UCaaS is a growing field, but it is increasingly difficult to find qualified, top-performing salespeople who know the space well. The hiring cycle for UCaaS salespeople comes with a unique set of challenges. Here are 8 things to consider when starting a search for UCaaS salespeople.
Changing jobs means leaving money on the table.
UCaaS salespeople at the top of their game have to hit high quotas every month and every year. It takes a lot of sustained hard work to close deals. When a salesperson begins the interview process, they have to do complicated calculations to figure out whether their new compensation package will cover the money they are leaving on the table at their current job. Additionally, new sales do not start coming in right away, and a salesperson has to consider how much money they may lose in commissions before they start closing deals at a new job.
The new (or old) non-compete is often very strict.
They may have a very restrictive non-compete agreement in place with their current company that discourages them from changing companies and hurting their future prospects. For the same reason, they may be wary of a strict non-compete offered during the interview process. A smart hiring manager knows that a skilled UCaaS salesperson wants to make a career move, not a job change, and will take their future development into account.
They do not want to let their clients down.
With the long sales cycle, top talent gets very involved with clients, which makes it harder to leave the company. In many cases, these salespeople have spent years cultivating thriving business relationships and earning the trust of their customers. When a salesperson leaves a job and has to sever existing business relationships due to a non-compete agreement, it can feel like they are letting them down.
They receive calls every day from recruiters.
It is difficult to pitch an opportunity to a UCaaS salesperson that is a better opportunity than they’ve already heard. Many recruiters do not understand the industry well and do not take time to adequately review the pros and cons of the opportunity.
They are compensated well.
In addition to leaving commission money on the table, UCaaS salespeople are compensated well in their base salaries, making a move that much harder. They know their market value and have a keen idea of the market and what kind of quotas they are able to hit.
Learning a new set of UCaaS products and services can be difficult.
Unified communications customers expect their salespeople to be experts in the products and services they sell. These products sometimes have vastly different technical specs, and each company’s product portfolio has dozens of different features.
When coming into a new position, a salesperson has to relearn all of the product features and capabilities, which is difficult and time-consuming.
The industry is experiencing fast growth and frequent M&As.
The UCaaS space is full of mergers and acquisitions, and in addition, the products are changing rapidly as the market grows. While good UCaaS salespeople usually do not need to worry about job security, their industry is full of instability and change.
They do not want to start from scratch again.
A successful salesperson develops a steady pipeline of leads and business relationships. Finding fresh leads and nurturing them into business relationships is a long and difficult process. They have to build up a sales funnel once again and will usually need to work hard for at least 3 months just to close the first sale. Since the average UCaaS sales cycle is 6 months or longer, this means their on-target earnings can take a hard hit during the first year of a new job.
Looking to hire UCaaS sales experts? Blue Signal can help. To start with a free consultation, contact us at info@bluesignal.com.
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