Getting a sales specialist to work for commission

Getting a sales specialist to work for commission

Working online isn't easy because we need to be a jack of all trades, and one of those trades is rarely a sales specialist.  We will know how to set up a website, optimize for specific keywords, build relationships with businesses in our industry, but we rarely have a sales background to help us bring high paying customers on board.  This is where a sales specialist, one who will work solely for a commission, will come into play.

I've written how you can boost your revenues by simply bringing on a sales specialist, but I've never gone into detail about how you can get them to work solely for commission.  Yes, it's possible to bring someone on board who will work for a commission and not an hourly wage or salary position. 


It's not an easy pitch
You won't be able to say "I'll pay you a commission for every sale you bring to us!" because every sales specialist has heard that a dozen times before breakfast.  You can't sound needy or desperate for their help because they will usually avoid you since a great company paying well won't chase them down the street lol.

Tell them what you're offering, why you're the best choice, the average revenue from a sale, and how much commission you're going to give the salesperson when they bring in a customer.  If you can break it down enough for them to digest all the numbers, they will more than likely work with you if they think their commissions will be enough to profit more from than what they're currently doing.

They will want to see you have some success already
If you're a startup company with very little sales to show, you probably won't bring on a sales specialist for commission only unless your product or service is cutting edge and the sales specialist wants to get in early.  Instead, show the salesperson that you're already successful and people have been generating leads for you the last 6, 12, or 24+ months.  You can even take it a step further and have one of your current salespeople talk with the potential sales specialist that's looking to come on board, just be sure to monitor the conversation, so there isn't anything negative being said lol.

YOU need to run a great service to keep them around
If you're running a sort of "churn and burn" service or product, then you need to avoid working with salespeople because you're just going to create enemies.  Instead, focus on your product or service and be sure it's top-notch to attract buyers.  If you can attract the buyers, and show the salespeople your leads, they will be more willing to work for commission.

They need to make money too
You need to remember that a sales specialist is also trying to make money, not be your friend, so they will follow businesses as long as they're getting a nice paycheck.  I know a friend who sells automotive SaaS, and he was making $200,000+ per year when you combined his salary and commissions.  His commission started to slip, and he said "I'm a salesperson, I go where the commissions are and don't always stay with one company too long," and that opened my eyes.  He's making a boatload of money and still looking for a new job lol.


Final thoughts
Salespeople can work from anywhere, which means you'll have access to better talent, but that doesn't mean you will always bring them on board.  Having a position that works solely for a commission isn't what a lot of sales specialists want to hear, but they will give you a chance if the numbers are right, so put a job out there and see who responds to it

Thanks for reading!

- Tommy
https://www.seoclerks.com/user/TommyCarey