How To Use Linkedin To Source And Hire Sales Managers?

Hey there, fellow recruiters and HR professionals! Are you struggling to find the right sales manager for your team? Look no further than LinkedIn! As one of the most powerful networking platforms out there, LinkedIn can be a goldmine for sourcing and hiring top sales talent.

In this blog, we'll take a deep dive into the world of LinkedIn recruiting, and give you some tips and tricks for using the platform to find and hire the perfect sales manager for your organization. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and get ready to become a LinkedIn recruiting pro!

The Role of a Sales Manager

A sales manager of any organization is that unsung hero who is responsible for leading and motivating a team of salespeople to achieve their targets and exceed expectations. These folks are the backbone of a successful sales team and play a critical role in driving revenue and growth.

They're the ones who set sales goals, develop strategies, and create action plans to ensure that the team is on track to meet their targets.

But it's not just about setting targets and making plans - a great sales manager is also a mentor and coach to their team. They provide guidance, support, and feedback to help their salespeople develop their skills and improve their performance.

In short, the sales manager is the glue that holds the sales team together. They're the ones who keep everyone motivated, focused, and working towards the same goals. Without them, the sales team would be like a ship without a rudder - drifting aimlessly with no clear direction or purpose.

Best Tips to Source Sales Managers

• Make a Keyword-driven Search Strategy

The first and foremost step to source and hire sales managers via LinkedIn is to create a keyword-driven search strategy. LinkedIn holds a vast pool of candidates and for anyone who is looking to find the relevant candidates should first master the art of keywords. You should know the exact keywords to enter to find that superstar candidate.

It's important to understand that the platform operates on a search engine-like mechanism. This means that the keywords you use will determine the results you get. So, if you're not using the right keywords, you're likely missing out on great potential candidates.

But how do you know which keywords to use? Well, the first step is to really understand the position you're looking to fill. What are the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience required? Once you have a clear understanding of these requirements, you can use them as the foundation for your search.

For example, if you're looking for a software engineer, you might want to use keywords such as "Java," "Python," "JavaScript," "backend development," "database management," and so on. These keywords will help narrow down the search results and ensure that you're only seeing profiles that are relevant to the position you're trying to fill.

• Use Intelligent Filters

Reiterating the fact that LinkedIn is a treasure trove of talent, there are a great number of chances that you’ll be able to find the relevant candidate for your job role in no matter of time. Afterall, 72% of recruiters use LinkedIn to hire candidates, as found in a recent survey.

However, merely visiting the platform and searching for candidates may or may not give you a bunch of qualified candidates. For this, LinkedIn has filters. For example, you can filter by location, industry, experience level, education level, and more. This means that you can quickly and easily find profiles that match your specific criteria, without having to spend hours scrolling through profiles.

One of my favorite filters is the "current company" filter. This allows you to search for candidates who currently work at a specific company. This can be incredibly helpful if you're looking to poach talent from a competitor or if you want to find someone who's already familiar with the industry.

Another great filter is the "past company" filter. This allows you to search for candidates who have worked at a specific company in the past. This can be useful if you're looking for someone who has experience in a specific industry or who has worked for a company that's similar to yours.

The Boolean search on LinkedIn is a great feature that can be used to eliminate all the irrelevant and fluff profiles from the platform. The three Boolean operators that can be used are, “OR”, “AND” and “NOT”. Now, these operators can be understood by the following example – let’s say you are looking for a marketing manager with skills such as content marketing or email marketing but not from finance. For this you can use the Boolean operator in the following fashion – “marketing manager AND content marketing OR email marketing NOT finance.” This will give you a list of candidates that either have content marketing or email marketing skills and do not belong to finance.

Another filter that is best-loved by recruiters is the “open to work” tag on candidates profile. When a user turns on the "Open to Work" tag, a green ring is added around their profile picture, indicating to recruiters and hiring managers that they are currently looking for work. This can be incredibly helpful when it comes to sourcing candidates because it allows you to quickly identify profiles that are actively seeking new opportunities.

But…Where are these LinkedIn filters found?

LinkedIn launched two premium tools LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Recruiter Lite specifically designed for recruiters and hiring managers.

With LinkedIn Recruiter, you can search for candidates using a variety of filters, including job title, location, skills, and more. You can also save searches and set up alerts to be notified when new candidates who match your criteria join LinkedIn.

In addition, LinkedIn Recruiter provides access to InMail, which allows you to send messages directly to candidates, even if you're not connected to them on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is a more affordable version of LinkedIn Recruiter, designed for smaller businesses and teams. It provides many of the same features as LinkedIn Recruiter, but with some limitations on the number of search results and InMail messages you can send.

• Leverage your Company Page

Your company page on LinkedIn can be the golden goose for you when it comes to talent sourcing. According to statistics, 58% of candidates who follow your page are interested in working for you and and there are 81% chances for those followers to reply to your InMail.

You can thus take advantage of those followers and build a robust talent pipeline using them and probably find that stellar sales manager. But the question is, how you make your company page so attractive? Read on to know in detail.

Tips on How to Make your LinkedIn Company Page the Best one

• Optimize your page: Make sure your company page is complete with a clear and concise description of your business, your logo, and a header image that reflects your brand. Use keywords in your page description that relate to your business and industry, which will help you appear in relevant searches.

  
  
  

• Engage with your audience: Share updates, news, and other relevant content on your company page to keep your audience engaged. Respond to comments and messages in a timely manner to show that you value your followers and customers.

  
  
  

• Utilize multimedia: Use images, videos, and other multimedia to make your page more visually appealing and engaging. Share photos of your team or office, and use videos to showcase your products or services.

  
  
  

• Post regularly: Consistency is key when it comes to building an audience on LinkedIn. Make sure to post regularly to keep your followers engaged and informed. A good rule of thumb is to post at least once a week.

  
  
  

• Monitor your analytics: Use LinkedIn's analytics tools to track the performance of your company page. Pay attention to metrics such as engagement rate, follower growth, and post reach to see what's working and what's not, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

• Send Personalized InMails

A hint of personalization is the best sales tactic across every industry, hands down. And hiring a sales manager or for the matter of fact any employee is nothing short of a sales gimmick. Having said that, writing personalized InMails can be a great addition to your sourcing efforts.

A personalized message shows that you've taken the time to research the candidate's profile and understand their background and experience. This can help to build trust and establish a connection, which is crucial when it comes to recruiting top talent.

Some InMail templates that you can pick-up for future references –

• Hi [First Name], I came across your profile and was impressed by your experience in [specific skill or field]. I'm reaching out because I'm currently hiring for a role that I think could be a great fit for you. Would you be interested in learning more about the position?
  
  
• Hi [First Name], I noticed that we share some connections in common and I wanted to reach out to you directly. Your background in [specific skill or industry] caught my attention and I think you could be a great fit for an open role at my company. Would you be interested in connecting to discuss further?
  
  
• Hi [First Name], I saw that you recently updated your profile and wanted to reach out and introduce myself. My company is currently hiring for a [specific role] and I think your experience in [specific skill or industry] could make you a strong candidate. Would you be interested in hearing more about the opportunity?
  
  
• Hi [First Name], I came across your profile and was impressed by your background in [specific skill or industry]. I'm currently hiring for a [specific role] and think your experience could be a great fit. I'd love to set up a call to discuss the opportunity further. Would you be available for a call next week?

And a Bonus….

• Use EasySource

It's possible that despite scrolling through LinkedIn multiple times and applying all the necessary filters, you still may not be able to find the relevant candidates you're looking for. This can be frustrating and time-consuming for recruiters.

That's where EasySource comes in.

EasySource is a comprehensive talent sourcing tool developed by HireQuotient that offers a single platform solution for finding and reaching out to potential candidates. With EasySource, recruiters can simplify their search process and more efficiently find the talent they need.

It is easily available in the form a chrome extension and offers a wide range of filters to source candidates. It also gives outreach automation and workflow customization that makes talent sourcing efficient. The USPs of the tools includeproviding personal emails of the candidates to the recruiters and a feature that helps you identify candidates who have legitimate authorisation to work in the US.

How to Scrutinize a Sales Manager Profile on LinkedIn before Hiring them?

LinkedIn is that one platform where you can check out a candidate's profile and get a glimpse of who they are beyond what's listed on their resume. And when it comes to hiring a sales manager, there are some key metrics and benchmarks you should keep in mind to make sure you're making the right choice. So, let's take a closer look at what you need to consider before you extend that job offer.

• The Performance Metrics: It can be a bit goofy if a sales candidate does not put up their performance metrics in their profile. It could answer questions like – what was their sales quota? What is the highest number of sales they have hit? Did they ever exceed their quota? Answer to these questions through their LinkedIn profile can confirm that they were a superstar employee at their previous organization and can replicate the same at your organization.
  
  
• No Social Presence: It is the 21st century and a social media presence is a must-have for any human being on this planet. It can be alarming if your shortlisted candidate does not have a LinkedIn profile and you should definitely give a thought before hiring that candidate for the sales manager position.
  
  
• Incomplete LinkedIn Profiles: Again, LinkedIn is the life and blood of any working professional and if they do have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile listing all their experiences, certifications and achievements, it could be hint into their careless attitude and not caring much about the job role.
  
  
• The Testimonials: Ah! This is an amazing feature by LinkedIn that gives a sneak-peek into the candidates’s relation-building and people’s skills. If your shortlisted candidate has good testimonials from their colleagues, subordinates and managers, it could be a green flag for the recruiters. However, you should not forget to check the legitimacy of the testimonials as they could be written just for formality and do not have any substance in it.
  
  
• Social Activity: If you're looking to hire a sales manager, checking out their LinkedIn profile is a no-brainer. You can see if they're active in the community, if they like to chat with their colleagues, and if they've got that all-important camaraderie. After all, being a sales manager means they got to have the gift of the gab and a great attitude. So, a lively LinkedIn presence could be a good sign that they've got what it takes.

Over to You

And that's a wrap! We've covered some great tips on how to useEasySource with LinkedIn to source and hire top-notch sales managers. By following these steps, you can improve your chances of finding the right candidate for your business.

Keep in mind that hiring sales managers is a crucial decision for your organization, and taking the time to find the right person is well worth the effort. With the power of LinkedIn at your fingertips, you can streamline your search and increase your chances of making a successful hire.

Happy hiring!