How To Hire A Great Business Development Representative

Finding sales people is not difficult, finding great sales people is.

No matter the market, the competition for great sales talent is always high, and there is a good reason for that. Let's say you've had a role open for 3 weeks and you have received a decent amount of applications, and spoken to about 15 candidates but none have shown what is one of the most important foundations of a great BDR : GRIT.

Why is Grit/Motivation important? BDR's deal with a lot of rejections, as well as carry the important task of generating the pipeline that your quota carrying reps need. Without grit - a BDR will quickly become frustrated at the first objections, and not be able to improve their craft.

So with a BDR carrying a lot of responsibility at the top of the funnel and health of your business, how do you hire/ differentiate between a person that likes to "talk to people" vs someone who is truly passionate and can become successful in the long-run.

Notice I said, can become - the reason is that a great BDR is made, not born. The important thing when looking to hire BDR's is to remember that they usually have 1-2 years experience maximum, if any experience at all. Therefore, we need to look for certain attributes that will help them succeed into becoming a great BDR.

Here are a few things you can look out for when searching for your next BDR hire:

• Look for people that are hungry/motivated to succeed: Motivation is one of the biggest things to look for in someone because we need to understand what drives them. Sales is stressful, high paced, with deadlines - so understanding what gets this person out of bed each morning is important.

• Communication: You need someone who can communicate effectively with their prospects. Good communication skills include someone who is able to listen effectively and connect with your future customers. If a candidates is unable to listen and interrupts during the interview process, then they probably aren't great communicators which is key for success in sales.

• Competitiveness: Competition on the sales floor is healthy, it keeps sales reps engaged and always wanting to push themselves a bit more. A candidate who has a competitive nature, will strive to keep improving and will never become complacent. A good question to ask when looking for this would be: If you started at the same time with four other colleagues, where would you be in the leaderboard after three months and why?

• Coachability: You want to find people that are open to feedback, looking to grow and improve their craft. If you have someone that is competitive and hungry to succeed, but not coachable, this person will not grow into a great BDR. Not only that, but they will not be good for the overall sales team, or make a great partner to your quota carrying reps.

• Organisation: Lead generation is high-paced, stressful, and you need someone who can handle multiple accounts at once without forgetting about a warm-lead, or an appointment they need to book. A BDR needs to know how to manage their schedule, set priorities and streamline their work.

• Growth Mindset: Here we come back to what I pointed out earlier, a good BDR is made, not born. Therefore, you need someone who is eager to learn from others, who will ask questions, be curious, and always looking to improve their craft.

These are a few of the attributes that someone should have when looking to embark on a sales career and starting as a Business Development Rep.

If you are looking to expand your sales team get in touch hello@optimyze1.com