Welcome to Thunderdome

Anyone have any experience?

How are they paid? Base plus commission. Commission only. Base only. How much?
How do you interview them?

Anyone want to be one?!

Cakedaddy wrote: Anyone want to be one?!

Hell no.

Cakedaddy wrote: How are they paid? Base plus commission. Commission only. Base only. How much?

Varies. I think base + commission is most common. Just make sure the commission is tied to profitability of sales, not revenue.

Cakedaddy wrote: How do you interview them?

Get a reference from a psychiatrist?

Cakedaddy wrote: Anyone have any experience?

Kind of. I have discussed hiring this position for my dad's business.

Cakedaddy wrote: How are they paid? Base plus commission. Commission only. Base only. How much?

Google sales job salaries in your area. Use that as a template, but not gospel.

When I worked for the TV station, sales people got $0 in base salary. Their entire paycheck was based upon their sales. That's probably too extreme for your situation.

Find a good mix. You want a salary large enough to attract a young and hungry sales person, but small enough that it won't hurt your bottom line or encourage them to NOT work. Motivate them with performance linked bonuses.

Cakedaddy wrote: How do you interview them?

Normal interview process. Be honest about compensation and why you scaled it the way you did. If they are not open and outgoing, they are wrong for sales. You want someone who immediately seems like your best friend.

Have them sell you something. Give them a pen and tell them to sell you pens when your company only uses pencils. Ask them questions they can't know about the pen and see if they lie with an answer (bad) or tell you "they don't know, but they will find out for you" (good).

If your POC at companies tends to be men, try to hire a moderately attractive female. They have an easier time getting in the door. However, a down to Earth guy who does the best friend thing can KILL an attractive female in sales if her personality sucks.

If you need a sales guy...I MIGHT have a lead for you. I'd need details to provide him. Guy is EXACTLY the type I described. Knows everyone, can immediately talk to strangers, etc. Currently sells paper/printing and hates it.

On hacker news today: https://www.entrepidpartners.com/sales-hiring-guide

I'd be interested in talking to your guy. If he's up for a challenge with limitless potential!!

Knowing nothing about sales and how to hire for it, $0 base salary +commission sounds perfect! I'd don't have a big enough budget to pay someone that doesn't produce results because I don't know how to hire a good sales person.

We would have to figure out a scale that increases with greater sales. Large commission out of a small job is a waste of my time. But a large commission out of a huge job is not a waste. I can make it up with volume! Profiting $1 per man hour is nothing when you are working 5 guys. Work 10,000 guys, and 1$ per man hour isn't too bad. So when they sell 1000 hours, I can afford to pay more per hour than when they sell 10. Now I'm just 'thinking' out loud. . .

But ya. Would be interested in seeing if we could work something out. I would almost need to know what it would take for him to make a change. Figure out how much he would need to sell for him to make his nut. See how many people I would have to hire to do the work he's selling. Even if he's moonlighting and selling our stuff on the side. We don't compete with paper/printing, so, there's that.

I'll see him Wednesday night at golf. I'll discuss it with him then.

See if Herb Tarlek is still available.

Now that's an impressive pull that dates you.

Check your PMs Cake.