Is it time to add a roofing sales professional to your business? Whether you’re an old pro at hiring salespeople or this will be your first sales hire, these tips will help you refine or develop a framework for finding the right salesperson for your roofing or construction company.
Envision your ideal salesperson.
It’s not enough to hire a person who happens to be “hungry” for business. You need a professional who will make sales and nurture referrals. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re limited to hiring a salesperson with decades of experience. For example, if you’re considering building a roofing salesperson from the ground up, look for a candidate who is coachable. Make a list of other potential qualities that will help your company grow—look for a team player attitude, decision-making abilities, goal-setting skills, etc.
Examine the job description carefully.
If you’re a busy roofing professional, it might seem like a time-saver to simply repost a sales job description you’ve used previously. Instead, Wendy Connick, in an article for the National Association of Sales Professionals, recommends carefully examining the job description before publicly posting it. Use that “ideal salesperson” vision you created earlier to develop an updated description that attracts qualified candidates.
Consider hiring with a probation period.
In a LinkedIn Pulse article, Mike Wicks, Co-President and Publisher at Blue Beetle Books Inc., says it’s a smart idea to consider placing new sales hires on a four- to six-month probation. This gives the salesperson an opportunity to dig into roofing products/services (like New Roof No Mess) and start generating consistent sales, and it offers you time to determine whether the new hire is what you need to build your business.
Establish consistent interview questions, including behavioral questions.
The most efficient way to compare roofing sales candidates is to use the same questions for each interviewee. And, since a sales job is a “people position,” be sure to ask behavior-related questions as well. You may not need to break out a formal, in-depth behavioral questionnaire, but asking at least a few of these questions can give you valuable insight into how a candidate would make decisions and interact in the field. Common behavioral questions for finding the right roofing salesperson include:
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- Tell me about a time you didn’t meet your sales goals.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor’s decision.
- Tell me about a time you needed to handle a difficult customer/client/co-worker.
- Sell me this pen [or any everyday item you happen to have on hand during the interview].
Make the most of your roofing company’s most valuable asset—its employees. Check out Roofing Employee Retention: Do’s and Don’ts and 4 Non-Manual Labor Skills to Look for When Hiring Roofing Employees.
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