Q4 is here and there’s much to navigate as we close the year. When many priorities are competing for your precious attention and energy, it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. If your business is actively recruiting and workforce planning, the key is to find white space to pause the noise and gain strategic focus.
At Digital Knack, we see it all: the successes and the pitfalls of workforce planning and recruitment. We know how hard it can be to hire precisely and proactively in startups; the resource restraints, minimal infrastructure and competing priorities can make it feel like building an airplane while in flight.
That’s where we come in: We help companies hire high-impact talent.
The tech sector’s major course correcting and workforce restructuring is very much still with us. With a focus on better margins, greater efficiency, and repeatable results, companies want sustainable growth and a high-impact sales org. If your organization is planning to expand its sales force in Q4 or is currently rethinking its workforce strategy, this resource can offer valuable insights to support your hiring efforts.
In our work with clients, we start with why the hiring need exists and what will define success post-hire. No one-size-fits all advice sticks universally, but focusing on the problems you want people to solve and outcomes you want to see will inevitably sharpen your own hiring plans and strategies. Stay focused on why you are hiring, and stay curious about the abilities and motivations your hires need in order to succeed.
There’s a lot to consider. Start here:
- What specific problems are you trying to solve with your hiring?
- What business outcomes and solutions will they deliver?
Once you have those key factors, consider these additional elements:
- 🏃Velocity, the speed at which this hire must hit key milestones
- ✔️Precision, accuracy in qualifying leads and uncovering their key pain points
- 🥇Influence, how compellingly this hire speaks to target buyers
- 💰Buyer Journey, how prospects enter, engage and convert in your sales process
Think about your average deal size, sales cycle, number of purchasing stakeholders, sales infrastructure and performance management. Take your sales structure, training and tools into account — what must they know already, and what can they learn on the job? Consider who has the ability and motivation to succeed. Recruit, evaluate and hire accordingly.
Set standards and stats to measure sales talent against.
With industry benchmarks and your own sales data easily accessible, you can assemble sound metrics against which you can evaluate sales talent. Consider how each candidate aligns with your company based on the four pillars above.
As for what not to do: Don’t just measure everything you can get your hands on. Identify which metrics of success matter most for your priorities
Consider the timing and nuances of your sales hiring:
- Given your GTM strategy ahead, are there certain verticals or regions to prioritize?
- What challenges should energize your future sales team – and why?
- Where do you need proven impact and where can proof of potential suffice?
- How are you scaling RevOps and Marketing in line with Sales?
- Do you have a ratio for SDR/BDR teams versus account executives?
- What are the traits of your ideal customer persona, and how does that shape your ideal candidate persona?
- For top sellers with commission payouts ahead, do you plan to alleviate that with a sign-on, or mitigate the loss by securing start dates post-payout?
In sum, your company is unique, and your sales talent should uniquely align. The considerations and prompts above are meant to shine a light towards why you are hiring, and how best to spot your Ideal Candidate Persona. Year after year, it becomes more clear: companies who stay sharp around their purpose, goals, talent gaps and target outcomes build better revenue teams and maintain higher sales retention rates. So make sure you carve out time to thoroughly consider the destination you’re steering the ship toward, before you cast off into the unpredictable sea of hiring.
