Hiring new talent can be tricky at the best of times but throw in the pressure to establish a name for yourself and the fact you won’t be there to monitor your remote worker, and things get decidedly more difficult.

Whether this is your first time hiring remotely or you want to increase your chances of success, read on for our best tips on hiring a remote salesperson.

Take the time to define your ideal candidate

The definition of a successful salesperson will vary greatly depending on your specific needs. Are you looking for someone to sell over the phone, to build relationships, or to have a technical understanding of your product? All these factors will influence who is the right fit for you.

Paul Kenny, a salesperson and founder of Ocean Learning, a sales and leadership training and development company based in the UK, recommends writing a really detailed personal profile before even making the steps to advertise the position.

“Not a job advert, a personal profile that says they will demonstrate these behaviours or have these skills.”

He also recommends making a note of what the evidence of these skills will look like.

“Make sure that you spend a lot of time creating that and then use that as the basis of your interview,” he says. “Don’t be swayed by somebody who just looks good or promises big numbers. If they don’t tick enough of your boxes then they’re probably good at sales interviews and not good at selling — they’re two separate things.”

Aside from the specific characteristics needed for your company, there are some general things to look out for when hiring a remote salesperson.

Look for sales pioneers

When you’re establishing your brand in a foreign market, you need someone deeply familiar with breaking new ground.

This is not the time to bring in a young up and comer. Remote salespeople in this position will need to be able to survive in an environment with very little feedback from customers and often, very little sales.

“They’re going to a place where nobody’s heard of them, and nobody cares,” says Paul...read more

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