Hello! My name is Mary, and I wanted to put this page and great examples together because I know just how hard it was for me to find good and reliable information in my work as a young recruiter.

So, if you’ve ever been asking yourself one of the following questions:

  • Have you ever had to write an ad for an important position you are not familiar with?
  • Have you ever written what you thought was a great sales job description, but it didn’t attract any decent applicants?
  • Have you ever been overwhelmed with having to write so many ads that you don’t know where to start?
  • Have you ever been stressed out with how expensive it is to list your open job positions in the local paper or careers sites, so you know your job description needs to be killer in order to perform well?
  • Have you ever just been stressed out that all of this is on your shoulders and are just looking for an efficient short cut to finding great employees?

…then you are exactly in the position I was a few years ago! I still remember the feeling of dread….the butterflies….the fear of not being able to bring in quality applicants.

And I did what you’re doing right now: I started to look for expert information to help me get it right.

I searched through the web for some professional guidance on how to write a sales associate job description that would give the perfect amount of information about us and about the job to entice the perfect people to apply.

And, guess what? I had such a vast amount of information on my hands that I really didn’t know where to start.

Page after page, website after website, detailing the minute process of recruiting: from the first draft of the job ad, to the final interview with the successful candidate. Some said the first and most important challenge you are faced with is writing the compelling job ad. Others said posting a great job ad is only a part of your work: recruiting the right kind of person is the real challenge you are facing.

What could I do, lost among so much conflicting information?

I tried them all! I was a human ad-writing machine!

Day after day, method after method, I did everything by the book, as the experts advised. Half a year later, I still could not perceive any visible results. Not one solid candidate ever stepped into my office and proved they were really the person I was looking for.

At a point, I stopped and asked myself: what am I doing wrong here? What is the big secret to getting good candidates and I don’t get it?

I kept searching until I found the method that made the most amount of sense. I needed to do a little legwork, learn about my ideal applicant, and tailor my ad specifically at them.

You know what?  This new process has worked like a charm!

So now I would like to share with you my tried and true method of writing a killer top sales associate job description. You should be able to take this template and immediately apply it to the job opening you are creating today.

1. Understand the Psyche of the Person You Seek:

You know you want top-performers out there pitching your products and services. But just how many of those have you had on board in the past? What is the difference between a top-performer and the “typical” sales person that ends up on your payroll? Understanding just a couple key characteristics of your Target Employee will save you a TON of time, money, and effort.

2. Write a Strong Sales Job Description:

It all starts with the words. That is the first contact you make with the candidates. And there are certain words that draw the attention of a top-performer and discourage a less than motivated person.

So let me show you my template, and then I will explain each section below.

 

1. Introduce your company and the position

Nothing tricky here – just present your company and introduce the topic as you would usually do in any ad.

2. Negative qualifiers regarding the position

Now, there’s the point where you are stepping away from the mainstream trend in job ad writing. This is what top-performers are looking for. They expect to be challenged.

Instead of going right to the juicy details regarding the position and income potential, first let’s explain how this job is NOT right for everyone. Our goal here is to weed out the weak and lazy applicants who are looking for a cushy j-o-b. If you truly want a TOP producing sales person, you need to tell them what kind of drive, ambition, and desire to succeed that the applicants need to have in order to be considered for this job.

DO NOT BE AFRAID of this step! It is CRITICAL!

“Oh, but people might stop reading and move on without applying!”

Sister, if they can’t handle a little push-back here, they CERTAINLY aren’t going to be able to handle any amount of push-back from a prospect…and this is someone you do NOT want on your sales team!

3. Talk about your company’s merits

Now there’s the time to put in some extra-motivation for the right candidate. Make them want to be a part of your company so badly, that they’ll put all their skills on the line. Talk about any awards it has won, and what kind of a future it is on track to realize. If you want someone good…and I mean GOOOOOD…then you have to SELL them on your company and the amazing opportunity you can provide them. Everyone has some degree of “what’s in it for me?” in them….well, if you truly believe your job position is a great opportunity for the right person, then you need to sell them on what they will get out of joining forces with your company!

4. Talk about what you sell and your market

Then talk about what products and/or services your company sells as well as the markets you serve. They can then get a feel for who they will be selling to, and what kind of products they will be able to offer them. The more descriptive you can be, the more they will be able to visualize themselves in the position and get the drive to get that position. If they can’t picture them in that position or they don’t like the picture they see…then you really don’t need these people. You only want those who can see the opportunity with your company to be the ones to apply.

5. Explain what the position does and the income/growth potential

Now it’s time to take them deeper into the picture – show the whole package that goes with the position. If you can give examples with some numbers and dollar figures, it is easier for them to calculate their personal income potential, AND it shows you are interested in helping them succeed. Knowing that your employer is looking out for its employees’ growth and success is important to your future applicants.

6. Negative qualifiers (again?!)

Well, this is another tricky part of the ad, but you really need to be a man about it and say it like it is. The other option is to sit through countless interviews with unqualified applicants.  This step is a time saver, because in this way you will turn away as many of them as possible.

Use negative qualifiers such as:

  • “Don’t even bother contacting us if you don’t have a burning desire to succeed.”
  • “We only hire superstar sales people and if you are one, we will know.”
  • “If you have any fear of rejection, this isn’t for you.”
  • “If you don’t have the drive, the ambition or the desire to win at everything you do, please don’t waste our time.”

I know they sound harsh! I cringed the first few times I used them. Trust me! They DO work! They weed out the sales people who can’t handle any kind of rejection. These are NOT top producers, and definitely NOT the kind of people you want to waste your time on. Your time needs to be spent interviewing strong sales leaders. So it is imperative you put in some of these negative qualifiers toward the end of your ad.

7. Tell them what to do next

If someone has made it all the way to the end of your ad, then they must feel pretty confident that they could have what it takes to be a top producer for your company. Now you need to tell them what to do to apply.

You should have them submit their resume and schedule an interview right away.

I have found this to be the best method because they are already caught up in your ad and their interest is piqued. Get them while they are hot and get them on the phone or in person talking to you.

I have 3 examples of this type of successful sales job description:

Use them as a guide, and you should be able to create some strong ads, and bring in some top sales applicants.

What happens next?

Well, unfortunately, bringing in qualified salespeople IS only part of hiring TOP performers! You have the interview process, and that is where you really put these applicants to the test and see what they are made of!

This is the amazing method that I was speaking about earlier – the cornerstone that took me from being a helpless no-getter for around for 6 months, to following a solid series of recruiting steps that has paid off tremendously.

I attended an incredible training session, completely online, and learned methods and strategies that NO one was teaching out there. And as soon as I started using those methods, my recruiting process completely changed and we immediately started building the amazing team of top sales producers we have with us still to this day.

I highly recommend checking out the training. I can’t tell you what that small investment has brought not just my company, but me personally. I have the confidence of having a plan as I go through our recruitment process. It’s a very powerful thing for me to feel confident and in control, where I used to just feel overwhelmed and lost.

Go check out the online training that will help you bring in top performing sales superstars!