Sales funnels for hiring people

I have made a video for this: you can watch it here​

So you have a company and a product. You’re selling that product. It’s time to grow, and you need salespeople to do it.

Pretty simple: just like you create a sales funnel that turns strangers into customers, you need to create a recruiting funnel that turns strangers into team mates

There are only two types of funnels in the world. That’s true for sales, it’s true for recruiting.

There are inbound funnels - where prospects come to you.

If you click this link to book a call with me to discuss hiring, you have come inbound to this conversation

There are outbound funnels - where you go to the prospect.

If I message you about hiring, and you reply, and we then book a call, you have come to this conversation via outbound

Both have their pros and cons. And when it comes to hiring for a sales team, both have a time and a place.

Inbound Funnels:

AKA job ads.

They’re easy to run.

They’re pretty cheap (usually sub $100), and in 2024 they’re going to get you a ton of volume.

Pros:

• Fast
• Cheap
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Can’t control quality
• Feast or famine (depending on the market)

Outbound funnels:

This is the standard executive recruiting motion. Although you can use this for talent at any level.

1. Find the profile you like
2. Message people with this profile
3. Fill your pipeline with very good candidates

Pros:

• Higher quality prospects
• Volume is much more manageable

Cons:

• Higher effort to set up
• More expensive to run
• Slower

When should you use an Inbound Funnel?

I like job ads for junior talent (hiring SDRs)

• Want someone bought in on the idea of working in sales
• Most people do not want this
• We are hiring on personality and potential, not experience
• Funnel dynamics naturally cull a lot of the herd

When i don’t use them (Hiring everything else)

• 99% of applicants are unqualified
• The best candidates are not applying via job ads
• More time effective to just go outbound

The two secret to recruiting success

1. Look at lots of profiles
2. Book lots of calls

I was talking with a client recently after sending over a panel of candidates. “These candidates look so much better than the ones than we’ve talked to”.

He’d spoke with 8 candidates in the last 2 months. It was a Tuesday night. I’d spoken with 8 candidates so far that week.

Which is not a criticism of the client at all.

He has 1000 other priorities fighting for his time.

If you’d like to spend your recruiting time with ideal candidates, rather than fighting to work out if the person you’re speaking with is even remotely competent… book time to speak with me​

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