GUIDE TO RECRUITMENT
How to recruit Sales Professionals in Italy
This guide is a collection of tips for selecting and recruiting sales professionals with suitable characteristics to help the company grow.
These tips result from our experience in the talent recruitment of Sales profiles and consider the transformations that have taken place in the world of sales in recent years.
Table of Contents
The characteristics of a valuable Sales Professional
Although the most valuable characteristics of a Salesperson depend on the role and the company in which they will be working, specific skills are always advantageous.
Core competencies
According to LinkedIn, 82 percent of the most successful Salespeople engage in extensive data analysis and research before approaching potential clients. So, some technical skills are undoubtedly desirable for those in sales.
Among the must-have hard skills is certainly familiarity with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, which, along with advanced use of spreadsheets or specialized analysis and reporting software, are crucial tools for collecting and processing critical data relevant to market and customer and for monitoring competitors.
Effectiveness in sales is further enhanced by the ability to use some now widespread digital tools:
– Automation tools, which automate the creation and management of e-mail, follow-up, and nurturing activities on a large number of potential or acquired customers.
– Video conferencing platforms are indispensable for remotely managing virtual meetings, presentations, and product demonstrations.
– Advanced research tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator facilitate identifying and contacting potential customers with whom to connect through social selling, an indispensable mode of approach to achieve results in lead generation through LinkedIn with marketing support.
In addition to these specific skills, knowledge of the relevant industry can result in a better and faster understanding of the characteristics of the products or services offered, helping to reduce time to work significantly. In some areas, such as plant engineering, a solid technical knowledge base is essential to negotiate and close sales successfully.
For managerial roles, an academic background also becomes essential, for example, in disciplines such as Economics, Marketing, or Business Administration, which provide the crucial skills for the position. Knowledge of English and other languages is essential for a Sales role in an international environment, within multinational companies, or for interactions with foreign markets.
Finally, additional skills such as social selling, digital skills, negotiation, leadership, and communication may be helpful.
The main roles in Sales career path
The definition of job titles and the description of responsibilities in the context of a sales career can vary greatly depending on the type of company, turnover, and the territory in which they operate.
In multinationals and large companies, the roles are clear and well-defined, while in small and medium enterprises, tasks may be described in various ways.
Let’s look at some of the main roles.
Salesperson
Acquires new customers for the company and manages the existing portfolio. This is the classic sales role, though today it is evolving. Omnichannel, now well widespread in retail, also extends to B2B. Sellers who conduct hybrid sales, i.e., online and offline, already make up more than 50% of the sales force in the financial services, energy, and materials sectors.
Sales Agent
They are sellers external to the company, not employees, who independently develop, acquire, and manage customer portfolios. They work for multiple client companies in the same sector, not in competition. Following an EU directive several years ago, sales agents can no longer work for a single company. This role has a very high travel time and significant organizational autonomy.
Inside Sales:
Inside Sales build relationships and remotely manage customer portfolios typically made up of small customers who do not justify an in-person visit due to the turnover generated. This role is bringing increasingly exciting results with the help of advanced analyses and digital tools that allow you to reach and penetrate previously neglected markets.
Sales Account Manager
They are responsible for managing customer relationships and the sales process within a company. The main activities may vary according to sectors; however, in general, they include:
- Acquisition of new customers
- Management of existing customer portfolio.
- Development of sales strategies: planning sales objectives, defining pricing strategies, and forecasting activities.
- Negotiation.
- Monitoring of Sales KPIs.
Key Account Manager / KAM
KAM is a typical profile of large companies and multinationals. This senior profile can manage and develop relationships with the company’s most important customers.
Sales Manager
They manage the results of sales and also some marketing. In large, complex companies, there may be several Sales Managers, one for each product line, business area, or market. Typically, they coordinate a team of Key Account Managers, and in larger companies, they are responsible for a more articulated, direct team of Key Account Managers, Area Managers, Sales Representatives, and an indirect team of Sales Agents and Distributors.
Sales Engineer
They acquire and manage customers by providing technical expertise and specific solutions for companies. This profile has technical and commercial skills, generally operating in the process industries, automation, plant engineering, and large projects.
Business Developer Manager
Business Developer Managers participate in the development and growth of the company by analyzing new markets and business opportunities in this context. They often develop a customer portfolio from scratch. The role of the Business Developer is linked to company development and usually refers to large companies.
Sales Area Manager
Sales Area Managers oversee a specific geographical area. They are responsible for the sales results for that area. They manage teams of salespeople employed by the company or networks of resellers, salespeople, and partners.
Export Area Manager
The Export Area Manager manages the sales results of large areas abroad, in foreign nations, or in groups of international geographical regions, such as EMEA.
Sales Director
Sales Director is a top role, responsible for all sales results and related analyses and strategies in all phases: research and development, pricing, forecasting, commercial, and channel strategy.
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How to evaluate soft skills
Some characteristics immediately come to mind when thinking of Sales Professionals. But which are the most valuable skills that can contribute to success in sales?
Among the primary skills, emotive intelligence leads to the capacity to establish relations with clients and potential clients, with the team and the stakeholders, keeping both personal motivation and the ability to transform challenges into opportunities high.
Today, multithreading, the capacity to build more relationships within the same client enterprise, has become an essential skill considering the high turnover of company staff. According to LinkedIn, 86% of sales professionals say they have lost or delayed the conclusion of a selling process because the decision-makers have changed.
The specific soft skills to evaluate during the recruitment process are:
- Communication skills, including the ability to listen and communicate clearly.
- Customer orientation, that is, the capacity to understand the needs and desires of a client.
- Goal orientation, which allows stay focused on the KPIs to set priorities and measure results.
Undoubtedly, the capacity to negotiate and the curiosity that allows continuous learning and updating are also vital.
For job roles in the managerial area, it is equally essential to possess leadership skills, a capacity to select, lead, and coach teams, as well as planning skills and the capacity to interpret the large amount of data that every company can collect nowadays, anticipating trends and reacting to the expectations of markets with agility.
McKinsey reports that agility, coordination, and inter-functional teamwork increase sales from 5 to 10%. Using behavioral science and data analysis techniques when forming sales teams brings an improvement in productivity from 10 to 20%.
Assessing candidates’ soft skills is not an easy task. Many details can be collected by watching candidates’ behavior and their answers to specific questions.
Here below are a few examples:
- Effective communication: Please tell us about a situation where you had to persuade an uncertain client. Which communication strategies did you use, and what was the result?
- Management of interpersonal relationships: Have you ever significantly disagreed with a client? How did you manage the situation, and which solution did you find?
- Lifelong learning: How do you keep yourself updated about new trends in your sector, and how do you apply this to your sales process?
- Leadership: Have you ever promoted an idea or project which was not popular? How did you get support from your colleagues or supervisors?
- Goal Orientation: Can you describe a sales goal you found particularly challenging and how you achieved it?
- Customer orientation: Please tell us about a situation in which you identified a customer need that he had not yet recognized.
The best way to investigate soft skills is to combine personal assessments with a specific assessment, which professional assessors then analyze as we do at Sales Line. An evaluation is advisable for critical roles in the company, especially those at the managerial level.
Three key questions to ask
In selecting sales professionals, assessing the candidates’ technical skills, soft skills, and career path is still insufficient.
There are three key points to investigate during the selection phase to avoid the most common mistakes and ensure you choose the right candidate.
Results
Motivation
Cultural Fit
What is the right salary?
Glassdoor reports some data on average salaries in Italy:
- A salesperson in Italy earns, on average, from 35 thousand to 48 thousand euros annually.
- The average salary as a Sales Representative is 40,993 euros per year, and the average additional remuneration is 7,734 euros.
- A Key Account Manager earns 50 thousand euros annually; a Sales Area Manager can reach 56 thousand euros annually; and a Sales Director, on average, earns 90 thousand euros annually.
In our experience, however, significant differences exist in areas throughout Northern Italy and metropolitan regions. For example, a Key Account Manager can reach up to 65 thousand euros, based on their experience and the sector, in addition to incentives varying from 10% to 35%. The Sales Director in a small-medium enterprise starts at 90 thousand euros. In more structured companies, they can exceed 140 thousand euros, in addition to an MBO and company benefits.
Sales Agents, however, deserve a separate note. This profession is in decline because there is no longer the desire, especially among young people, to start the Enasarco mandatory social security position with high contribution costs.
Furthermore, although there has been an EEC directive for years prohibiting single-mandates (single-client companies), this practice is prevalent among small businesses. For this reason, we suggest hiring a young salesperson to be trained with a basic initial salary and a sound incentive system.
Start now the selection of valuable candidates
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