Choosing incorrectly when hiring salespeople for careers in sales can cost you six to ten times that persons base salary. That means that your search criteria might be better served if using executive recruiting firms to conduct preliminary searches before hiring sales people.

Finding the right sales person can hinge on having a good product that the company believes in, putting together a good compensation plan and creating a successful environment for the sales force. For those that successfully navigate these issues with hiring sales people, they can see profits climb almost immediately.

Looking at the products for which you are selling will help you determine a salespersons potential for representing you and your company. Do you offer products that have intrinsic value and can separate themselves from commodities? This means that your sales force can establish their positioning and use the products or services for more leverage.

Finding sales reps that are influenced with a good compensation plan can also provide the extra leverage in hiring sales people that will perform well. Statistically, nearly a third of sales pros have been with a company less than 12 months, but by giving them the tools and financial incentive to grow will take away retention concerns when hiring sales people.

Providing top notch raining and education is also another way to provide an advantage in hiring sales people for your business. Without good training and processes in place, you may suffer from the industry norms where only about 20 percent of leads have been properly followed up on. Hiring sales people that can implement consistent processes just in follow up will grow your bottom line tremendously.

Finally, maintaining some customer service standards throughout can increase the potential for hiring sales people that will prove successful. A simple smile and handshake can go far in influencing clients. When your company culture supports customer service at all levels, hiring sales people will begin to pay off as well.