Head of Sales Department: How to Find Your Candidate?

Choosing a Hero

In our time, the position of Head of Sales is filled by people with different life scenarios. Some candidates, to be frank, are unpromising—they aim for the role just to avoid active selling themselves. If you've recognized such a candidate, well done. But this article is not about them, haha.

Are you interested in a competent Head of Sales? They come in different forms: with their own skills, potential, character, and areas for growth. The future profitability of the company depends directly on choosing the right candidate.

We had an interview with Igor, a 32-year-old with 12 years of experience as a Head of Sales (meaning he started managing sales at the age of 20, which is doubtful, but let's assume).

We studied his resume and learned that he changed companies once or twice. We talked and realized that Igor is stagnant. He is not a promising brooding hen. Igor aspires to develop, but he doesn't generate that energy himself. He gets it from young and enthusiastic subordinate managers. (Not to be confused with an energy vampire :) ) Overall, Igor is already a formed product.

Then we had an interview with Yuri, a 25-year-old with 4 years of experience as a sales department manager. A fire burns inside him, but it's not clear yet. You accept them (both Yuri and his spark) and begin to nurture and develop a valuable asset.

Follow this program:

The Head of Sales' earnings heavily depend on the company's earnings.
The strength of a Head of Sales lies in their development. Entrust them to independently organize work: the team, the process, the quality. Just gently correct them.
The current position is not a cell but a trampoline. It leads to other positions and higher ones.

Let's say the foundations of a program already exist in Yuri. Congratulations on your catch. If he has spent about a year or more at each position, it's a good marker. Such a specialist is vertically mobile according to the trend of development.

Conclusion: analyze your basic interest when choosing a new specialist. Unpredictable dynamics or reliable stability. Are you ready to participate in the employee's skill development? No? Then Yuri risks turning into Igor.

The Hero's Journey

What defines a successful Head of Sales? Is it their goal to increase the number of subordinates?

Let's assume Yuri didn't burn out and confidently embarked on a career ladder. Now he is the main character concerned with escalation.

How does it happen? Yuri follows the following program: he takes a position and establishes the process.

Idea – Implementation – Execution Control – Reporting.
Every day, every month, every year.
At a certain point, he reaches a ceiling and moves forward.

Yuri expands until he reaches his "own" upper level. In the meantime, he is just over forty. Behind him, there is a horde of fresh competitors. Well, the limit has been reached. It's time to move on to the next stage.

Yuri remains faithful to our program—he continues to develop.

He starts his own business from scratch based on his own model. Or he develops in familiar territory: becoming a Commercial Director, an Executive, a General Manager.

That's what the journey of an ideal Head of Sales looks like.

How do you recognize them among the throng of wanderers?

Look into their knapsack and check. (Or turn to us, yeah.) The knapsack should contain a treasure trove of eternal questions. For example:

How to manage a team better?
How to recruit people?
Which metrics to use?
How to increase motivation and effectiveness?

The answers to these questions are constantly changing through personal renewal. And that's howit should be. Where there is a Head of Sales, there should also be GROWTH.

That was the most obvious moral lesson you've encountered in your life.

Fostering the fire within,
Senior Pomidor team

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