Proactive recruiting builds successful teams

As a Citadel graduate, one of my favorite traditions is speaking once a year at the Citadel Sales Club.

The club usually has about 50 cadets and organizes monthly sessions with grads coming back to campus to share knowledge. The meetings offer cadets opportunities to learn directly from sales professionals and can help in networking and potentially securing their first job.

Sharing the lessons I’ve learned along the way is something I love to do. From a selfish perspective, it’s also an excellent chance to scout for talent who could work for my company or who I could recommend to my clients. This on-campus approach advocates active engagement rather than “waiting for the resumes to come in.”

I coach companies on the importance of spending the time to find the best reps for the team instead of trying to change the wrong ones. Just like a sports team, having the best players makes all the difference. Take Phil Jackson’s NBA championships in Chicago and Los Angeles. Sure, he is a great coach, but his greatest move was choosing to coach the teams with some of the best players.

That is the kind of advantage business owners should be working to achieve with better recruiting.

Beyond just filtering resumes on Indeed or other platforms, I encourage taking a proactive approach. Volunteer to teach a sales or marketing class, invite career counselors for lunch or speak at club events. Such involvement can lead to a more refined selection of candidates since you’re engaging directly and not just sifting through online applications. Get involved on your local campus and find the sales talent before your competition does.

Building a successful sales team requires a blend of scouting talent and nurturing potential. By stepping out into the field and connecting with prospects in person, you can often find gems you may miss otherwise. Proactive engagement is essential for building a world-class team in any field.

This was originally posted on The Upstate Business Journal.