If a Sales person is truly worth their weight then shouldn’t they be more interested in their potential earnings than a base salary?
Controversial questions maybe but as a Sales recruiter, I have definitely noticed some trends appearing in 2016 so far...
Candidates are open to lower salaries…
…and starting to seriously take the full package into consideration as a priority before accepting or rejecting a role. Are the days of high level base salaries gone? Probably not no but with secured bonuses and ‘accelerator’ targets becoming more common, take home pay for employees can be higher than ever. As a Sales recruiter, I experience candidates with a huge variety of skill level but as cliché as it may sound, Sales candidates who are confident enough to put their performance on the line and prove their worth are a hell of a lot more attractive to employers.
I recently had two candidates accept offers that were hugely competitive in terms of the full package but the base salaries on offer didn’t match their previous salaries pound for pound. Despite this, the candidates were still keen accept the roles as they were more interested in the potential earnings with their unlimited potential earnings in mind.
The ‘Package’ can be the deciding factor…
Remuneration packages can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes- commission schemes, bonuses, accelerator targets, company shares, flexible and remote working options carry more weight than ever when our candidates are making their decisions. Giving employees the option to work from home can free up a huge volume of travel expenses and travel time and in a competitive marketplace where candidates are in high demand roles, I have seen clients can miss out on the perfect candidate because their competitors were more flexible.
Getting in bed with a Start-up isn’t so scary…
At Nine Twenty we pride ourselves on working with start-up companies, and of course we are specifically passionate about Tech start-ups. With this in mind, we regularly approach our candidates about opportunities with smaller businesses. These can be incredible companies to join early doors and reap the rewards of a growing business although some other start-ups have to be a relatively lean, particularly with base salaries for sales vacancies.
I am definitely finding that graduates and young professionals are opening their horizons to joining start-ups with the view that if they get in early and work hard, they are much more likely to progress their career internally sooner.
I recently had an experienced candidate who was performing well in a mid to senior level role but lacking any development opportunities. I presented this candidate with a vacancy in a start-up company that would mean taking a pay cut initially, but giving them the chance to build their own Sales team from scratch. Three weeks later and my candidate had signed a new contract in a Sales management role, with a commission structure based predominantly on their team’s performance.
So, are you a Sales candidate that is experiencing a change in the industry? Or perhaps you are interested to discuss a new opportunity? Nine Twenty have a number of live sales roles across a variety of Sectors including Technology, Business Services and more.
Get in touch and see if we can help progress your career:
Louise Hunter
Account Manager
