Hiring Sales People – Why Place SO Much Value On Industry Experience?

Companies looking to expand their sales force often consider “industry experience” as a must-have for their candidates; a smart business would quickly eliminate this practice, and place more value on the quality of the salesperson and their history in selling.

A great salesperson is great regardless of the industry!  Any savvy professional in sales should agree that performance history, adaptability, comfort, confidence, and passion are infinitely more valuable qualities and skills than years of experience in any particular niche. Making sure that your next sales hire can demonstrate sales core competencies leaves them open and available to focus their energy on learning about your company, business, and products.  A person who already understands the science of sales and the ability to relate with your potential clients will definitely be trainable in your particular market, and educating that person will be incalculably less expensive than hiring another sales dud who already has spent 10 years in your field.

Industry Experience is not nearly as valuable as salesmanship and a proven history of sales.

In the ever-changing world that we live in, it would be wise to focus on those that already know today’s sales/marketing scene, and have the know-how to continuously evolve with the market around them.  Finding sales stars can make any business grow tremendously, and a real sales all-star will always shine no matter what they are selling.  Next time you are looking to grow your sales force, don’t limit yourself to people who have been in your field of business.

Ultimately, it should be infinitely more cost effective and fun to train somebody in your market, products, and services, than teaching them about selling.  You absolutely can hire great salespeople, and the first step is changing your approach.  The science of sales is proven to work, so leave the selling to the sales force and make yourself more available to continue making the best business you can.