Congratulations on connecting with a new independent sales representative on CommissionCrowd! Now let's look at what a successful interview process looks like.

Hiring B2B commission-only sales representatives is a powerful strategic move for your business, but it requires a unique approach to the interview process. Unlike traditional employees, commission-only representatives operate with a different set of incentives and responsibilities.

While it's important to carry out your own due diligence with your new freelance sales partners, they will be doing the same with your company.

Remember, B2B commission-based sales reps are not unemployed job seekers, they are in high demand, build diverse portfolios of companies they represent and have the luxury of choosing which companies to work with.

To ensure a successful beginning to your partnership, follow these guidelines for interviewing commission-only sales representatives.

It's important to remember that you're speaking with potential sales 'partners' and not hiring sales employees. Keep the interview professional yet relaxed and always remember that you're talking with a seasoned self-employed sales professional who runs their own business. That person is considering dedicating their time to your company while not receiving a salary or any of the benefits that traditional employees get.

They will have just as many questions about your company as you will for them. You are being interviewed just as much as they are.

Tip: Always let the person know you're looking forward to learning more about them to determine if you're a good fit working together. This language sets the tone apart from being a strict job interview and demonstrates that you're approaching this as a win/win partnership.

Again, it's really important that you remember who you're speaking with. You are not hiring that person as an employee and you are not going to be their boss.

While it's perfectly fine to set expectations about how your company is represented, you can't dictate strict sales targets or responsibilities outside of a sales role. Their time is theirs and they will be working with other companies alongside yours.

In order to set your own (and their) expectations right from the very start, it's important to find out a little more about the sales rep, their experience and how they operate. Ask how long they have been self-employed and find out if they have an existing network or not.

One of the first things you should ask an independent sales rep is what excites them the most about your sales opportunity. This will give you a good starting point in understanding how well they have read your sales opportunity and researched your company. This will set the flow for the rest of the interview.

Regardless of how well they understand your products or services, you should always spend a little time introducing your company properly.

Tip: Remember, you are competing for the best commission-only sales agents and it’s important to sell yourself. Can you make your opportunity stand out by showcasing some of your company’s top achievements or remarkable moments? Have you won awards or worked with major clients for example?

Now let's find out exactly who you're speaking with and whether they have an existing network of contacts or not.

Independent sales reps with an existing network of contacts can open doors extremely quickly by introducing your company's products and services to companies they've been doing business with for years.

Tip: Even if a sales rep hasn't had experience selling your particular type of product or service before, it's likely that their clients have a need for what your company can provide. Don't be put off if that person doesn't have specific experience in your field as your company will likely make a powerful addition to their portfolio and they can make introductions and open doors very easily.

If an independent sales reps doesn't have a network it usually just means that they are newer to self-employment and are just getting started building their portfolio. It's important to remember this doesn't mean they are new to sales but have more than likely just transitioned into self-employment after an extensive background in the sales profession.

Tip: If your products or services have a very long sales cycle, it's worthwhile asking if the rep has the ability to support themselves financially while they build their pipeline.

Sales reps that are newer to self-employment generally start with short sales cycle products or services so they can build up a residual income before expanding their portfolio to take on high value sales that may take months to close.

Commission-only sales representatives use CommissionCrowd to build portfolios of products and services to represent. They rarely work exclusively with one company which would defeat the purpose of becoming self-employed in the first place.

While you can't expect them to work set hours or meet strict sales targets, you can absolutely ask them about their current commitments to gauge how active they are liely to be when working with your company.

Tip: Making up a portion of a rep's portfolio is not a negative. Reps build portfolios of complementary product and service lines which gives them the opportunity to up and cross-sell during interactions with their clients. It actually puts your company in front of more prospects more often.

It's now a good idea to start to understand where your new sales partner's prospecting strengths lie. This will also help you understand the type of information and support you'll need to offer to help their efforts.

Experienced sales agents with a network may use a variety of methods to prospect. This will include making contact with their existing clients and introducing your company's products and services. These people are usually very well versed in a multitude of other lead generation strategies including calling, email marketing and online social sales activity.

You might find that the sales rep you're speaking with is tech-savvy and prefers to prospect using using a variety of online strategies rather than picking up the phone and cold calling. There are many incredibly talented commission-only sales experts that use their skills to get a foot into the door to turn a cold prospect into a warm one.

Technology has come a long way in the last few years but many sales professionals who have years of experience under their belt may be more well versed in traditional prospecting methods such as cold outreach campaigns which include email, in-person visits or calling prospects to introduce the companies they represent.

Tip: While both tech-savvy and non-tech savvy sales professionals employ different lead generation and prospecting strategies, both have their strengths and it's a powerful combination working with both. Evaluate their ability to create and execute a sales plan so you know what to expect when they begin working with you.

If your products or services can be sold without an in-person visit then you can work with commission-only sales agents pretty much anywhere in the world. You shouldn't only aspire to work with agents in the countries where your target customers are.

As long as they are able to work in the time zone where your prospective customer are and can speak the language of the companies they are selling to, then you shouldn't limit your search to a specific region.

While your new sales partners won't need to be taught how to sell, you will absolutely be expected to support them while they get up and running.

Before you begin the interview process, it's crucial to have a well-structured training plan in place. This plan should outline how you intend to onboard and support your sales representatives. Be prepared to discuss this training plan during the interview to ensure candidates understand the resources available to them for success.

Tip: Training doesn't have to be complex. You can schedule a few training sessions to give the sales agent a chance to learn your products or services before they start their lead generating activities. If on the other hand you have a very complex product or service, then it's very worthwhile creating some documentation that can be passed over to speed up the onboarding process.

Tip: Product spec sheets, pricing guides, online training programs and offering support during initial calls with potential customers will all help to get your new commission-only sales partners up-to-speed quickly.

If you don't have inbound leads don't worry. The majority of independent sales reps are great at prospecting on their own however, being able to provide leads can be attractive, especially to sales reps who are well versed in closing.

If you are willing to pass over leads to a sales agent then let it be known in the interview.

Tip: Don't pass over leads too quickly. You should drip-feed leads to supplement the rep's own sales prospecting efforts.

We also recommend role playing first before passing leads over. This will ensure that you're confident the sales professional knows how to sell your products or services and they won't go to waste.

Discuss the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to track leads, contacts, and sales progress. Your sales reps should demonstrate their willingness to adopt and utilise your company's CRM systems effectively.

Tip: Self-employed sales reps regard their leads as their own and can be very protective of their contacts. While it's absolutely fine to expect the use of your company's CRM, you can not expect sales agents to share intimate details of their contacts, especially those that have been accrued over many years. It's perfectly normal for a sales agent to limit the details they are willing to enter into your CRM to high level information that will only give you an overview of who they are speaking with.

You'll also be expected to give sales agents an official company email so they can represent your company properly.

The information you publish in your CommissionCrowd sales opportunity is simply a starting point to attract the interest of sales agents. By rule of thumb you should always be as generous as possible while remembering that you are competing with other companies to attract and retain the best independent sales partners.

During the interview, you'll more than likely enter into a negotiation with sales agents which is perfectly normal.

Tip: Always bear in mind that an independent sales rep incurs their own expenses while prospecting for new business. They also receive none of the benefits that traditional in-house employees get. You need to be competitive which also usually includes offering a residual commission that is paid if their customers place repeat orders or are on a subscription type account.

Your interview went well and you're ready to start working with your new sales partner! What now? The next step is to create a contractual agreement between you and your sales representative. This ensures that both parties are protected and there is a clear outline of your working relationship.

CommissionCrowd makes creating a legally binding sales rep agreement quick and easy. Refer to this guide to help you create yours: Deal Manager Guide for Companies

In conclusion, interviewing commission-only sales representatives requires a distinct approach compared to traditional employment interviews. By following these guidelines, you can identify candidates who possess the skills, motivation, and work ethic needed to succeed in a commission-based role. Remember that effective communication and clear expectations are key to building a successful working relationship with your commission-only sales team.

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