The unemployment rate has been hovering around 4%, and too many companies don’t fully understand how this translates to their business. To me it, that you need your salespeople more than they need you.

The best salespeople, or the ones that are considered “A” salespeople, are in extremely high demand. Ultimately they don’t need your job. Most of the best ones are usually happily employed, and are making 6 figures a year.  With this in mind, why is it that companies aren’t doing more to try and woo “A” talent?

I commonly make the comparison between hiring and dating. It isn’t just about whether you like the person as this line of thinking is very one sided. Instead, both people need to be sold on each other. Despite this reality, companies hiring processes do not reflect this way of thinking.

Candidates are made to jump through hoops, and tasked with the responsibility of “selling” the company that might hire them. Employers enter the hiring process with the attitude of, “This candidate needs to show me why they want the job.”  However, I don’t believe that this should be the approach. Companies should consider the perspective of, “I need to show them that I want them and what we have to offer.”

This shift in perspective can make the difference when trying to hire talented employees, especially in the realm of sales. With the current demand on sales talent, you’re not going to find great salespeople without considering what you have to offer them. This is a two way street, and business owners should remember that, especially right now.

One of my clients recently complimented our firm and our ability to get some amazing candidates hired. I told them that although we’re able to get them in the door, it’s up to the potential employer to decide what to do with them after that. This client of mine has an amazing ability to make every candidate feel wanted and special.  Although we will take some credit for finding the right candidates, a lot of our success is based off of our client being so exceptional and getting people excited about working at their company.

The ability to make a potential employee feel welcome and valued goes a long way.  Low performing salespeople might not have choices of where to work but good salespeople do.  Just remember that if you want them on your team, you need to sell them even more than they’re selling you.