What's the best way to hire sales rep with pre-existing connections?

The classic answer is - it depends.

Someone with pre-existing connections could bring in a TON of cash for us.

You're combining two roles here...

Someone with connections who can refer you and get you meetings
Someone who is good at sales and closing deals

It may be easier to find each of those roles separately than in one person.

If that person does exist, then the best way to find them is by hiring from a competitor or other company selling to your target audience.

This can work really well, but you'll be putting that sales rep in the driving seat. You won't have the experience to make decisions about their performance. For example, are they underperforming as a salesperson, or is the opportunity just smaller than you expected? If you bring on a salesperson without having a working sales process in place, you'll never know.

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The classic answer is - it depends.

Someone with pre-existing connections could bring in a TON of cash for us.

You're combining two roles here...
1. Someone with connections who can refer you and get you meetings
2. Someone who is good at sales and closing deals
It may be easier to find each of those roles separately than in one person.

If that person does exist, then the best way to find them is by hiring from a competitor or other company selling to your target audience.

This can work really well, but you'll be putting that sales rep in the driving seat. You won't have the experience to make decisions about their performance. For example, are they underperforming as a salesperson, or is the opportunity just smaller than you expected? If you bring on a salesperson without having a working sales process in place, you'll never know.
louisswiss

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7 years ago
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