Sales Job Market: Dealers Find it Challenging to Source Account Reps Who Fit their Focus

Trying to wrap one’s head around the national pool for quality account representatives is virtually impossible. The geographic candidate pools go hand in hand with weather patterns—red-hot in some regions, bone-chilling cold in others, and every degree in between.

Much of it depends on how a certain geographic center leans from a vertical standpoint: maybe tech-driven firms dot the landscape, or big-box stores/warehouse dominate. Did a major firm just lay off hundreds of folks? Does the generational makeup skew younger or older? Is the population drifting to neighboring communities or states? Is the candidate pool stagnant? Our next look at the State of the Industry report on sales provides a glimpse into the variables that dealers must traverse in search of the next impact account wunderkind.

There’s a correlation between the evolution of Green Office Partner and the timber of sales candidate it seeks in the employment market. The company expanding portfolio necessitates individuals who are curious, competitive and comfortable learning new technologies, according to co-founder Chris Gallagher. It’s not as much about being an expert in all disciplines from the start, but rather possessing the ability to ask good, probing questions; gaining an understanding of the client’s business and bringing the experts and resources to the table.

“Culture is also a huge part of recruiting for us,” Gallagher noted. “Green Office Partner has been ranked the number-one Best Place to Work in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business for four consecutive years. We’ve worked very hard to build that culture, and it gives us an advantage when we’re talking to talented people about the next step in their careers. We want people who see where this industry is going and are excited about the opportunity to sell much more than a copier.”

The caliber of performer sought by Fraser Advanced Information Systems demands a self-starting persona who can aggressively ferret out business without the need for excessive guidance. As such, the West Reading, Pennsylvania, dealer’s hiring team doesn’t have much margin for error. Michael Macri, vice president of sales operations, feels a more deliberate candidate evaluation process is mandatory.

“[We’re] using behavioral assessments to better understand how someone is likely to sell, work within a team and respond to coaching,” he noted. “We don’t use those assessments as a pass/fail test. They help us ask better questions and get beyond rehearsed interview answers.”

The evaluation process continues after onboarding as well. “We make a significant investment in new salespeople and track their development and results monthly for their first two years. You can’t eliminate the risk of a bad hire, but you can make better hiring decisions and coach people more effectively once they’re on board,” Macri added.

Out in California, GoodSuite has found the job market leaning more towards favoring employers, which dovetails with the dealer’s enhanced recruiting tactics. While the Woodland Hills dealer hasn’t been hiring frequently, the quality of candidate has been “genuinely strong,” notes CEO Dan Strull.

The greater adjustment for the dealer has been the remote team member. “We’ve opened up more remote positions than I’d like, honestly,” he said. “I believe in people being in the same room. But in certain roles, the right person simply isn’t in our ZIP code, and turning down that talent on principle would be the more expensive mistake.”

Technology has impacted the job descriptions in some cases. “AI fluency has moved from a nice-to-have to a real requirement on several of our recent openings,” Strull added.

The hiring pool can often yield mixed-bag results. Take Impact Networking, for example. The Lake Forest, Illinois-based dealer has been fortunate to hire some strong performers with lengthy industry résumés, which enables them to become impact reps in short order. But CEO Mike Lepper notes they’re the minority.

“The vast majority still have a significant ramp time,” he said. “Our sales development program continues to strengthen, and we have added a mid-tier AE group that is hungry and excited to grow into the top-tier level over time with experience and success.”