How to Hire the Best Sales Talent for Your Business
Finding exceptional sales talent is the difference between simply ticking over and growing your business and smashing targets. But, in a market that’s flooded with CVs, where do you even start?
At This is Prime, we specialise in helping businesses like yours hire top graduate sales talent. We don’t just send CVs. We handpick people with the potential to perform, grow, and stay.
What’s more, we also give our graduate candidates award-winning sales training as part of the process, so you know you’re getting the very best entry-level talent.
Whether you’re building a brand-new sales team or levelling up an existing one, here’s what it really takes to hire salespeople who’ll drive results, and how we can do the heavy lifting for you.
Why the Right Sales Hire Makes all the Difference
Sales is at the heart of any business – and one wrong hire can cost you in lost deals, wasted time, and underperformance. But it’s not just about avoiding bad hires. It’s about attracting talent that hits the ground running, brings energy to the team, and sticks around to grow with you.
Hiring top talent means:
- Shorter ramp-up times
- More consistent pipelines
- Long-term cultural boosts
It can even have an effect on your bottom line! An Oxford Economics study found that the average cost of a new hire on £25K a year can cost around £30,165. This includes recruitment costs and the loss of productivity, as well as the time to train them. When you make a bad hire, this cost isn’t recouped and you can end up at a loss.
This is where a specialist sales recruiter comes in! But, there are some things you should consider before sending out job descriptions.
Define What ‘Excellent’ Looks Like for You
Before starting the hiring process, you must have an understanding of what the ideal candidate looks like. Success in sales isn’t a one-size-fits-all.
This means building a profile of the sorts of traits, skills and previous experience make up your ideal hire. This becomes your benchmark and can help your recruiter understand what to look for.
Write a Job Description That Attracts the Right Talent
Before we ever post a role, we help our clients craft job descriptions that speak directly to what great candidates are looking for, without compromising clarity.
To read more about what makes a great job description, read our guide [HERE].
Some key things to consider for your sales job description are:
- Progression Paths: Salespeople are naturally driven by targets and progression, so tell them what’s on offer for their graft!
- Team Culture: Paint the picture of what working with you is like, beyond buzz-words like ‘supportive’ and ‘high-performing’.
- Earning Potential: Much like with progression, salespeople are money motivated. Be clear about base salaries and on target earnings upfront.
Hire for Attitude First, Experience Second
This is especially relevant in entry-level roles. This is likely the first or second corporate role a candidate has had, so they might not have everything you’d like on paper.
But, some of the best salespeople we have placed had no prior experience. What they did have was grit, resilience and hunger to learn. However, this means going beyond the CV to find:
Coachability – will they take feedback and run with it?
Drive – do they have the intrinsic motivation to power through the difficult parts of sales?
Curiosity – are they eager to learn about the world and people around them?
This is why, as part of the Prime Process, every candidate we speak to goes through 2 rounds of conversation with our consultants. This means we pick up what they miss on their CV and see their personalities firsthand.
Don’t Let Poor Candidate Experience Ruin a Good Hire
A great hiring process is time-consuming when you have other areas of a business to worry about. Top talent can also be very selective. So, if your process is slow, vague or lacks clarity, you’ll lose top talent to competitors who simply move faster.
That’s why we manage the candidate journey from end-to-end. From the first call to the final offer and any negotiations in-between. We handle every touchpoint, meaning you stay in control and your brand looks sharp.
Why Work with Sales Recruitment Specialists?
Because the best talent – whether fresh grads or seasoned professionals – aren’t just waiting on job boards. Top candidates are often:
- Already thriving in sales roles
- Moving up the career ladder
- Selective about their next move
But your time is precious! That’s why, at This is Prime, we have dedicated recruiters specialising in both graduate and executive level sales roles. That means whether you’re hiring your first SDR or looking for an experienced Business Development Manager, we know exactly where to find the right people.
Our team have networks across the sales market, including hidden talent pools you won’t reach on your own. This means your opportunity is being seen by the right people at the right time.
Working with us means:
- Faster hires with the right fit
- Higher retention with tailored matches
- Less risk because we know what great looks like at every level
Sales Training and Long Term Success
Hiring is just the start! Retention and performance in your sales team depends heavily on what happens after day one. Alongside one of our award-winning training days, Prime offers:
- The Prime Sales Academy: Built by our experienced in-house sales trainer, Steve Lowndes, this in-depth programme takes your new hires through everything they need to succeed. You also get face-to-face sessions, coaching and a whole host of resources.
- Bespoke Training: If your business is looking for something more specific, we also offer bespoke training programmes to fit your needs. Have a unique sales process? Dealing with specific challenges? This is the option for you.
How can Prime help?
At This is Prime, we’ve had our finger on the pulse of the sales industry for over a decade, placing candidates in some of the top sales teams across the UK.
In those 10 years, we’ve developed our very own Prime Process to perfectly match candidates with businesses.
From a rigorous screening process to our award-winning training and support, when you hire a Prime candidate, you’re getting the very best.
Ready to find your next sales superstar? Complete our contact form or email us at hello@thisisprime.co.uk – we’ll do the rest.
