Webinar: Recruiting Self-employed

Sales Agents: Key Interview

Questions & Etiquette

Founders

Laura McGregor

Co-Founder

Product Development,

Visionary/Architect, Project

Manager, Marketer

LinkedIn

Ryan Mattock

Co-Founder

Content Creator, Customer

Development/Support,

Marketer, Growth Hacker

LinkedIn

Alistair Robinson

Co-Founder

Lead Developer, Sys

admin, Toolsmith,

Designer

LinkedIn

AGENDA

• How to narrow your search to ensure you’re talking to the right

kinds of agents

• Common etiquette that self-employed sales agents expect

Presenting your company to freelance sales agents so they buy

into not only what you do, but why you do it

• Key interview questions that you are likely to be asked

• Key interview questions that you should ask any potential agent

• Guidance on how to assess if the agent would make a valuable,

profitable partner to your business

The Solution

A lot of companies today are underperforming heavily because they can’t find the right salespeople, and

find it too difficult to manage a remote sales team. It’s an enormous problem, because having the right

salespeople with the right product to sell can easily mean the difference between success and failure as a

business. CommissionCrowd instantly connects businesses to self-driven commissioned sales experts

around the world, and provides a convenient platform for managing and communicating with them. It

makes remote sales relationships easier than hiring an in-house staff.

The Solution

Connect – Attract the best, expand and grow

your business

Manage – Save time, resource & money

Collaborate - Eradicateconfusion, save time &

sanity

Sell More - Better processes,

opportunities & relationships

View All Features Here

Watch Now To Learn More

Early access lifetime VIP founding

membershipCommissionCrowd has to potential to completely revolutionize the

way companies operate and professional commission-only

salespeople earn a living. Although we don’t officially launch for a

few more months, we’re offering the opportunity for those who are

serious about changing their businesses with exclusive early-access

lifetime VIP founding membership. If you take advantage of this

opportunity now and your application is approved, you’ll only pay a

one-time joining fee of £299 (approx.$495 USD) and will never have

to pay the monthly fee of £75-225 when we launch to the general

public.

If approved you will gain access to the immediate benefits of

membership before we launch in April:

• Help structuring your opportunity in a way that will stand out and

be highly attractive to sales agents looking for new opportunities

in your industry

• Training that will help you navigate the ins and out of what it

takes to build successful long term relationships with your sales

agents

• Early exposure to the sales agents on our list through our

newsletters, blog and social media. Extended exposure through

press opportunities and syndication testing to job aggregator

sites

Why It’s So Important To Narrow Your Search

Being able to segment your search based upon specific criteria is critical

• You want to ensure you end up working with the best possible sales agents

• You want to reach the most suitable agents quickly and ahead of your competitors

• You want long and very successful working relationships

• To reduce churn, save time, money and sanity

Don’t be afraid of losing a potential sales agent if it turns out you are not suited to

working together. Working together for the sake of working together can cost both the

company and sales agent time, lost sales and potentially even reputation in the long

run

Things to consider:

Level of sales experience in relation to the type of product you sell and the length of the sales

cycle

• Is a newly self employed sales agent with a background in telesales going to be able to succeed

selling a highly technical product with a long sales cycle to a C-Level Exec?

Industry experience

• Does the sales agent have prior experience within your particular industry? Will they ‘get’ what you

do? Will they understand the types of people they will have to sell to?

Type of sales style

• Will a sales agent that has been trained in the ‘hard sell’ be able to sell a product that needs to be

sold on a consultative basis?

Territory

• Can the sales agent work remotely and conduct most of their business over the phone/online? Or, will

they need to live/work in a certain proximity to your company/clients?

Functional Skills

• Those “know how” skills that are necessary to perform tasks that are routine. i.e. Powerpoint

presentation, accessing and sending email

Product knowledge

• Just how important is product knowledge? Does a communication sales rep need to know what

reports a call center system is capable of generating? Does a cabinet sales person have to know

how a compound joint is fastened? The depth and breadth of product knowledge required is really

driven by how your customers make buying decisions.

Leadership skills

• This is the most overlooked line of interview questions, yet this competency is the primary driver of

the sales person’s success. Just because a sales rep does not have direct reports does not mean

they do not need leadership skills. Self leadership is the fuel that drives the sales person to utilize all

those functional skills. These are the “soft” skills that are more difficult to train. Entrepreneurial drive,

impact & influence, self-confidence, effective communication and identifying the needs of the prospect

come to mind.

Common Etiquette

Not an interview in the traditional sense

• The sales agent will want to interview you about your company just as much

as you want to interview them

• They are not and will never be your employee. They should be treated in the

same way you would treat any other business owner

• The interview should always be approached and conducted on equal terms

• You should try and sell your company/opportunity just as much as they will try

and sell themselves

What’s Your Why?

• Money is merely a by-product of success

• They can’t sell a product/service they don’t believe in

• They can’t sell effectively for a company who’s vision and goals they don’t share

• Therefore only companies and sales agents who share the same vision should

agree to work together

“If you are one of the folks who refused to install the PayPal app or

if you can't remember your PayPal password, do yourself a favor, go

find something that will connect with your heart and mind elsewhere.“

- David Marcus

(PayPal CEO)

At CommissionCrowd we are driven by a passion to improve the commission-only sales industry.

Therefore we have set out to build the best possible platform and tools to allow targeted, long term

working relationships to become a reality for forward thinking companies and self-employed sales

professionals.

Why Do We Make Joining Us A Process?

This is the reason that companies have to ‘apply’ and pay a one off fee to join our ‘Founding Members

VIP Program’. We are only interested in working with forward thinking companies who share our vision

and are serious about learning how to structure their opportunities and work with self-employed

sales agents.

We are working hard to ensure that CommissionCrowd will be the place where sales agents want to

come to find quality new opportunities and conduct their business

What’s Our Why?

How Great Leaders Inspire ActionThe only video you will ever need to truly understand your ‘Why’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

What does a top selling sales agent look like?

There are 5 key traits shared by top sales reps:

Reinvention – Top performers don’t stand still. They relentlessly seek to improve; never satisfied with the

status quo. Unafraid to experiment with a new tactic. More worried about missing a new technique than

suffering a failure.

Best Practices – “A” players constantly monitor what peers are doing. They persistently expand on new ideas

to get to the next level. Best practices are just a launch pad for more innovation.

Technology – Top sales reps use technology as a force multiplier. They accelerate their pace with

communication devices. They reach new prospects with social media. No moment is wasted in a connected

world where support resources are a text away. Customers expect and receive instantaneous response.

Rapid Adoption – Not satisfied with just learning new ideas, top reps deploy new concepts immediately. No

pilot test, no resistance; just swift implementation and iteration.

Mobility – The Bluetooth earpiece and the Wi-Fi hotspot turn the top performer's world into a virtual office.

Video training modules are

completed on a smartphone. Chat apps keep connections with the sales team. CRM reporting, appointments,

call prep, and forecasting are all done on the fly.

• Sales Benchmark Index

What does a top selling sales agent look like?

• Top sales performers want to stay ahead of the pack. They are always looking for a competitive edge.

Smartphones and CRM technology are examples from the recent past. It's time to find the next capability that

provides an advantage.

• Top sales performers want to be intellectually stimulated. They are naturally curious and have a thirst for

knowledge.

• Earning potential is key. Top sales performers continually seek to expand their influence. They value help in

gaining access to more buyers and widening their circles.

• Top sales performers are keenly aware of the competition. They value any insight that will increase their

chances of winning.

• Top performers are team players. They value support and contributions from the entire organization.

• Fairness and realism are the keys. Top sales performers will perform superhuman feats if they believe their

efforts will be rewarded.

• Everyone wants to sell a hot product. Top performers go where the action is.

• Today's buyer completes more than half of the buying process before the sales rep is engaged. Top sales

reps recognize that strong support from Marketing is the key.

Key interview questions that you are likely to be asked

Do you provide training?

• How many days or hours of formal training?

• Is there a cost to me?

• If so, how much?

Who will be available to help me after the training?

• Is that person easily and readily available to me?

• What other "hats" does that person wear?

Describe your customer retention? Customer Support? Deliverability Ratio?

Do you have a mentor program where I can shadow a top producer for a period of time?

Do you have any bonus programs such as; exceeding goals, recruiting other agents, etc.?

What trade associations, business associations or other affiliations does your company have?

Key interview questions that you are likely to be asked continued…

Do all of your full time agents have a territory? What do I have to do to have a protected

territory?

Can you send me examples of marketing materials available to me?

Do you have a company policy manual? Will I have a copy if I sign on with you?

How many full time agents do you have??

• How many do you want?

• How many part time agents?

• What is the agent turnover rate?

• What is the average tenure of agents?

What was your gross volume of sales last year?

What is the average income per year of full time agents?

Key interview questions that you are likely to be asked continued…

About leads (if applicable):

• When will I be given them?

• After I am eligible, how many can I expect per quarter, assuming I prove I can do a good job with

them?

• What are the sources for leads?

• Approximately how many leads do you give the agents per month?

What is your market share, compared to the top 10 companies in this industry?

Do you have weekly sales meetings?

• What day, time, and how long do the meetings usually last?

• Could I attend a sales meeting before I make a final commitment to come on board?

What are your business goals?

• Do you have expansion, move of office, or growth in your immediate plans?

What differentiates you from your competition?

Key interview questions that you are likely to be asked

House Accounts

Most reps expect to work hard to earn their commissions and understand that developing new

accounts often involves investing their time into a long sales cycle. And they generally will use sales

commissions for accounts that came with the territory to help finance those long-term efforts.

Commissions on existing sales usually don’t cover all the rep’s costs to develop new customers, but

they do help the rep offset some of those costs until sales commissions on new accounts start.

Keeping existing accounts as no-commission “house accounts” may get your new rep relationships off

to a rocky start, and many reps will decline to accept a new line that has house accounts.

Pioneering Lines

Reps are in business to make a profit just like you are, so the results you can expect when you ask a

rep to work “for free” probably will be disappointing. Reps who accept a “pioneering” line with no

existing commissions can’t afford to take time away from manufacturers who are already paying them

commission, so their efforts may be limited to “Oh, by the way, we also have ‘x’ if you need it.” If you

need to hire a rep in a territory that has no existing sales, consider offering a monthly “territory

development fee” or stipend to help with the costs of territory development in exchange for monthly

reports on those pioneering efforts.

-MANA

Key interview questions that you should ask any potential agent

1. Are you incorporated, a partnership or a sole proprietorship?

2. Can you outline your growth history for me?

3. Do you develop an annual sales plan and budget? If yes, what are your plans for [current year]?

4. What are your business goals for the next year, five years, ten years?

5. Can you outline the geographical territory or market you cover?

6. Will you be willing to sell outside your territory? If yes, how far outside?

7. How active is management in the sales process?

8. Can you give me a list of the manufacturers/companies you represent? Can you tell me why you feel their lines

are compatible with ours?

9. Who are your major accounts and how do you cover these key accounts?

10.Have you segmented/classified your territory by accounts? If yes, can you outline how you went about this

exercise?

11.How do you monitor sales performance?

12.Do you distribute your own catalogue? If yes, is it available in print, online or in both versions?

13.Are there any conditions/circumstances under which you would expect your principals to participate in the

production/distribution costs of these mailings?

14.What is your policy regarding visits by principals or factory personnel?

15.Can you outline how your principals compensate you?

16.Have your other principals required you to sign an agency contract? If yes, what do those contracts cover?

17.Have you ever been involved in a dispute with any of your present or past principals? If yes, please elaborate.

- CPSA

Key interview questions that you should ask any potential agent (plus

sample responses)

What image do you have of our company and this industry?

-Should have done a thorough job of research or your industry and company

What types of products/services have you sold and how did you sell them?

- See if they understand how to sell "solutions" as opposed to "products" or "services"

What kind of goals motivate you the best? What total compensation are you seeking?

-Should be enthusiastic about setting goals

-Should be comfortable with a large share of compensation at risk

What were your goals for the past three years and did you meet them? What was the reason

for your success? Why didn't you meet the goals?

-Should have had concrete goals with metrics

What was your most significant professional accomplishment? Tell me about it in detail.

-Keep asking for more and more detail to get insight into work ethic- CPSA

What is your sales process, given a qualified lead? How many contacts do you make on a

qualified lead?

-Look for logical steps including building a relationship and asking about the prospect's needs as

the first two steps

-Average number of contacts should be 12

-Ask for the different types of contacts they make to qualified prospects

How do you overcome buyer objections? How do you handle price objections?

-Ask for examples

-Can they describe selling on value, not on price?

How do you expect to close sales? How do you know when a buyer is ready to buy? What

closing principles do you follow? What closing techniques work best for you?

-Does the candidate mention of the importance of body language?

1. - CPSA

Key interview questions that you should ask any potential agent (plus

sample responses)

Key interview questions that you should ask any potential agent

Some answers to "what closing principles do you follow" include:

-Do not attempt to close until the buyer is ready

-When you propose a close, be silent until the buyer responds

-After the sale is made, quit selling

-Should be able to describe three different closing techniques

Tell me about a sales experience that demonstrates your work ethic.

If they give a positive one, ask for a negative one. e.g. a time they failed and what they learned

How do you generate leads?

-Asking for referrals from current customers should be a large part of the answer

- CPSA

Other Webinars

Contact Us

Laura McGregor

Email: laura@commissioncrowd.com

Phone: 0131 618 2300

Ryan Mattock

Email: ryan@commissioncrowd.com

Alistair Robinson

Email: alistair@commissioncrowd.com

www.commissioncrowd.com

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