Why you should work with a recruiter to hire your first Head of Sales

When a company is ready to bring on their first Head of Sales, there is usually significant urgency behind finding the right talent. When transitioning from a founder-driven sales approach, finding the right leader can feel daunting and nerve-wracking. You are looking for someone to believe in your product and/or service as much as you do. Someone who really understands your audience and value proposition and can sell with the same passion. It is an incredibly critical role that, if filled with the wrong person, can have a deeply negative impact on revenue and growth. When you add in the complexity of today’s market, it becomes even more of a challenge. 

Did you know… the majority of the best sales professionals are already employed? If you are relying on applicants alone, you are going to be spending a lot of time going through resumes that don’t align with the skills needed and talking to folks that may be out of compensation range and/or not the right energy for your organization. If you are a Founder or in a C-level position, recruiting is likely not a part of your job description. So why not partner with a specialized team of recruiters who will take this workload off your plate and get you the talent you need!

More Efficient Recruitment Process 

When you rely on a job posting alone, you are giving yourself several limitations, perhaps the title isn’t eye-catching or maybe you are missing key selling points that would attract passive candidates. 

Sales Recruiters have access to a wide network of sales professionals not only through their outbound efforts of proactive recruiting, but also from client/candidate referrals and their involvement in external networking organizations. They do the work of connecting with candidates and identifying ones who aren’t a fit, providing you only with a targeted slate of highly qualified professionals. Talk about saving time! 

Market Insights 

A recruiting agency that specializes in hiring for sales jobs knows what your competition looks like and how to make your organization stand out. They are able to provide salary/compensation trends, how fast the market is moving and what candidates are expecting from their employers regarding benefits & perks. If you haven’t hired a Sales leader before, you may not realize that your position’s OTE (On Target Earnings) is not competitive. All of this knowledge will be incredibly advantageous in helping you to attract and hire top talent. 

Reduced Time to Hire

The time to fill a role can vary by industry, role specialty and level; however most positions average between 28-35 days from posting to acceptance. This of course can take much longer in today’s market and when you factor in nuances that you may be looking for. They know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to what an interview process should look like. The longer a role sits vacant, the more costly it can become. Their role isn’t to rush or push anything along rather provide guidance on efficiencies and feedback on what might provide a better candidate experience. They also keep the pipeline full for you, so when a candidate suddenly pulls out from a process or accepts another job (as we see so often), you have additional candidates to continue the process with. 

External Advocate

The sales market is HOT right now. Candidates are receiving multiple offers and having to make difficult decisions at a rapid pace. When you have an external sales recruiter in your corner, you have someone that is continuing to sell your opportunity and keep the candidate engaged and excited throughout the process. 

You may be wondering if you want to spend the money on working with an external recruiter, but remember, if no one is selling your product, your revenue is already being impacted. 

If you are interested in learning more about our Sales recruiting capabilities, we would love to talk you through the process!

We know good talent when we see it.

When we say, “Ultimate Connectors,” we mean the best at the talent acquisition game. We’ve built a strong network of top sales and marketing professionals to keep your brand intact and your sales goals exceeding. We’ve placed copywriters and marketing managers to customer success representatives and business development directors.

Our expertise extends across industries, and verticals, with a broad network of professionals at all levels. Whatever your talent needs, we deliver a solution in a way that best fits your unique organization.