Finding talent right now is hard, and those difficulties are well documented. But when it comes to hiring sellers, some companies making it even harder on themselves.

The problem? Hiring sellers is simply a completely different – and unique – challenge from any other position in your organization. There are three obstacles that only exist in the selling role that get in the way. Unfortunately, traditional methods of hiring aren’t going to overcome them, and can actually make things worse.

Understanding the way that sellers think and act can lead to finding better applicants and making fewer hiring mistakes. Here are the three unique obstacles:

1. No Other Position Is Designed for a Fight
Other positions in your company have challenges to overcome. But no other position is expected to deal with others actively working against them.

Sellers must compete for business. They see everyone around them as competition, and they expect you, as employer, to see it that way, too.

One recent candidate was approached by a company that offered enormous commissions based on the second and third sales, after a small initial purchase. The problem? Those follow-on sales were the responsibility of an inside team, not the seller being hired.

When you’re constantly observing the world around you trying to take away your sale, that’s an unattractive offer. Despite potential on-target earnings in the high six figures, the candidate didn’t even ask for the interview.

“They can dream up those numbers all they want,” she said, “But it just doesn’t work like that. I’m not putting my income in someone else’s hands.”

2. No Other Position Is Designed to Be Ignored
Most positions get lots of feedback. Work is subject to review. Customers let you know what they think. One of the main functions of management is to let people know how they’re doing and enabling them to do better.

Sellers? Not so much. When they miss the mark, they’re met with silence. That may sound like an attractive proposition, but imagine a world in which self-improvement is largely left entirely up to you, alone. Doesn’t sound so great now, does it?

In fact, the internet has fundamentally changed selling. No longer do prospects need information early on in the sale. It’s made buyers ignore salespeople until the very end of their journey. They only engage after they’ve done all their research on their own.

This is why big offers alone don’t attract high-quality sellers. To the candidate, every dollar is the same, but not every earning opportunity is. Without the right tools and structure in place, they’re left on an island. There’s too much to figure out and not enough time to hunt down business.

To employers, offers without this structure can be seen as “Lots of freedom.” But to the candidate, it seems like the employer is relying on them to figure everything out. That’s unattractive, especially in a world where they’re already ignored more and more.

3. No Other Position Is All In Its Head
Think about the interview most of the people in your company had, before they were first hired. Their manager almost certainly was looking for either formal education or years of experience in order to consider them for the job.

Not sellers.

The vast majority started selling at some point in their career without any formal education, and with little experience. And that’s a problem, because unlike other professionals, whose work you can point to and say “that’s incorrect” with selling, it’s different.

The soft-skill nature of selling, combined with very little formal education, creates a space in which self-limiting beliefs can come into play. Hiring companies who don’t understand these hurdles are doomed to making bad hires more often.

The Costs Are Too High to Miss
The cost of missing a sales hire is so much higher than in any other position. They command some of the highest salaries in the organization. When they miss deals, those opportunities don't come back around. the worst hires can even damage reputations.

A bad hire in management could cost a company tens of thousands. A bad hire in sales could cost that same company hundreds of thousands – or more.

Yet time and time again, companies are tossing up We’re Hiring posts and expecting their revenues to improve in six months or less.

The best sellers are already working somewhere else. They’re not looking for new roles. And employers who can’t understand their world aren’t going to get their attention. Instead, those employers are going to attract the wrong kind of talent that won’t move the needle.

If you want to hire the best sellers, you have to understand the reality they’re facing. Show them how you’ll help them compete. Show them how you’ll prepare and equip them. Search for the ones with the right mentality it takes to earn deals.

This is the only way to make certain you don’t bear the cost of a bad hire in sales, one where neither employer nor employee are enjoying their brief time together.

Sara Wesche is the Director of Customer Enablement for Revenue Path Group, where she helps B2B sales companies develop their seller and business development talent and equip their teams to sell the way modern prospects buy.

Cleveland-based Schill Grounds Management extends its reach throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia with its acquisition of Louisville, Ohio, based Enviroscapes, creating one of the Midwest's largest landscaping and snow management companies.

And anecdotally, this is the first M&A deal between two Snow Magazine/ASCA Leadership Award recipients, with SGM's Jerry Schill receiving the award in 2011 (CLICK HERE to read Jerry's profile) and Enviroscapes Founder and CEO Todd Pugh in 2018 (CLICK HERE to read Todd's profile).

According to the companies, Pugh will maintain an ownership stake in the combined company and will serve as SGM's market president in the Akron/Canton region and will be responsible for expanding SGM's customer base and service area throughout the Upper Midwest. SGM will continue to operate under the Enviroscapes brand in the Akron/Canton and western Pennsylvania markets.

“I have enormous respect for what Todd and the Enviroscapes team have built and the reputation they have earned in the industry,” Schill said. “I’m excited that, after many years of professional collaboration, we can finally come together as partners in building a best-in-class company serving customers well beyond our Ohio roots.”

“The team and I are excited to formalize the partnership with Schill that has existed for many years," Pugh added. "I look forward to working alongside Jerry to create new opportunities across the region. Jerry’s energy and passion for the industry are contagious, and I’m confident our combined platform will have incredible opportunities for growth."

Enviroscapes compliments Schill's other recent acquisitions, which include Ward + Thornton Landscapes in Cincinnati; Fredericks Landscaping in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky; the Ohio Valley Group in Cleveland; and McCoy Landscape Services in Marion, Ohio.

Frank Ross and Jeff Harkness of Three Point Group represented Enviroscapes in the transaction.

Mike Zawacki is editor of Snow Magazine.

Toro is bringing to market a new commercial-grade utility vehicle that professional snow and ice contractors may want to check out for their winter ops.

The Workman UTX, according to Toro, is built for work, not recreation, and it's versatility and durability set it apart from other UTVs when it comes to snow and ice management, as well as landscaping and other maintenance type duties.

© Toro

The UTX's 4-wheel drive vehicle uses a proprietary ground speed governing system, meaning its ground speed and RPM are not directly connected, allowing the manager to limit the speed of the machine without gutting the power. This system allows for the perfect amount of power to be applied to the job, no matter the desired ground speed. This can mean lower RPMs, and with it lower fuel consumption and sound, or higher RPMs for more power to push snow or haul a heavy load.

Like a full-sized vehicle, The Workman UTX is road-ready with standard turn signals, brake lights, hazards, LED headlights, and a horn. It also comes ready for snow removal with an integrated BOSS plow mount and a corrosion resistant spray-in bed liner. An all-weather cab with heat and air conditioning are available to keep operators comfortable while executing winter snow and ice duties.

© Toro

Toro's Workman UTX is available with gas or diesel power and in configurations with room for two or four passengers, ideal for managing crews around larger properties.

Push button 4-wheel drive and selectable front and rear differentials give operators piece of mind whether they're traversing fine turf or plowing through deep snow.

 

Mike Zawacki is editor of Snow Magazine.

Doosan Bobcat recently unveiled its new, first-of-its-kind, all-electric Bobcat T7X compact track loader, offering snow and ice contractors the full benefits of eliminating hydraulic systems, components, emissions and vibrations – all while providing cleaner, quieter machines.

The introduction of the Bobcat T7X begs the question of whether professional snow and ice management contractors are ready to begin converting their fleets of diesel guzzling loaders over to the more sustainable electric models? The T7X's benefits, though, may prove to make this decision an easy one for snow pros once more snow-and-ice-based attachments are developed and made available.

The Bobcat T7X is fully battery-powered, built to be more productive from the ground up with electric actuation and propulsion, quieter with high-performance torque and more powerful than any diesel-fueled track loader that has ever come before it – all while eliminating carbon emissions.

"This machine is a technological feat for Bobcat and for the entire industry," said Joel Honeyman, vice president of global innovation at Doosan Bobcat. "We challenged the status quo to deliver a connected, all-electric machine designed for power and performance that previously was not possible. We are excited to share this advancement with the world and proud of the hard work that has gone into making this a reality.”

© Doosan Bobcat

The announcement, which took place at CES 2022, highlights the advanced technology built into the T7X.

For example, in addition to operating with zero emissions, reduced sound levels, limited vibrations and lower daily operating costs, the Bobcat T7X has electric actuators and motors, so it uses only one quart of eco-friendly coolant compared to 57 gallons of fluid in its diesel/hydraulic equivalent model.

The all-electric platform enables instantaneous power and peak torque available at every operating speed, and the operator no longer must wait for the standard hydraulic system to build up power.

The T7X also significantly lowers daily operating costs for snow and ice professionals, when considering the reduction in annual maintenance costs and elimination of diesel, engine oil, diesel exhaust fluid and hydraulic parts.

At the heart of the T7X is a powerful 62KW lithium-ion battery from technology partner Green Machine Equipment. While applications vary, each charge can support common daily work operations and the use of intelligent work modes for up to four hours of continuous operation time and a full day of operation during intermittent use. The intelligence of the power management system is programmed to sense when loads are increasing, automatically backing off power when not needed to preserve the total energy use and extend the machine’s runtime.

While the new T7X is eco-designed, it is also a smart machine featuring the software connectivity via two-way telematics communications. The platform provides integral data about the performance of the machine, along with operator-focused data to change machine preferences, tune the performance to certain job situations and upgrade product features. This includes variable drive speed at full torque and other features not possible with a diesel hydraulic machine.

To accompany the T7X, Bobcat will also introduce the world’s first all-electric attachments to empower the machine for specific tasks. The first to be developed include an electrically-powered auger to dig holes, an angle broom to sweep clean and a grapple to grab and hold materials.

In addition, Bobcat announced a strategic partnership with South Carolina-based Sunbelt Rentals, a leading rental equipment company in North America with more than 1,025 locations. Through this partnership, Sunbelt Rentals committed to a significant investment in a large fleet of Bobcat T7X all-electric compact track loaders and electric compact excavators in North America, which will be co-branded and made available in 2022 and beyond.

Sunbelt Rentals will be the first national equipment rental company to adopt Bobcat’s battery-electric technology and make it available to customers.