If you want to build a standout remote sales team, start by hiring the right people. The expectations and demands of remote workers can vary considerably from those in on-premise roles. Employees who excel in remote positions typically have a differentiated set of traits and skills, so finding suitable candidates involves specific strategies for vetting.
At DANA Associates, we specialize in finding the best sales talent and building strong teams. We know what to look for in remote employees, where to search for candidates, and how to ensure your hires drive revenue for your business. Whether you are building a remote sales team from scratch or want to strengthen an existing team, these tips for hiring remote employees will help you achieve your goals.
Adopt a Specialized Strategy for Hiring Top-Performing Remote Employees
Why do some people thrive in remote positions while others struggle? Successful remote workers typically have highly developed skills that on-premise workers might lack. Essential skills such as:
- Time management: Remote workers are used to managing their own schedules. It’s part of their DNA. They have a better sense of how long planning and executing typically take, staying on top of their workload more consistently and avoiding being easily overwhelmed.
- Self-discipline: People who succeed in remote roles have far less need for a boss or manager to regularly look over their shoulders. Instead, they have developed a highly disciplined and independent work style.
- Stellar communication: Accomplished remote workers incorporate the most effective ways to communicate with their cross-functional teammates, understanding when, how much, and the type of information needed to keep moving forward smoothly.
- Focused and Self-motivated: Since remote employees are not managed and monitored throughout the workday, their laser-sharp focus coupled with an entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit are essential qualities for success.
- Flexible: Work demands can change at any minute. Employees who excel in remote roles are highly adept at shifting as changes in work demands require.
Distinguishing top-notch sales employees from the mainstream is crucial to hiring remote workers. An experienced recruiter knows how to uncover and gauge a candidate’s suitability for remote work, evaluating their personal and professional work habits, personality traits, skill set, and experience.
Define the Role and Expectations to Distill Top Candidates
Before you hire for a remote position, clearly define the role, responsibilities, and the overall expectations for the open position. Creating a candidate persona lets you spell out what you are looking for as well as have a common understanding with all those involved in the hiring process. Details to think about:
- Required educational background
- Career experience
- Required soft and hard skills
- Desired personality traits
- Mindset expectations
Looking beyond the candidate, clarify what the role is and what it entails, including what success looks like. Include these details in the job description:
- Main responsibilities
- To whom the role reports
- Goals and expectations for the role
- Your company’s environment, culture, and work style
- Required tools
- Knowledge requirements
When you entrust DANA to recruit for your open positions, you get the guidance and support you need to leverage and further improve your hiring strategies. We develop a comprehensive profile of the ideal candidate for your open role and only present you with candidates you can hire with confidence. We view every candidate as an individual. Not a number. This philosophy and our proven methodology enable us to find the best sales candidates to grow your business.
Know Where to Find the Best Remote Workers
You can create a job listing and post it to one online job board after another. However, this will not likely bring you the types of candidates you want. Think of it as using a general lure to catch any fish, when actually you want to catch a specific type. You might end up with a stack of resumes from people who are not qualified for the role in any way. You have to know where to find the best fish and how to reel them in. That means you need to connect with candidates who are not actively looking for a new career opportunity.
The best recruiters know where to look, how to network, and which markets to crack for the right candidates. Partnering with a recruitment agency that specializes in sales connects you to the most qualified candidates, best matched with your needs to drive your company’s growth.
At DANA, we put people first. Our recruitment process involves getting to know each candidate in-depth—the better we know our candidates, the better able we are to match them to the right position. We also invest time to thoroughly learn about our clients. We want to understand what makes your business unique to richly inform and direct our search for a candidate who will mesh well with your business environment and job expectations.
Offer Compelling Compensation and Employment Benefits
Once you know what your company needs, think about what your candidates might require. High-performing individuals naturally know their value and gravitate to positions that compensate well, offer strong benefits, and provide plenty of perks. Here are some examples of what candidates look for:
- Compensation and benefit plans: Ideally, the compensation package you offer your remote workers should align with salary expectations for the particular role. Being skimpy will turn off quality candidates, while an overly generous package will not benefit your company in the long run. Include relevant information about salary raises and bonuses, and define what benefits your workers can enjoy, such as equity/stock options, health and dental insurance, or a 401(k).
- Professional development and training programs: Highlight the non-financial perks of joining your remote team. Offering access to professional development and training programs helps you attract individuals who have a genuine interest in personal and professional growth. Growth-centric candidates are usually invested in helping their company scale and succeed.
- Personal and professional balance: Team members remain more committed to their roles when companies recognize opportunities for personal time such as flex-time for volunteering and appropriate paid time off. Work duties and personal responsibilities can blend together when working from home, making it essential to give workers the tools that help them be more fluid in their work and personal lives.
- Technology resources: Providing technology resources, such as computer equipment and software to streamline and improve workflow and boost productivity, goes a long way. Employees will feel more supported and appreciated in their roles, which can result in a lower turnover rate over time.
Our sales-specific expertise at DANA gives us an edge in assisting with creating compelling compensation packages. We are frequently called upon to advise and guide the development of specific compensation benefits that will successfully attract recruits and retain hires for the long-term.
Hire and Manage Your Remote Sales Team for Success
A rapidly scaling organization like yours requires your remote sales team to be on the same page from day one, meeting certain technical competencies and adopting effective communication techniques. To ensure your sales team operates efficiently and effectively, here are some actionable points to consider:
- Define what success looks like for remote employees: When building your long-term remote sales team, have each member set goals for what they want to achieve on the job. Every month or quarter, meet with them remotely to discuss progress and have everyone share tips or advice they have found to be helpful. Ensure your team has the tools and skill sets to achieve their goals, such as client relationship management (CRM) programs, sales-mapping software, or training programs.
- Build opportunities into the position for ongoing training and coaching: Using a recruiter with a comprehensive evaluation process means it will be easier for you to find committed employees who truly value a work environment in which to grow. By providing engaging training and learning development opportunities upfront, you will incentivize and motivate your team. These opportunities build loyalty, increase long-term success, and boost your company’s retention rates (and of course, productivity!)
- Promote teamwork and engagement to create connection: Clearly outline what you expect communication to look like among team members and which tools are best suited for the role at hand–phone calls, emails, instant messaging project software, or videoconferencing are all used in various ways to ensure team success. Solicit feedback and periodically assess effectiveness to ensure remote employees continue to benefit from the tools.
- Assess sales pipeline automations for updates that increase productivity: Managing productivity is vital for your sales team’s ongoing success. Time trackers help you gauge how productive your employees are, even at a distance. Project management systems and other collaborative platforms create and streamline cross-functional performance. Automating time-consuming processes, such as producing reports and prioritizing leads, can help your team accomplish more, allowing everyone to reach their goals.
Discover the DANA Difference When Hiring Remote Workers
When you hire a candidate, you do more than simply find a person to fill a vacant role. At DANA, we build cohesive on-site and remote sales teams to power your growth. Our proven methodology and 3:1 send out to hire ratio means we recruit sales candidates who make a difference. Schedule a call with us today and get ready to start hiring remote employees with unparalleled qualifications.
