Many companies in the dynamic and competitive world of polymers, coatings, and plastics face common challenges in their sales efforts. Two significant pain points often stand out:
- Stalled market share growth despite ongoing sales activities
- Salespeople struggling to generate new-new business (new customers)
These issues can severely hamper a company’s progress and market position.
To address these challenges effectively, it’s crucial to hire the right sales talent. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the key considerations for recruiting top-performing salespeople in this part of the specialty chemicals industry. With these insights, you’ll be better equipped to build a sales team that drives growth, expands market share, and propels your company forward.
Roles
When hiring for sales in the polymers, coatings, and plastics sector, several key role types are typical:
- Sales Hunters – specialize in acquiring new business, whether by product line, market or geography
- Account Managers – handle mainly existing accounts (farmers)
- Regional Sales – geographic segmentation with a mix of new and existing business within their territory
Understanding Role Differences
Each role has unique requirements and contributes differently to your overall sales strategy. For instance, a Sales Hunter might excel at opening new accounts and penetrating new markets, while a Regional Sales professional might have deep knowledge of local markets and strong relationships with key players in a specific area.
Understanding the nuances of each role is crucial for making the right hiring decisions.
Purpose of the Hire: Discovery Phase
Before you dive into the hiring process, it’s essential to clearly define your sales goals and align the business purpose with your hiring decision. This discovery phase will help you align your recruitment efforts with your company’s broader objectives.
Market Development vs. Market Share
First, consider whether you focus on new Market Development or existing Market Share expansion. New Market Development requires strategic skills to move into new market spaces or industries. This might involve identifying new applications for your products or targeting entirely new customer segments, and require more of a conceptual and analytical skillset. On the other hand, if you’re looking to expand your market share within an existing niche, you’ll need salespeople who understand how you already serve your current market, and have valuable relationships within that space.
Sales Force Segmentation
Next, think about how you segment your sales force. Do you divide responsibilities by geographical region, application type, or another factor? This segmentation will significantly impact the type of salesperson you need to hire. Some sales professionals are more comfortable selling in a local or defined territory, while others thrive on national or international sales challenges.
Order Fulfillment Capacity
It’s also crucial to consider your company’s capacity to fulfill orders. If production or logistics can’t handle the increased volume of orders from a strong sales effort, sales people will become frustrated – especially when the problem cuts into their commission. The potential benefits of hiring a top salesperson are quickly lost, and it does happen.
Technical Sales Considerations
For companies dealing with technical sales, it’s important to consider how you coordinate a potential sale while working with your lab or R&D team. You’ll need to ensure that your salespeople don’t promise things to customers that your lab cannot deliver. Establish a clear process for qualifying new sales requests’ viability and ensure your lab has the bandwidth to handle these new demands.
Sales Life Cycle
Finally, consider the sales life cycle in your company. Who supports sales before, during, and after the sale? Does the salesperson remain the primary point of contact, or do they hand off to someone else in the company at some point? Understanding where your salesperson should be spending their time to be most effective will help you hire the right person for your specific needs. For example, hiring a strong sales hunter and then expecting them to manage a high level of post-sales support is not the best use of their time and will diminish their results.
Impact of the New Hire: Goals
When hiring new sales talent, it’s crucial to consider the broader impact on your organization. This isn’t just about meeting a monetary sales goal; it’s about how this new team member will contribute to your company’s overall success and culture.
Alignment with Company Vision
Consider how this hire aligns with your company’s business plan, vision, and mission. A great salesperson should bring in revenue and help move your company closer to its long-term goals. For example, if your vision includes becoming a leader in sustainability, you’ll want to hire someone who shares that perspective and can effectively and persuasively communicate the value prop of your eco-friendly products.
Cultural Fit
Another crucial factor is the impact on company culture and values. Salespeople serve as the face of your company, representing your brand in face-to-face interactions with customers. Does the candidate you’re considering project your company’s values? Whether you position yourself as a low-cost provider, a white-glove service company, a market leader, or an up-and-coming innovator, your sales team should embody these qualities in their approach and interactions.
Motivation Factors
Understanding what motivates good salespeople is also key to making a successful hire. While financial incentives are certainly important – and many salespeople are indeed motivated by money – other factors play a role, too. These can include:
- The thrill of the chase and closing deals
- The satisfaction of helping customers solve problems
- The assurance that the company is providing them with the tools they need to succeed
Compensation Structure
This leads us to the important topic of compensation. How you structure your sales compensation can have a significant impact on performance and retention. Compensation should reflect the value that the salesperson brings to the company, and directly align with the specific goals you have set. Be wary of imposing caps on bonuses or commissions, as these can demotivate high performers. Instead, incentives should be created that reward great selling ability without limits.
Consider also rewarding salespeople for maintaining and growing existing customer relationships, or for introducing new products. Long-term customer relationships can be just as valuable as new accounts, if not more so, and ensuring that new products get to market is the lifeblood of your company’s future. Aligning sales compensation to incent the desired actions is essential to success.
Skills
Several key skills and attributes should be considered when evaluating potential sales hires for your plastics, coatings, or polymers business.
Technical Competency vs. Sales Skills
First, consider the balance between specialized technical competency and sales skills. The importance of technical knowledge can vary depending on how well your technical support team functions during and after the sales process. However, all salespeople in this industry will need to be trained on your specific products. They should be able to adapt to different buyer personas and effectively communicate the technical features of your products or services.
Traits of a Good Sales Hunter
A good sales hunter – someone who excels at finding and closing new business – possesses a unique set of traits:
- Curiosity: Always seeking to understand potential clients and their needs
- Resilience: Ability to face rejection regularly
- Organizational skills: Effective management of their sales pipeline
- Exceptional relationship or social skills: Ability to connect with a wide range of people
- Trustworthiness and credibility: Essential for building lasting relationships with clients
- Analytical skills: Help them identify the right prospects and understand complex buying processes
Sales hunters must be self-motivated to pursue new opportunities constantly. They should be creative in finding ways to connect with people, through trade shows, conferences, social media, industry associations, in-person or virtually.
Understanding Different Sales Roles
It’s also helpful to understand the differences between various sales-related roles:
- Sales Hunter: Focuses on closing new business
- Market Development: Explores and enters new markets
- Business Development: Opens the door to develop strategic relationships within a researched market
- Account Management: Maintains relationships and generates business from existing clients
Also, which part of the sales process they will spend their time on: for example, do you provide leads or will they need to prospect? This is very time consuming and will reduce the number of in-person visits. When hiring, consider which part of the sales process you want your new salesperson to focus on. The answer to this question will significantly influence your decision.
Tools for Success
Equipping your sales team with the right tools can significantly enhance their performance. Several types of tools can be particularly helpful in the plastics, coatings, and polymers industry.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
A robust CRM system is often at the core of a successful sales operation. CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, or industry-specific solutions can help your sales team:
- Keep track of leads
- Manage their pipeline
- Maintain detailed records of customer interactions
A CRM can boost productivity, improve forecasting accuracy, and enhance the customer experience when implemented correctly.
Industry Reports and Databases
Access to industry reports and databases can also be invaluable. These resources can provide your sales team with up-to-date information on market trends, competitive intelligence, and potential leads. If you are looking for someone to prospect, this is essential.
Sales Pipeline Management Tools
Sales pipeline management tools, which may be part of your CRM or stand-alone solutions, can help your team visualize their sales process, identify bottlenecks, and prioritize their efforts.
Considerations When Implementing Tools
Remember that tools should help your salespeople, not burden them. When implementing new tools:
- Ensure that they genuinely add value
- Provide thorough training and ongoing support
- Consider a candidate’s familiarity with sales tools when hiring
Sales Hiring FAQs
When interviewing a salesperson, how do you overcome their tendency to sell their skills and determine what they can actually offer?
To get past a salesperson’s natural tendency to sell themselves and uncover their true capabilities, try these strategies:
Ask for specific, detailed examples of past experiences
Request actual descriptions of sales situations
Avoid hypothetical questions – ask direct
Look for specificity in their answers
Consider role-playing exercises
Ask about failures and learning experiences
By following these strategies, you can cut through the sales pitch and gain a clearer picture of what a candidate can truly offer your organization.
A Great Hire is Strategically Planned
Hiring top sales talent in the plastics, coatings, and polymers industry is a critical task that can significantly impact your company’s success. By carefully considering the role you’re hiring for, aligning the hire with your company’s goals and culture, looking for the right mix of skills and attributes, and equipping your team with the right tools, you can build a sales force that drives growth and success.
Remember, the right sales hire is an investment in your company’s future. Take the time to thoroughly evaluate candidates, not just for their sales skills, but for their fit with your company’s values and long-term objectives. With the right approach, you can build a sales team that not only meets targets but also contributes to your company’s broader success in its niche in the competitive world of specialty chemicals.
