Earlier this week, I was doing a sales roleplay (here's a link on how to run that roleplay) with one of my sales callers, (we'll call him, George) who is based in the Philippines and on his FIRST call he booked a sales meeting with a prospect.I've been working with George for 4 years now and have had many great hires (and a few bad ones) along the way. He's calling schools across California to pitch our culinary workshops and is a shining example of how to do it correctly.When he spoke to the receptionist he was confident, polite, but also ASSERTIVE to get to the director and scheduled a meeting. Here are 10 lessons I've learned from 16 years of hiring remote sales reps!Quick Intro: I scaled my service business from $1.3M to $10.2M in 19 months, and it takes me half a day per week to manage. Now, I help service founders hire and onboard remotes sales reps to generate $25k+ per month without them sorting resumes or building SOPs. Book a call: www.winwinwitheric.com
1. Roleplay regularly
I wrote this massive article on how to execute roleplay with a sales team. But it needs to be done REGULARLY. Every single week.My sales team meets twice a week for 90 minutes. We will do things like roleplay, make live calls in pairs, review recorded sales appointments, etc.This is a key part to maintain the performance of a good remote sales rep.
2. You can sell high-ticket
There's a limiting belief that remote sales reps are just for small sales that are a few hundred dollars.I've seen over and over how untrue this is.My reps sell $100k-$1M+ contracts.I've had one of my clients produce $25,000 a month in sales ranging from $200-$1,500 each.These are real people, making real sales calls.
3. Work ethic is often stronger
About 5 years ago I had two sales reps in California. One was good at selling…but she was expensive and difficult to deal with. She would try to train others, but didn't do a good job.The other one…didn't work much and honestly was a bad hire. The crazy thing is that the staff I've hired abroad, like George and others, have worked HARDER than both of those staff.They value their jobs more, their regular pay and that their work can be done anywhere in the world.
4. Lower risk and lower liability
This brings me to the important part of not hiring US sales reps: The risk involved.Hiring US staff (and I hire a LOT through my main company as instructors) comes with a lot of legal issues. If you hire someone abroad, you are significantly safer as an entrepreneur.For example, if you hire them through an online portal like Upwork.com, you can turn on and off the contract at will. In other countries, it can take 2-4 weeks to let go of someone, and this can come with paperwork, Visas, and much more.
5. Daily Management Is Required
You can't hire a remote sales rep and just "forget" about them. A quick, daily check-in keeps communication flowing and people accountable. A quick huddle could be a 15-minute call where they report the numbers of calls made yesterday, new proposals generated, new clients that were signed and more.I suggest one deeper 60-minute meeting weekly, and then for the other days you can have the daily check-in. Oftentimes people just hire a remote rep…but don't treat this person as a core part of their staff. Just as you would talk to your staff daily that's sitting in the office, use this same focus for the remote rep.
6. Upwork is still the best place to source
Upwork is my go-to platform. I've written articles about it in the past and I like that you can post a job, people can apply and you can interview from the platform. I keep my staff on the platform and it will pay them every week for their work using my credit card.Yes, there's a service charge, but it's worth it. You can also look at past performances, read reviews and much more.There's no spot I'd recommend more.You can take them off of Upwork as well whenever you'd like.
7. Don't hire sales people with "recruiting" experience
I've interviewed plenty of sales reps that talked about how they had "recruiting" or "receptionist" experiences. I've never had success hiring these types because they don't know how to be assertive and handle objections. Their tone is often more casual and easy-going, especially at the slightest bit of rejection.I focus on hires who have REAL experience selling something for at least 1 year.Also they are used to making 100 calls a day. That might sound like a lot, but it's not because with my system you can call 15+ prospects in 1 hour.
8. References are critical
I never hire without two reference checks. During the interview I ask for their two most recent supervisors and an introduction. Next, I'll call them and ask about their work experience. Generally, sales people are GOOD in interviews because they know how to sell themselves.What they can't hide, is a messy past.So many people forget to do this!
9. The first 1-2 weeks will tell you if it's working.
I find that after they are onboarded and "learning" their script, you'll see if it's a good fit or not.One time I was training some sales reps, and one of them said, "I learn better by calling clients."I told him we have to roleplay and when he's ready, he can call clients.Instead, he wanted to "learn on the job"That's a "No" for me. He was let go soon after because he didn't learn the script.You want staff who are easy to work with, and do roleplay to prepare themselves.
10) Overhire sales reps: If you need 1, hire 2.
Since sales rep cost a fraction of employees in the US. You can hire two, and you should.There's nothing worse then spending a month onboarding someone only to have this person quit or be fired.You loss a lot of momentum, so always bring in 2! (if you can afford it)I have more tips…but 10 is enough for today.And if you are looking to scale your service business with remote sales reps. Book a call: www.winwinwitheric.com