough flexibility when interacting with the client, it will not always be easy for him to make management decisions. If an external reference prevails, he will not be able to "squeeze" the client, he will follow his lead, he will not be able to express his position or enter into a constructive discussion. We need a golden mean. If, nevertheless, a “skew” is traced, it is allowed towards the internal reference. People with an internal reference, as a rule, have leadership qualities, the ability to defend their own position, they are charismatic, stubborn and efficient. All of the above qualities successful manager sales are decisive.

9. Specificity of sales

It should be clarified to what extent the candidate's professional experience will fit into the specifics of the new Company. If a candidate worked in consulting, it is not certain that he will be able to effectively sell engineering equipment. And vice versa. A product and a service are psychologically different things. Both for the client and for the sales manager. Quite often in the summary of candidates there are organizations with different areas of activity. In this case, the risks of inefficient work in a new place are significantly reduced. Or, if the candidate built distribution, it will be difficult for him to carry out direct sales, since the specifics are significantly different. You can also note candidates with experience in FMCG (sales representatives working in the "fields"): the level of negotiations in this market is usually quite low. B2B and B2C sales should not be strictly divided into levels of complexity: interaction with customers is at a decent level, in both areas there is an active search for customers, in addition, B2C sales have a relatively recent history, so the share of work in B2C sales in candidates’ resumes is usually , is small.

10. Cycle, dynamics and sales volumes

There is a different sales cycle, different sales dynamics and, of course, different sales volumes. All these indicators should be clarified and analyzed at the interview. For example, in companies providing certification services, the sales cycle can be from 1 to 3 years, from negotiation to payment by the client. A manager who knows how to lead a long sales cycle will easily cope with a short cycle, but on the contrary, it can be more difficult. AT transport companies The dynamics of sales for the first six months is not high: the client “tests” the contractor to meet the deadlines, the safety of goods, and only after that begins full-fledged cooperation and gives tangible volumes. The dynamics of sales should be taken into account to a greater extent during the period of adaptation of the sales manager: you should not set ambitious sales plans from the first month. Sales dynamics have little effect on professional experience. Sales volumes need no explanation, I think, but it's important to understand that if your Company has millions in transactions, the decision to hire an employee with experience in selling low-value products and services is ill-advised. Firstly, it is psychologically difficult to operate with large sums out of habit. Secondly, let me remind you once again about the level of negotiations: depending on how much the client is ready to part with, the circle of decision-makers changes dramatically and the level of negotiations, respectively, too.

11. Motivators

The main motivator of a good “salesperson” is money. We can talk as much as we want about interesting tasks, career prospects, etc.: the sales manager wants to make money. He is ready to give all the best, stay after work, go on business trips, bring results, but for this he will expect a decent financial reward. Therefore, it is very important that the Company has an adequate, transparent and understandable motivation system for sales managers. There are examples when key sales people left the Company because they reached the financial "ceiling": they bring large clients, and their level of payment remains the same, because the motivation system has a number of conscious or unconscious flaws. On the other hand, there are examples of financial managers reaching a "comfort zone" - a certain psychological "maximum", which is enough for them to have a completely comfortable existence. Such managers, consciously or unconsciously, reduce their activity, switch to process actions and become less effective. The "ceiling" prevents strong "salespeople", "comfort zones" reach the "average". Analyze the situation in the sales department and decide what motivation will work for you.

12. Focus on results

There is nothing scarier than a process-oriented salesperson. They are guided by the principle “if something is done, something will happen”. They cold-call honestly, often more so than high-performance managers; send commercial offers, analyze the customer base, monitor competitors, write reports. Such managers, as a rule, have a sufficient number of intermediate results: the client ordered a trial batch, the client requested offer etc. But, most likely, intermediate results will remain intermediate. The effectiveness of such a specialist will be spontaneous, he will lose customers and disrupt deals, and all because he is not focused on results. How to identify a successful manager? Result-oriented sales managers communicate results in measurable terms. They name numbers, terms, perfectly remember their clients, sometimes they know more about them than necessary: ​​what kind of cognac Ivan Ivanovich likes, what breed is Svetlana Petrovna's favorite dog, when is the birthday of Serafima Sergeevna's daughter. Process-oriented specialists, respectively, will describe the process: “walked, called, sent”, etc.

13. Decency

If a candidate for a "sales manager" vacancy solemnly declares to you that he has a customer base - do not rush to rejoice. This speaks primarily of his dishonesty in relation to past employers. Was he selling the Company's services, not his own? And when he left, he “captured” a portfolio of clients with him. We all have a certain pattern of behavior in certain situations. Think about it: are you facing the same fate that befell his past employer? Transitions from competitors to competitors should also not be assessed positively. Such an employee is a risk factor for your Company in terms of maintaining confidential information and customer base. A number of Companies have already abandoned the practice of "poaching" sales specialists, primarily for security reasons, but also for the purpose of observing business ethics.

14. Use of sales tools

We will look at this point in terms of two types of sales professionals: Managers with a position of "aspiration". Managers with a position of "avoidance". How to find the position of a sales manager? Ask them one simple question: “Do you think cold calling works?” Managers with an attitude of "aspiration" will always answer that "cold" calls work. They will ask clarifying questions about delivery times, terms for agreeing contracts - in a word, they will focus on quality, efficiency and the level of interaction between selling and providing departments so that nothing prevents them from selling and there are no problems with customer satisfaction. They will also be interested in whether they will need to deal with the subsequent management of the attracted client. They save their time and work for the result, without referring to external circumstances. Managers with the “avoidance” position will say that “cold calls” are the last century, they will ask in detail about discounts, installments, possible problems in interaction with the client. It is important to be able to determine the position of "avoidance" in the candidate. For such managers, difficulties are demotivating. Product prices have risen, negotiations have failed, the client has been rude, and his hands are already falling, the manager sighs and complains about injustice, while often taking an accusatory position. The position of avoidance is manifested in the candidate's concentration on negative experience, in voicing external circumstances that prevented him from performing certain tasks.

Seller from the heart

How to choose the right sales manager

Prepared material: Tatyana Osipova

The seller is a dirty job. Sales managers usually have high salaries. Therefore, there are no candidates for this position. But at the same time, many managers complain about the lack of effectiveness of sales departments, do not know how to select candidates, making standard, vague requirements over and over again. How to find a talented seller and what to do with him further, Dmitry Pozdin, financial director and strategic manager of PC Fort-Knox, broker of the international financial group of BroCo Investments Inc., told.

Test for the right questions

Each promising seller should see pluses instead of crosses in the cemetery, and instead of a half-empty warehouse, half-filled. Real sales people enjoy their work, and it shows right away. For such people, every successful sale is like a drug: they constantly want more - both deals and money. I've been denied a job many times. good people but not sellers. It is not enough for a real sales person to be just hardworking, well-mannered or friendly. The seller is a state of mind.

First you need to determine what kind of seller we need: whether he will be focused on team or individual work. The optimal ratio for the seller is 50 to 50%. That is, a person must be able to effectively interact with other employees, while not forgetting about personal results. In addition to knowledge of sales techniques, any good salesperson
The seller must have qualities such as customer focus and communication skills.

Today, it is not difficult for an applicant to “learn” how to properly pass an interview and answer questions from an employer. Therefore, during the interview, I turn Special attention precisely on how the applicant speaks, what questions he asks, whether he knows how to listen. It is important to focus on the human qualities of the applicant, because it is possible to make up for the lack of theoretical knowledge, but it is very difficult to teach a person goodwill.

Mathematical selection

Before selecting an employee, we draw up a job profile. Position profile - requirements for the candidate that will make him successful. You need to evaluate what the specialist will have to work with. “For me to like” is a misprofile.

When preparing a job profile, all characteristics must be interpreted clearly. For example, honesty can be interpreted as a disinclination to steal, the ability to tell a manager that he or someone is really late, an honest attitude towards customers.

Competence is everything that is manifested in behavior. Professional competencies based on skills. If a person does not fit the company in terms of behavior, taking him is the same mistake that a woman makes when she marries an alcoholic and says at the same time: "He will stop drinking with me." Competences should also be clearly articulated and understandable: sociability - what is it?

The ability to talk on the phone - we do not need it.

Talking on the phone politely and correctly is for the secretary.

The ability to win over is important for the seller.

Public speaking is for leaders.

At the same time, there should always be priorities: what is desirable and what is important.

It is desirable that which can be quickly taught, and that which can be dispensed with.

As a rule, when applying for a job, we pay attention to the information provided by the candidate in the questionnaire. Personal information does not need to be taken into account. Consequence must be taken into account. If a candidate has worked as a salesperson all his life, this does not mean that he is a good salesperson. If the questionnaire indicates that a person is 50 years old, and not so much age is critical for us as appearance, you need to look at how he looks, and not how old he is. The type of employee must match the type of business. It is important to be able to predict the future behavior of an employee in the company.

Knowing your competitors is a must

For the client, the seller is the face of the company. Therefore, it is so important to “reveal” a person at the interview stage. The so-called projective questions help well: when you ask the applicant not about himself, but about other people or events. Not the last role is the appearance of the applicant. I do not believe that a person who came to an interview in a wrinkled T-shirt will be a good seller. A successful salesperson must not only be well versed in technological features and competitive advantages our product line, but also understand the specifics of the industry.

The candidate's enlightenment is proved by competent answers to questions about competitors and their products. Such testing shows how well the sales specialist knows the market in which he is going to work, and understands the processes taking place in it. After all, in our business you can't sell anything without knowledge. Not the last role is played by personal qualities seller: communication skills, conflict. Today, this is easily verified by various HR tests. But testing does not replace personal communication, so at the interview I always try to let the candidate open up, show his potential.

Recommendations from a previous job can be helpful, although such "letters from the past" are not always reliable. In large companies with a rigid management system, such qualities are often valued in employees as the ability to accurately follow the orders of management. People who have their own opinion are included in the list of conflict.

Business Model Pattern

If you select people for the organizational structure, follow the classic version, you have every chance to create a model that best suits the business strategy and goals of the organization, but, on the other hand, there is a great risk of missing out on valuable employees who do not fit into the pre-designed structure, or are suboptimal use people's talents. The “customize the structure for people” option, while academically incorrect, often works well, especially in the current “talent war” period when organizations have to go to great lengths, sacrificing business model slenderness in order to provide a valuable employee with the position that which he agrees to work. We try to use a mixed version. AT manufacturing sector we select employees for the organizational structure, in administration and management - we create a structure for employees.

Whose goals are more important?

When developing a motivation system in a company, it is important to understand what exactly it is necessary to set up an employee for, that is, to determine the so-called leading goals. These tasks should reflect the needs, desires and aspirations of both the company and the employee, in other words, be consistent.

There are at least two approaches to agreeing on goals between a company and an employee - the so-called paradigm of the "right" people or "right" companies. Should the goals of the company or the goals of the employee be prioritized? Each company has its own answer. It depends on the industry, and on the stage of development of the company, and on the adopted management style - it will largely determine the system of motivation of all employees.

The first approach of agreeing goals “from the employee” is more suitable for organizations tourism business, real estate agencies, recruitment firms. Such companies tend to strive to fit the local goals of each employee into the global goals of the enterprise.

The essence of the second approach is that the focus is not on the personality of the employee, but on the organization with its own goals and objectives. At the forefront in this case is correct selection personnel. Finding people who fit the company in terms of their values ​​and mentality is not an easy task for an HR manager. On the other hand, such a system of work with personnel ensures stability: the company will not stop its activities if key employees suddenly leave it, like a football team, from which leading players leave at the height of the championship. In such an organization, people themselves are effective, and traditional motivation mechanisms perform an auxiliary function. Leading in the system of motivation for PC "Fort-Knox" are the goals of the company itself. The management seeks to fit the local goals of each employee into the global goals of the enterprise.

The goals of each department and employee should clearly fit into the overall goals of the company. Naturally, no contradictions between them are allowed. This is not such an easy task as it might seem at first glance.

Attracting customers will increase costs

The best way to quickly increase the profitability of a sales team is to reduce costs and improve the quality of work with existing customers (create dealer network, divide customers into groups, make special product offers, etc.). And attracting new customers is a long-term work for the future, which not only cannot give profit growth in a short time, but also increases costs.

For employees of the commercial unit, in particular the sales department, the optimal ratio of the fixed and variable parts of salaries is 30 and 70 percent, respectively. Of great importance in this situation is the age of the employee. The older a person is, the more stability he expects from his work and the more less ready to changes in income. It is better to encourage such employees with bonuses - for the quarter, for the year, for length of service, for overall success, and so on, and it is not worth making income dependent on business results in a particular area.