To highlight the scale of the problem, it is worth referring to the “Occupational Barometer” study, which was carried out at the request of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy. It took into account 380 counties, which were examined in terms of shortage occupations. To classify an occupation in this group, the problem of finding an employee for a given position had to occur in at least 50% of them, which in this case meant 190 counties. It turned out that for sales representatives, this rate was 51.6% (source: https://barometrzawodow.pl/userfiles/Barometr/2017/Raport_polski_web.pdf). This is therefore genuinely a shortage occupation, which does not mean that it is impossible to find a good sales representative. When looking for an employee for this position, however, it is worth remembering a few crucial principles.
Experience and a customer base
When recruiting an employee for a sales representative position, it is best to focus on people with experience, and preferably those who have their own customer base. Such people are difficult to find, however, because they are valued by their current employers. If there is an opportunity to hire such a person, there is a strong probability that they will prove successful. The industry in which the future salesperson will operate is also important, although experience will probably enable them to negotiate effectively with any client.
It is also worth checking how they cope with stress. Deliberately upsetting them and then encouraging them to demonstrate their sales skills can provide a great deal of insight into the candidate’s abilities. Naturally, we can leave aside such characteristics as openness and ease in establishing contacts. A shy person will certainly not be a good salesperson.
Employer responsibilities
Hiring a good sales representative also entails certain responsibilities on the part of the employer. The basic requirement is a car with a paid third-party liability insurance policy (known in English as traders insurance). Insurers, such as Insurance Factory, have increasingly broad offers, so this should not be a problem. Other work tools include a laptop and a mobile phone. Salary is certainly important as well. Nothing motivates like financial incentives, preferably in the form of bonuses, which encourages more effective work for the employer. More information is available at https://www.insurancefactory.co.uk/motortrade-insurance.