Top 7 attributes to look out for with IT salespeople

By GK

When hiring new IT salespeople, it is important that you know that the person you chose has the top attributes that will make them a valuable addition to your company. The best candidates don’t just fulfil the bare-bones requirements but have an intersection of desirable hard and soft skills and personality traits that can make them suited to specific roles. Some are obvious and straightforward, while other points require a more meditative approach.

Here are 7 attributes to look out for when hiring an IT salesperson:

Track record of success

A strong track record of success is essential. Any candidate should be able to demonstrate they have a track record of achievement. This will give you an indication of whether they can be successful and create the revenue you expect and whether that’s suited to the role in your organisation.

Relevant work experience

Being able to demonstrate experience in the relevant areas is always vital when applying for a new position and in most cases a “prerequisite” . However, just because a candidate doesn’t have direct experience in the role you’re advertising, they may have good sales and commercial transferable skills that make them suitable. They might even be able to fill skill gaps in the existing team and bring fresh ideas to the team. For example, if a person is already in a successful sales role in a similar sector, and also has excellent commercial and communication skills, a desire to learn and succeed, then it’s possible that company can benefit from fresh ideas and a quicker way to grow the sales team effectively.

Knowledge of certain technologies/Solutions

IT is an ever-evolving industry. New technologies are introduced all the time, and someone who prides themselves on keeping up-to-date with as much technology as possible is a valuable asset to have in an IT Sales team.

Location

Employees living closer to their work are happier. A UK study found that workers with long commutes are 33% more likely to suffer from depression and are 37% more likely to have money worries. As a result, having employees who don’t live close by is likely to affect your staff retention and increase the occurrence of employees taking sick leave.

Culture & Values

In our experience, this is one of the most overlooked factors by businesses looking to recruit IT salespeople. It’s all well and good having the right skills for a job, but if your employees don’t share your company values, and don’t fit in well with the culture, they’ll struggle to reach their potential. Employees who rate their work culture poorly are 24% more likely to leave within the next year.

Attitude & behaviour

The attitude and behaviour of your employees reflect on your business, as well as impacting on the productivity and profitability of your company. If an employee has a bad attitude when conversing with people within the company, and the people who invest in your company, it has the potential to damage your reputation, especially if you’re an SME. On the flip side, if you hire someone with a great attitude, it will benefit your business, for example, 91% of top salespeople score highly in modesty and humility.

Career aspirations

Most employees have some form of career aspirations in mind. However, it’s important that those aspirations align with the development opportunities in your company. If your employees can’t realise their aspirations by working for you, they won’t be motivated at work and won’t stay long-term at your organisation. Over 70% of high-retention-risk employees say they’ll need a new job to advance their career, while 93% said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career.

Conclusion

There are so many various attributes that IT salespeople have that make them successful within their role- it would be impossible to list them all. But if a candidate fulfils the criteria listed above, they are likely to make a significant contribution to your team, staying loyal and growing in value as they further develop under your employment. If you want us to help you identify IT sales candidates with the top attributes, get in touch.

 

At GK recruitment, we have over 20 years of IT recruitment experience. If you need help in recruiting a new IT employee, we can help you find your perfect match. Contact us on 01257 429 499 or email us at info@gkrecruitment.com.

Start typing and press Enter to search

it recruitmentRecruiting for IT infrastructure professional