The Hunt

You don’t want an average SaaS sales leader on your team. In this economy, average isn’t going to help your business rise above. You need the sort of SaaS sales professional who can direct and coordinate sales efforts, turning vanilla software into mint-chocolate-cookie-dough-with-graham-cracker-sprinkles solutions for your clients. Writing a SaaS Sales Manager job description requires a thoughtful approach.

But how do you find an actual wizard and not a birthday party magician when listing a job on the internet creates a cattle call effect, making an energy-draining and time-consuming process of weeding out those gifted, talented, and hardworking top performers from a herd of ordinary?

No business owner wants to hire the wrong person for the job. Deciding on a recruiting method, whether it be internal recruiting or seeking an external search firm, can be daunting with the amount of choices available.  In the end, hiring the wrong person can cost a company thousands of dollars in wages and training time.

It’s a process

Finding the best candidates requires setting exact minimum qualifications. Dig deep and make these as specific as possible. Successful descriptions incorporate the same criteria later used for employee evaluations directly into the recruiting tool, “demonstrated customer retention” or “closed x amount of sales of over $1MM in the last three months,” for example.

It’s also critical to focus on what makes a SaaS sales professional stand out in the crashing waves of potential resumes. A clear vision of ideal traits whittles down the pool of applicants. A SaaS sales manager skill set includes the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, the ability to meet high goals, and the ability to work under pressure. While these terms are serviceable, if you’re looking for the precise fit for your corporate culture, perhaps reaching outside the standard into more descriptive terms will allow you to reach above the usual suspects. According to Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) , carefully crafted job descriptions are effective for hiring, new employee orientations, evaluating performances, disciplining and planning for future growth.

Think about ways to show your culture and to attract only the best qualified applicant pool:

• “Fast-paced environment” translates to “keep pace with our customers as they run sprints” or “move as fast as the Amtrak train serving as your office today.”
• “Meet high goals” transforms into “loves overachieving,” “not satisfied with second place,” or “accomplishing things other people fear putting on their to-do lists.”
• “Work under pressure” turns into “leverages time effectively” and “thrives at efficiency and rapid deadlines.”

Use concrete and visual terms for minimum qualifications:

• “Customer retention skills” stated as “creates clients for life” or “demonstrates sales converted to repeat sales”
• “Ten years management experience” speaks more clearly to actual business goals as “creating teams and solving problems for a minimum of 10 years”

While these examples won’t work for everyone, they do show you some ways to reach the desirable, seasoned SaaS sales manager who is looking at many similar job descriptions. Ultimately, writing a strong job description in your search ad sets the tone for quick and accurate candidate identification. Pull your intimate understanding of your business needs and imagination as you write.

Market and brand your company too

According to LinkedIn research, 75% of job seekers research a company’s reputation before applying.  A negative review on Glassdoor or a disgruntled employee rant on social media can sway a candidate to look elsewhere. You need to find ways to brand your company. 

If you find this process a little intimidating, you’re not alone. Artemis Consultants will help you navigate this and other search processes, utilizing our expertise in matching high-quality talent and corporate needs. Our team would be happy to assist you with your executive search. Contact us for more information and assistance.