E_Money

💰

Hiring sales people with no sales experience

Some of the best SDRs I have hired came from education, marketing (I know, I know... hear me out), radio, even fast food.

I think soft skills are so important and often overlooked. Hiring managers and recruiters require X number of years experience in XYZ or a degree in whatever, but I think they are closing themselves off to potentially hungry high-performing talent.

What are some of the best non-sales industries to recruit sales people from in your opinion?

OR tell me I am full of shit and why you think I am wrong.

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98 comments

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buckets1

Politicker

Easy. Hire SDRs from the service industry. Getting yelled at over the phone is a massive upgrade from getting yelled at in person.

Beans

Big Shot

Enterprise Account Executive

Cannot echo this enough.

The soft skills are so well developed all you need to do now is ingrain the product and process that wins internally.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

very well said

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Oh yeah, very accurate.

JECU

Opinionated

Account Manager / Co-Founder

For sure. When I worked at a dealership in service, you got the yelled at eye to eye. Phone is sooo much easier.

sugardaddy

Politicker

🍬

Haha!

kitchennightmares

Contributor

Line Cook

Man oh man...

Food industry here, I just want more money and not making a little above minimum wage.

Rolyat94

Realtor

Agreed! I have had about 12 interviews, and I’ve gotten turned down on everything. I was in the service industry for seven years. It is really discouraging, one of the jobs that I had an interview for. I’m still waiting to hear back on, and the man that I interviewed with told me that I would do great in this role because of how long I was in the service industry.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Not really an industry but hiring anyone thats been an athlete and played competitive sports have been killers for me. Super competitive and tend to take feedback very well.

UserNotFound

Politicker

Account Executive

I hate this. Every male I know that played competitive sports in college thinks college athletes are the only ones worth hiring. Not that that’s what you’re conveying here, it’s just a sore spot for me because I’m the least coordinated person with zero interest in sports- but I’m a god damn killer and would absolutely get overlooked by anyone looking to hire an athlete.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

I didnt mean to strike a cord here and not saying I only hire athletes. Definitely not implying others can win in sales either. Just sharing my experience and answering the OPs question.

UserNotFound

Politicker

Account Executive

Yeah, no I get it and I know that's not what you were saying... I've just been through so many conversations with mid-30's white males who say 'hire athletes, they're born competitors' blah blah blah that it's become a sore spot. Lol.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I've worked with a lot of these guys. It's true, they do make very competitive reps. They're also a super PIA to deal with when they start, frankly. Every one of them just KNOWS he's Plat Club year 1.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Ya they can be super high maintenance for sure. But top performers almost always are.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Well, I've never been their manager, only their colleague, so my input is just that they are generally not great in any team setting at all, so team meetings can be painful. Don't get me started about after-hours group sessions... I'm overgeneralizing, but it is based on years of experience, watching the young guns come in year after year.

I've seen them have 1-2 really good years, provided they have learned how to listen to at least their manager/AVP, who can coach them in how to listen to the customer (most important). Those who don't/won't listen end up hopping ship quickly.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Love this conversation. I definitely agree that college athletes do not always equal good sales people and that athletes are highly overrated as easy hires for those roles HOWEVER I will say that there is some truth to their coach-ability as well

Panda4489

Politicker

Head of Some Shit

I'll be honest here. I'm a former collegiate athlete. But I was never the D1 super star. And even as a former outside linebacker it bothered my coaches I wasn't the super loud prototypical linebacker personality... As such. I've avoided companies like Verkada that make it a mission to hire former athletes. I hate the bro culture bullshit that comes along with it. Soft skills are so much more important to me than being ridiculously competitive, testosterone driven, A types.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

And to that point, my comment was totally directed at the Verkada type of rep, not the kind of athlete that has the workable skills the coachable kind of athlete has.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

I 100% agree with everything you two mentioned. Verkatha is turning into Gong in some ways.

Panda4489

Politicker

Head of Some Shit

I much prefer a Gong rep! At the very least they are pleasantly annoying hahaha... I've had 3 separate conversations with "leadership" at Verkada and it's just gross l vibes I don't know how else to explain it

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Lets not get out of hand here but ya Verkada throws some old school zenefits vibes out there big time

Panda4489

Politicker

Head of Some Shit

Lmao that's the most accurate description to date

LordBusiness

Politicker

Chief Revenue Officer

I think saying "competitive sports" is being a bit to narrow and candidly cliche and brotastic. One of the key contributors I look for in a hire is whether the candidate was so passionate about something, that they reached a level that required sacrifice and tough decisions. It doesn't have to be "college athlete", it could be "first chair in an orchestra", "lead in off broadway play", "Made it to the world competitive cheerleading championships". its not about "what" they did, its about what they were willing to sacrifice to get to a high level of that thing. I completely agree with @UserNotFoundthough, this happens way too often.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

@LordBusiness honestly if they are successful in theater like one of your examples above, I bet they would MURDER on the sales floor. No stage fright making calls, can memorize a script, and can fake being happy even when they are dying inside. Love that.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Definitely true

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

Sales people should be curious and willing to help. Anything else can be taught.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Couldn't agree more

sugardaddy

Politicker

🍬

Indeed!

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

I was a bartender before getting into sales (in an SDR-type role) and had experience coaching lacrosse, skiing, swimming, etc. I knew how to talk to people and how to get them to move forward with something as simple as a drink or as complex as a 50-session pack of lessons for the season.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Bartending is FULL of those soft skills I am talking about. And honestly the service industry in general

Jbeans

Opinionated

Director of Sales

Fully agree. Two of our top people came from the food/ service industry . Amazing people skills, can handle multitasking and stress extremely well.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I think hiring from the food server/bartender group is a great idea. They know how to make people comfortable, key into what they need/want. The best can upsell seamlessly and they can all prioritize and manage time wisely. People skills are a must.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Hey we all need to start somewhere. I like that you are open to it!

Woody

Politicker

Business Development Executive

I recommend hiring for desperation when recruiting SDRs. If you're going to develop as an outbound sales person you're going to suffer untold emotional trauma on the way. You need to be desperate to succeed and have limited other options for that to work out.

I'd look for a young man who hasn't completed his degree but has 3-4 years of student debt, no marketable skills besides manual labor, lives on his own in a studio apartment in the bad part of town, and has recently impregnated his girlfriend.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Wow very specific and... kind of dark...

Woody

Politicker

Business Development Executive

My real story is worse, I couldn't even get a girlfriend.

UserNotFound

Politicker

Account Executive

I always say hire someone from banking (my background). People yell at you for their mistakes, accuse you of theft, and you have to go through it all with a smile and ask if they’d like to consider a personal, auto, or home loan after all that. Brutal.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Ah I've never considered banking, I guess because there is already so much money in it (perceived at least) and it seems pretty air tight from the outside

UserNotFound

Politicker

Account Executive

The only people in banking making great money are the C-Suite and the top commercial lender in the geography. Otherwise, it's prime hunting.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Oh this is very good to know! thanks

Fletch

Opinionated

Full-Time AE/Side-Hustle Owner

Not sure if it’s been posted yet, but writers can be fantastic salespeople due to their natural gift for communication. We hired a talented writer with no sales experience and he was top rep in his second month.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Oh wow I never thought of that, but it makes so much sense. MASSIVE soft skills in writing

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Soft skills are key, and it's great to see this consideration.

I got my start in retail sales during high school, combined that with those soft skills and business school and here we are.

Really like the idea of fast food/service for SDR's because of the amount of shit they take though. @buckets1

buckets1

Politicker

All the service/fast food folks in my SDR start class ramped incredibly quickly. No fear of the cold call. I worked some pretty shitty jobs in HS/college but none involved service so cold calling was a bit more of an adjustment for me.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

I was fortunate to have pretty good PT jobs until I after university, so didn't face much adversity. Lifeguarding (and in-office ops) in nice pools weren't bad, and then selling bikes, snowboards, and clothes to super rich people worked out well.

Didn't even face too much snobbery/douchiness from those folks , thankfully.

sellingsellssold

Politicker

SDR

I think anyone who is willing to work hard and can take feedback and apply it will be great at sales. You do not need a background or education in sales at all to be successful.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Taking feedback is so important. I think there's a misconception that if you're good at sales you have to be the loudest and biggest personality in the room. But in reality you have to be able to adapt and take feedback back well, which is so hard to teach.

FattySnacks

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

I was hired as an SDR from being a personal trainer. A lot of my soft skills transferred over incredibly well. The areas I lacked were push back with prospects and customers. Service industry folks tend to be more people pleasing, at least from my experience.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yeah a good buddy of mine was a Crossfit instructor and killed it on the sales floor. Good with people and knew how to have difficult conversations in a constructive way. Priceless skill.

AnchorPoint

Politicker

Business Coach

Attitude and desire are the keys. Sales can be learned.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Very true, but where do we find the people with that attitude and desire is the question

cw95

Politicker

Sales Development Lead

I've found the majority of people I know that kill it in sales are simply from an academic background with no experience in sales at all.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yup exactly, but still so underrated!

Mobi85

Politicker

Regional Sales Manager

Service industry in general has done well, also have had some decent success with call center customer service that are required to do both inbound/outbound. Lastly anyone that has been in the collections industry, their souls have already been taken and have no issues with calling people continuously over and over.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Collections? Never considered that one actually. Will have to look into that

Mobi85

Politicker

Regional Sales Manager

Yea, they are used to pounding the phone, using a CRM and used to having a goal/quota to drive towards.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Damn sounds perfect

MyAnonymousName

Opinionated

Sales Leader

I was a Junior High Teacher/Coach for 4 years before someone gave me a shot at being an SDR.

You learn real quickly how to communicate complex ideas simply, that powerpoints are shit, if you talk too long no one listens, and dealing with parents is 100X worse then getting yelled at on the phone or hung up on.

O and also I cut my hours by at least half and have quadrupled my income in 5 years.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yessss I love hiring teachers/coaches

whathaveyousoldtomorrow

Opinionated

sales

Likability is a huge indicator.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

100%

TheIncarceration

Politicker

SDR Manager

I've seen a lot of great SDRs that come from banking (teller or personal banker) and bartending!

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yeah bartending and servers is a big one!

sugardaddy

Politicker

🍬

Hey man! I'm from bartending! ;-)

MCP

Valued Contributor

Sales Director

I don’t know, but I recently saw where a lawyer with 0 sales experience was touted for becoming the VP of sales for a company that sells shit to lawyers. I’ve seen companies that sell pharmtech have sales teams loaded top to bottom with career pharmacists, so I guess based on these two areas, getting someone from within the targeted industry could potentially work.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Very true, for those industry specific products having someone with lots of experience in that one industry must be priceless and whether they have sales experience or not, they know what those people want (because they are one of them)

dworkdaddy31

Politicker

Account Executive

At my company, the best BDRs have come from non-sales backgrounds. The top performers were all career switchers and outperformed the other BDRs that had pervious sales experience. I think that people with previous work experience will go the extra mile because they want to stand out in this new career switch!

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Very true and I would argue they are way more open to feedback/coaching. Whereas people who already have sales experience tend to stay in their boxes of what they think works best.

ATX_Seller

Opinionated

Cat Herder

It's less about industry for me and more about interviewing for curiosity, coachability, and grit.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

I always look for curiosity in my interviews. Not just did you look at our website for 5 seconds before talking to us, but what questions do you have about our product?

dwightyouignorantsale

Politicker

Account Executive

Bartenders and servers are the best. Not only do they talk to people all day and feel comfortable doing so, they are generally very trainable. Being trainable is, in my opinion, the best “skill” you can get in a new hire. They also have a keen sense for where they should and should not spend their time; another important skill to have in sales. They usually know where the biggest tips are going to come from and what they need to do in order to get that tip.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

A good buddy of mine came from bartending/serving in some of the busiest restaurants in the city I live. He adapted to the sales role VERY quickly and like you say was very trainable. Made me look for people like that when I am recruiting for sure.

ventox35

Politicker

Sales Leader

anyone who's worked in retail or any job where they've had to deal with customers face to face. they deal with difficult people and develop good soft skills that translate well.

athlets are definitely good as well.

soft skills are incredibly important. emotional intelligence, tonality in how they speak with people, coachability, so many others.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Couldn't agree more on the soft skills. I haven't had any experience hiring people from retail, but it makes sense.

Especially if they work in a commission type of role- I love walking into a Nordstrom and getting the onslaught of in person pitches. lightens my heart to see them hustling out there irl

RedLightning

Politicker

Mid-Market AE

At the SDR level, hire for the things you can't teach.

Growth mindset, hustle, & willingness to fail are all good indicators of a great SDR/BDR

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Willingness to fail is a great one and not talked about too much.

RedLightning

Politicker

Mid-Market AE

I think it's important for any salesperson.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

100%

Kirby

Politicker

Sales Representative

I briefly worked at one of those sales bootcamps, and I noticed that the best people were previously bartenders (soft skills), in the military (discipline), or people who had that powerful combination of smart + rough background + tons of motivation.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yeah a friend of mine who is still in sales started in the military. Took feedback like no one else, got his shit done, early and correctly, and always showed up on time. Fantastic set of skills

BdubSE

Opinionated

Global Manager - Sales Enablement

A couple of my best EVER SDR's had ZERO experience. One was from Costco, one was a bartender, one worked at a butcher shop and started as an SDR intern. All top performers. Athletes with no experience always made great reps, too.

To be honest, sometimes it was better working with a blank canvas! Not always, though.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

I will choose blank canvas over someone who is confident in their "experience" any day! Way easier to coach/train to an open mind

EQSales

Opinionated

VP of Sales

i think sdr/bdr is where you take these risks. doing so with people who have never sold in tech and their first job is closing is a risky proposition that gets riskier the more complex and technical the sale.

In regards to best BDR ppol not from tech, recruitment hands down. people skills, activity machines, PG for a living

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Yeah Recruitment is a grind. The NYC of cold calling "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!"

AIDA

Executive

Business Development Manager

Sporting background for sure. Those that have been competitive to a decent level.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

I mean it's been said, but slippery slope here if you're only considering sport's background.

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Just people that know what a grind is. That’s why there are a lot of athletes in sales

Teachertosales

Educator

As a former educator trying to transition into sales, I agree that the soft skills we posses translate well into a career in sales. Particularly relationship building, organization, and communication.

E_Money

Big Shot

💰

Exactly!

LAStartupGuy

Member

VP of Sales

I agree - oftentimes companies overlook great talent by insisting they have already been in sales or need experience in a specific industry. While sales experience is excellent, and industry experience is also great to have, I look for people that are smart, driven, inquisitive, trustworthy, and articulate. I can teach them sales skills, and can also teach them what they need to know about an industry. I've found great success hiring people with backgrounds in customer service, accounting (yes, accounting), staffing & recruiting, and even acting.

Companies that insist their new hires have all the soft skills, as well as sales skills and industry experience probably don't have a clue how to train, coach or mentor their team. Or maybe they are a little lazy.

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Hiring sales people with no sales experience

98 comments

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Question for sales leaders who have recruited and hired people

To hiring managers. Why in the hell are companies asking for college degrees for sales positions.

Hiring a sales person!