What to Look for When Hiring A Local Salesperson for Your Publication

Local publications have many challenges not the least of which is finding good sales people to grow their business. This video identifies a handful of things you should look for when hiring or considering hiring for your sales staff.

First, start by looking for people who are solutions oriented. Your salespeople shouldn't go in to sell an ad so much as solve a problem. Then, invest in people through training and sales-support and look for people who invest in themselves, books on tape can be a great way to use their drive-time effectively.

Beware of the candidate with 'digital-experience.' If they previously sold digital why aren't they doing that anymore? Borrell Associates recently reported on the state of salespeople and suggested that salespeople that may be on the market with experience with digital Pureplays could be the people who couldn't cut it selling digital. So be cautious of people with digital experience and ask the hard questions about why they've moved on.

People buy on emotion and reinforce their decision with data (statistics). Make sure you and your sales team are effective at telling stories and painting pictures for prospects that they can get excited about, if your candidate can't effectively tell a compelling story you should move on - anyone can relay circulation and pricing figures.

Finally, if you're a small publisher looking to hire for sales - don't! Consider hiring an admin to lighten your non-sales workload and focus more of your time on sales activities. Nobody knows your business or has the same level of passion as you!

Need help hiring, training and supporting your sales staff and driving innovative revenue? Locable is here to help.