Q: How do I hire more employees when no one seems to want to sell printers and/or work for a small business?
Ashley Valencia, owner,
The Printer Depot
A: I believe that successful salespeople generally fall into one of two camps: those that are successful because they are excellent salespeople first, irrespective of the product that they sell, and those that are successful because of the product itself (for example, a salesperson is good at selling a product because she or he believes in it). I believe that you can successfully attract either type by tweaking a few things.
To attract the "great salesperson," consider revisiting both the sales process and commission structure for your products.
Great salespeople just want to sell; think about revising parts of your sales process that might be a "pain point" for successful salespeople. In addition, strong salespeople want to be fairly compensated for their skill in closing sales. Would a revamped commission structure attract more potential candidates in this increasingly competitive hiring market?
Also, you should consider highlighting the selling price of your products to potential candidates. For example, it isn't common knowledge that DeskJet large format plotters can retail for prices approaching $4,000. Good salespeople may see this as an opportunity to earn higher commissions.
Finally, whether you believe it or not, I do think there is an opportunity to attract salespeople based on the products you sell. Instead of focusing on the fact that these are computer printers, you may consider emphasizing the different types of customers to whom you sell. For example, DesignJet plotters are typically used by people who work in a creative capacity, in places such as advertising agencies, marketing firms and architectural firms.
