Episode 17 - Brisa Renteria on Recruiting, Hiring, Onboarding and Retaining Top Sales Talent

Industrial Growth Institute

Brisa Renteria on Recruiting, Hiring, Onboarding and Retaining Top Sales Talent - Industrial Growth Institute Podcast Episode # 17 with Ed Marsh

Summary

In this episode, Ed Marsh interviews Brisa Renteria, a sales expert and CEO of Improved Growth, about the challenges of hiring and training sales teams. The discussion covers a variety of topics including:

• the high cost of sales hiring mistakes
• importance of behavior in sales success
• need for sales managers to provide proper training and accountability
• the misconception of sales being pushy
• the value of phone calls in today's digital age

Brisa touches on the challenges of scaling up a business and the importance of hiring the right people, and how training salespeople compares to raising children, and how her commitment to donating a portion of her revenue to a nonprofit focused on children's cancer originated from her personal experience with cancer.

The conversation then shifts to the common mistakes companies make in sales hiring and the importance of having a strong hiring process. Brisa emphasizes:

• the significance of onboarding, training, and coaching in retaining top sales talent - the value of using assessments to inform the hiring and development process
• the importance of attracting and hiring the right salespeople
• the need for companies to be clear about the responsibilities and requirements of the role, as well as the skills and qualities needed for success
• the value of creating job postings that describe the ideal person rather than just listing duties and responsibilities
• the personal approach that female leaders often bring

Takeaways

• Sales hiring mistakes can be costly, with expenses exceeding two to three times the salesperson's salary.
• Behavior is a crucial factor in sales success, and accountability is key
• Sales managers play a vital role in training and holding salespeople accountable.
• Phone calls are still an effective sales tool, as many salespeople have abandoned this method.
• Training salespeople can be more challenging than raising children, as many salespeople are not coachable and resistant to change.
• Common hiring mistakes include hiring based on personality, hiring from the same industry, and lacking a structured hiring process.
• Sales onboarding (vs. orientation), training, and coaching are crucial for retaining top sales talent and setting them up for success.
• Assessments provide valuable data to inform the hiring and development process, helping identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Job postings should focus on describing the ideal person rather than just listing duties and responsibilities.
• Female leaders often bring a personal and caring approach to leadership.
• Companies should embrace AI as an opportunity and explore how it can enhance their sales hiring process.

Takeaway Quotes from Brisa Renteria

"No matter how perfect your strategy or how brilliant your marketing or how genuine your focus on the customer, if your sales team can't execute, the rest of it's wasted."
"If I had to choose one, I would say behavior is the most important in sales success." "We want to help the salesperson through the sales leader."
"You have to understand what would it take for someone to be successful in your business."

Check out Brisa's website

LinkedIn: Brisa Renteria and Ed Marsh

Twitter: Ed Marsh

Instagram: Brisa Renteria/Improve Growth and Ed Marsh

YouTube: @ImproveGrowth and @EdMarsh

Show Transcript

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and the Crisis in Sales Execution
02:33 The High Cost of Sales Hiring Mistakes
16:30 The Importance of Behavior in Sales Success
23:34 The Role of Sales Managers in Training and Accountability
28:04 The Journey of an Entrepreneur
33:56 Challenges of Training Salespeople
38:03 Common Hiring Mistakes
46:23 Importance of Onboarding, Training, and Coaching
49:49 Using Assessments in Hiring and Development
56:09 Helping Salespeople through Sales Leaders
59:08 Understanding Success in Your Business
01:03:00 The Impact of AI in Sales Hiring
01:09:19 Balancing Business and Personal Life
01:15:49 The Five Interview Questions Companies Miss
01:22:30 Improving Sales Hiring to Change Your Business

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