Veterans or young guns – who do you need for a killer sales team?
Experience is the greatest of teachers, and often, the fee this teacher takes is the physical vitality of youth. The strength of youth and the wisdom of old never seem to overlap. It is this dichotomy that keeps many entrepreneurs wondering when it comes to hiring their sales team. Here are five pointers to consider before zeroing in on your sales team's average age:
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What is the nature of your business
You may be in a business that is solely catering to the youth, or you may be in a business that is catering to the old. There are businesses catering to people of all ages. If you have a clearly defined TG, you will, more often than not, be able to get the matching sales force. The changing nature of the world of trade and commerce requires sales people to quickly adapt to the fast-changing ways of doing business. Jill Rowley from Oracle says, “The modern sales professional doubles as an information concierge -- providing the right information to the right person at the right time in the right channel,” as stated by Salesforce. In this light, age becomes unimportant. If your sales team is hands-on with the world of technology, and the knowledge of selling in the digital era, you can rest assured that you have a good sales team.
“Today's inside sales teams must continue to take the lead on embracing and adopting the technology that will help advance the sales process and profession,” says, Bob Perkins, Founder of American Association of Inside Sales Professionals.
Business is not the whole of life
You're a human first. Sales manager, or designer, or entrepreneur are roles that we define for ourselves to stick to the disciplines of the business world in order to participate in and contribute to the economy. Likewise, consumers, too, are humans first. The fundamental reason for any business to exist is to make life a little better than what it was before. And for this reason, the wisdom of old becomes a must for any sales team.
American bestselling author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker in the fields of sales and marketing Tony Alessandra says, “Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.”
Experience with energy – the right mix
The experience of age may lack the energy of youth. And the energy of youth may not have all the experience. Getting experienced seniors in key positions of sales to train, guide, and nurture the young guns is an ideal arrangement for raising a dynamic sales force
Jill Konrath, Author of SNAP Selling considers salespeople to be business differentiators. Getting the right ones is the key to business success. Entrepreneurs need to take special care to motivate their sales team through incentives or shares. The health of the sales team reflects the health of your business.