Is Now the Right Time to Hire a Salesperson?

We’re sharing helpful tips from Kevin Baumgart at Set Sales, which we call “Sales Hacks.”

For this series, Kevin shares tips and strategies that he’s seen work in print shops.

In this installment of Sales Hacks, Kevin answers the age-old question– “When is the right time to hire a salesperson?”

Stay tuned for more helpful tips!

When is the right time to hire a salesperson? I liken this dilemma to other situations: When is the right time to get a dog? When is the right time to step away from the shop? When should I add another press? The answer to these questions is the same: It’s never the right time!

 

Hiring a salesperson can make a substantial positive impact on your shop. That said, finding and qualifying a salesperson to help your shop grow can be daunting.

 

Here are four key areas to consider if this topic has been bubbling up: 

1. What are the longer-term goals for the shop? 

Selling is hard, and even though most shop owners excel in this area, it becomes a backburner item when all the other aspects of the business get in the way.

I’d recommend sitting down and looking at what you want to accomplish from a revenue and profit perspective in the short and long term. If growing sales aligns with your why and shop goals, it might be the right time to bring someone in to assist.

2. What does the current economic environment like? 

We’re in an interesting economic environment today. Some shops are ripping, and others are starting to slow. I’m hearing more shops are beginning to focus on what they can do now to prepare for what’s to come. Hiring someone into a small business is never an easy decision, especially when we have some uncertainty pending.

In slower times, onboarding and training new team members can be more manageable. Ultimately, you can look at this through two different perspectives. One is, “Let’s hold tight and see what happens.” The other is, “Let’s own our destiny and get someone in here who can help us weather the impending storm and continue to grow.”

3. Do I have the right hiring process? 

If hiring a salesperson is something that’s top of mind for you, I’d challenge you to think about the steps, resources, and processes needed to hire the right person. I find too many shops put little time and effort into this area. This person could have a considerable impact on your shop. If you get the right person, they could help you hit your growth goals and make you quite a bit of money in the process. If you get it wrong, it can be tremendously costly. Investing time in sourcing candidates and creating a solid profile of what you’re looking for by building interview guides and other selection criteria is critical if you want to bring on the right person.

4. Do I feel confident onboarding, measuring, and managing this person? 

Deciding on the right hire is just the first step. You must now onboard them effectively into your organization. What will their first 90 days look like? What will they need to learn? What internal tools and processes will they need to master? Once onboard, how will you manage them? What one-on-one meeting structure will you set up between the two of you? How will their performance be measured? Having all of this set up in advance will be crucial to your combined success.

In closing, timing around adding a salesperson will likely never be 100% right. That said, a strong seller can significantly impact any business. If you are considering bringing someone on, put in the time and effort and invest in it. It will likely pay dividends.

Good Selling,
Kevin