Owner Looking for Commission Sales Rep: Where do I find one? This is a common question I see from "Doer" business owners.
If you see yourself as the Creative of your one-person organization, it can be a challenge to also view yourself as the sales team.
Then your mind starts wondering, "What if..." and you begin collecting the magical checks delivered by a business development genie.
Yes, you find yourself so busy doing the fulfillment work that you daydream what a commission sales rep would do for you.
This is a mistake.
Three barriers stand in your way.
You're Misjudging Your Time
First, you are making a serious misjudgment of your own time.
If you truly cannot spare any time for sales & marketing activities--the lifeblood of your business--then you do not have any time for additional fulfillment. Meaning you can't really take on more projects.
Hiring a salesperson to bring you more work you don't actually have time to do is one of the many recipes for business disaster.
Most Creatives aren't great analytical project managers in the first place; otherwise, they likely wouldn't be creative. Piling more work on top will lead to missed deadlines, upset clients, and worn-out talent.
Finding Good Commission Sales Reps Today Is Next To Impossible
Second, it won't be easy to find someone to work on commission. Truly able commission-based salespeople know they are a) in demand, and b) capable of setting their own price.
So why should they work for you? They're going to go to where making sales is like shooting fish in a barrel. Not where they have to struggle to survive.
I have set up commission-based sales agencies for consulting firms.
Prior to 2011 it wasn't too difficult to find people willing to give it a try...but these were mostly unskilled phone sales reps, and not the experts you're looking for.
Since that time, though, even firms I have hired who supposedly specialize in finding commission sales candidates were unable to fill the bill.
You're Looking In the Wrong Direction
Third, you cannot afford a salesperson yet.
If you can't afford a salary, and I'm talking 9-12 months' salary while your first inside salesperson "figures it out", you're not ready to have someone in that role.
Hire inside first, where you can keep an eye on them, and have them transition to outside and higher pay later. Most business owners get this completely bass-ackwards and it never turns out well that way.
What An Owner Looking for Commission Sales Rep Truly Needs
In my experience & opinion, if you're in this position you should not be looking for a salesperson at this time.
What you need is an automated funnel that brings you opportunities. And for that you will need focused, paid traffic.
YOU ARE THE SALES TEAM.
Accept it. Embrace it.
No one will ever care about your business as much as you do, and now is not the time to risk everything on an unproven salesperson with zero stake in your success.
The idea that a magic salesperson will, like the genie, serve you up wins, is compelling. But it is not reality.
So What Should A Solo Owner Looking for Commission Sales Rep Do?
Build yourself the solid foundation of a lead generating and qualifying funnel, so you only talk to a steady stream of people who are ready to buy.
That's how to use your time and resources effectively to bring you more business at this stage in your company's development.
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