The Search for Collection Sales People

“Can you help us identify and evaluate top performing sales people?” Recently, as recruiters specializing in the credit and collections industry, we have been hearing this question over and over again. Why in this growing industry are these professionals so few and far between?

Most companies that we deal with even offer virtual situations where top sales executives do not have to relocate. However, given this, and impressive salaries, this missing breed is not looking to budge from their safe situation. In some cases, non-competes hinder the availability of top performers. Further complicating the situation is the fact that sales people have an aversion to the ramp up time at a new company. Can I produce and show my worth to a new company in a short period of time? Will my new employer be patient enough while I acclimate to my new surroundings enabling me to regain sales momentum?

But the question at hand still remains, why is the sourcing of sales candidates so difficult? Often we come across a salesperson who is dissatisfied with the fulfillment or commission plan at there company. Sometimes, even with this, salespeople do not want to leave a comfortable situation with a “big name company” even if there is a potentially better opportunity elsewhere. They are fearful to leave the “status” company name and companies seeking new talent often ask, why does he/she want to leave there? We are all gun shy to making a move. Let me ask you a question. If I presented you with a talented sales person, someone who produced millions in revenue for their previous employer, could you afford not to hire them? The answer is no. That’s why the industry’s best sales people are never looking for work and must be proactively recruited!

Perhaps the companies searching for additions to their sales team are not making attractive enough offers to entice a “player” to come over to their team.

With all of this in mind there is still hope. Evaluating the following processes might help you land the talented sales person:

• Network with other agencies in the industry. They might be the competition, but you never know what information or people you can source.

   

• Offer competitive salaries and bonus potential to a star candidate.

   

• Have realistic expectations, unfortunately the collections sales cycle is longer than most other sales cycles.

   

• Compare your collection results to other collection agencies. Can you show a salesperson that they would earn more commissions working for you because of your fulfillment?

   

• Retain the assistance of an experienced industry related recruiter. This is an efficient way of letting a professional do your research and networking for you. In addition to this you can be provided with compensation plan analysis to keep your offers competitive.

For those agencies out there who have been successful in retaining a great salesperson, congratulations. For those who are still on the hunt, help is available to bring on your new “client magnet” to drum in business.

Susan Burden is a Vice President at Executive Alliance. Executive Alliance, an international recruitment firm, is the leading provider of human capital (recruiting) services to the Credit, Collections and Call Center Management industries. Our clients-major financial institutions, telecommunications companies, utilities and service organizations-have chosen to partner with Executive Alliance because of our proven ability to attract, identify and recruit exceptional talent. Additionally, clients and candidates alike can expect the highest level of industry knowledge, customer service and ethical conduct. Executive Alliance is the exclusive staffing partner of insideARM.com.