How To Identify, Recruit, And Train A Diverse Sales Team That Sells Your company’s hiring process must have key steps and criteria for hiring a sales team that will consistently maximize profit. They should be able to identify, recruit and train a diverse sales team that will push the business forward. For the last five years Amos Schwartzfarb has been the managing director at Techstars in Austin, Texas and is now running his fifth program for Techstars. In the mid 90s, prior to his job in Austin, Amos led an early-stage sales organization and just late last year, he published a book called Sell More Faster. Hiring the right people When hiring, Amos believes that many founders and CEOs often look for the characteristics they think a salesperson should have, even before they’re able to answer three important questions. He refers to them as W3: Who is your customer? This identifies the people who are actually buying your products, considering every detail. What is their title? What type of organization do they work for? What is that particular individual’s role? What are they buying from you? What are the exact products they are buying from you? Is it the product itself? The results of the service? Are they trying to create a margin of time? Why does the customer buy that from you? Why are they going to you instead of your competitor? What is it about your brand that causes your customer to choose you? The answers to these three main questions will help you define the profile of the sales people you want to hire. Your future team will have to have an understanding of these elements in order to connect with these customers. The natural salespeopleThere are some people who are born with the natural skills of connecting with prospects and closing with clients. Because it’s innate to them, they can’t articulate it to others. These natural salespeople tend to thrive in a company that looks at the W3. Once they have a clear understanding of their customer they are able to adjust as needed. Looking for the right customers This may sound easy but looking for the right customers can be hard work. What Amos tells his clients is to start with the narrowest and most specific definition of who their ideal customer is. While it’s okay to have a general idea, the more specific the better. It is this niche group that is typically going to purchase from you almost every time. When you identify the attributes of your target customer, it will also be easier for you to spot the potential customers who may still be on the peripheral. You can broaden your base by just replacing one attribute with another. Before you know, you see new potential clients. This can be a hard process but worth it if time and effort are applied. What you’re selling vs what they’re buying As a business owner and sales leader, you need to know the difference between what you sell and what someone is buying. Let’s take Google as an example. Google sells a lot of things including product, advertising, buying leads, and more. Not every customer needs every product or service. Customers purchase from Google based on the product they’re providing specifically for their needs. Amos realized there is a difference in, ‘what you do versus what do you do for me.’ Making that shift is what resonates for most people who are busy taking cold calls/warm calls. The detail is worth the attention. Why do they buy from you The reason a client buys from you may not be obvious to the buyer so you...

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