Lately, I have been hearing from sales companies that until revenues improve, there is a hold on all existing and new investments – including Talent Selection.
By the way, they say the economy and competition are to blame. Why? Because no one can really control what the economy does nor the competition. It is politically correct to blame the economy and the competition.
Let's get real… A company cannot blame what they cannot control. The blame should be on those who generate the revenue, the sales team. The focus should ultimately be on what the company can control and that is the ability / desire of existing sales people to sell.
Not every human being can sell effectively. Some people are "wired" to sell – to cold call, convince, and ask for the order. Others are not.
Therefore, leaders need to proactively hire and retain the best sales talent possible regardless of what the economy is doing because they cannot control the economy. However, they can control their sales talent.
Who you hire to sell for you is one of the most important strategic decisions you can make. Never sacrifice this investment – regardless of how badly the economy is disrupting or reducing your sales.
