Question

Topic: Career/Training

Wanting To Build A Sales Team

Posted by Anonymous on 4/20/2006 at 2:35 PM ET 250 Points
I was recently promoted from sales person to sales manager at a small mobile home resale brokerage. They knew I didn't have much management experience and said they would work with me.

Since I've been here there has never been more than a handful of agents and recently every one of them left to work for a competitor.

I'm trying to build a team and I've placed ads in the local newspaper but I'm not getting a lot of response and those who did response left a lot to be desired.

The position is straight commission with no other benefits or compensation. The agent gets 25% of the full commission earned. I don't think this is a problem because that is pretty common I'm told.

What advice would you give on how to find sales people for this position? For instance, where should I look or advertise?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 4/21/2006 at 3:05 AM Member
    Hi,

    Whatever is common in the benefits and whatever they tell you, ...investigate yourself.
    Small extras often do the trick for the sales people to come to your company instead of the other.
    And try to find out why the sales team you had left for the competition?
    Can they learn from you?
    Is it something in your company that made them leave?
    Often people leave because of another person or manager.
    So, check with other companies (you could call as a reply on an advert of a competitor and profile yourself as a possible candidate...) then ask questions about benefits and package/work etc.
    I'm 100% sure you will find out different then what they told you.

    Regards,
    W
  • Posted by telemoxie on 4/21/2006 at 7:36 AM Member
    Great advice above... certainly we can offer some direction, but there is much more to sales and sales management than we can teach you on this forum. I would encourage you to buy and read a series of books on sales and sales management. (Do the reading on your own time of course). This will show your company you are serious about learning, and will most almost certainly result in increased confidence, effectiveness, and income for you.
  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 4/22/2006 at 4:15 PM Member
    a couple more words...
    A good sales manager is always on the lookout for talent. Everyday, everywhere you go your are looking for people who make less money than you can afford to pay with strong sales skills.

    A good sales manager gets rid of the people who are negative influences on the team in general

    A good sales manager defines the critical processes required to make a sale and then figures out a way to measure daily actions that drive toward final results..

    A final word... Many many good people are scared to death of the 100% commission thing. Find a good way to explain the flow business to a potential prospect.
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