Hiring from outside the industry

"You have certainly hired the right person for the job," Hoon said in between bites of the large Korean dumpling.

Sales leaders and HR Directors work very hard to recruit salespeople. But rarely do we consistently find and hire genuinely successful sales people.

Companies continue to steal salespeople from their competitors, feeling that the experience factor will place them way ahead of the game.

My experience indicates that an excellent source is individuals who might be working in customer service jobs, who may be frustrated and would welcome the opportunity of being in sales. I have seen a few ex-air stewadresses who made the grade in hotel sales. I, myself, successfully made the switch from credit card sales to insurance sales to hotel sales.

In short, people with the potential are there, waiting for an opportunity to be productive. What is needed is for recruiting and HR managers to relax outworn notions about where to find them, how to identify them, and where to mobilise them.

Postings for sales jobs can be easily found in our local papers and on the Internet. There are many, many companies in desperate need of sales talent. Why? One of the reason is because they limit their search. There are many people who can excel at sales if only given the chance. It's a matter of opening our eyes and minds.