Are you planning to hire new sales reps soon? The start of a new year is an optimal time to recruit and hire because company budgets are usually in place and the year ahead is a clean slate ripe with opportunity.

Whether you’re hiring for one or a few sales positions in the coming weeks, it can help to have a strategy for recruiting and onboarding them effectively. This is because it can take weeks—and sometimes months—for these new employees to get up to speed and feel comfortable in their roles. By taking time early on to educate your new hires and give them the tools and resources to succeed, you can reduce the learning curve and help them hit the ground running.

Author Kevin F. Davis says sales managers can follow three steps to not only hire the best candidates but to successfully onboard them. We share his thoughts in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. Clarify what you need from new hires. It’s important to make sure you’re hiring people who bring the right skills to your team. When was the last time you updated your job description for sales reps? If you can’t remember when you last adjusted it, now’s a good time to give it a fresh look. Davis notes that many job descriptions for sales professionals are generic and not detailed enough to help managers identify the best candidates. Before you post any job openings, take time to clarify the skills you need. What does your current team lack that you need a new person to bring to the group? The more specific you can get, the better you will be able to find the best candidate.

2. Get creative in how you evaluate job candidates. Sales reps can learn your team’s processes and CRM. That’s the easy part. You can train almost anyone how to sell, Davis points out, but they need the right attitude first. When you’re interviewing sales reps, look for their coachability. People who are coachable will listen to your instructions during the interview process and be open about their previous losses, says Davis. Try asking candidates about a big sale they lost and why they lost it. Then, listen to how the candidate responds. You can learn about whether they take ownership or place blame.

3. Create (or update) a sales playbook. So, you interviewed your candidates and hired the best sales reps. What now? According to Davis, you should bring them up to speed quickly with an information-packed sales playbook. This playbook should describe your team’s best practices for selling, he says. It should also outline the specific problems your company can solve for each type of decision-maker you may face. Sales reps can use this playbook to learn the basics of your sales process but also understand best practices that your team has refined over time.

New sales reps can bring fresh energy and new ideas to your existing team. You can make sure you hire the right ones by reevaluating your job description and looking for candidates’ coachability in the interview process. Once you have them on board, a sales playbook can help them get up to speed quickly.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Kevin F. Davis is the author of The Sales Manager’s Guide to Greatness, which was named an Axiom Business Book Award Winner. Davis is also the author of Slow Down, Sell Faster!