Certainly, learning about a competitor’s misfortunes is a ‘GO’ signal to recruit their reps, but you’re not the only savvy recruiter setting up Google alerts or tracking ticker symbols. This is the first way you lose out, because you’re run the risk of becoming just one of the vultures pouncing on the fallen prey. It is more difficult to differentiate yourself and your opportunity when part of a horde and thus your close ratios drop, and the amount of effort increases as you try to jockey for position.

Rainmakers are the LAST salespeople an employer is going to mess with. You don’t cut your top producers’ territories – you ADD to them. You don’t reduce their earning opportunities – you find new incentives because they RESPOND to these challenges by DELIVERING. So, you lose again here by taking advantage of situations like you describe because companies will protect their franchise players, leaving you the B and C players to build your team.

I come not to bury this discussion, but to redirect it. So what then?

SalesPEOPLE (and I am one, and a hiring manager to boot) are people, too. As people, we respond to many of the same things that civilians do, albeit with some tweaks (but, hey think of the things you do for a software architect). Dig out your college psych book and review Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, talk to salespeople and dig into what makes them feel self-actualized in their roles.

Once you have a handle on that, look at your client/company to see how many of those things you can find in those sales roles. Then, begin a ‘conversation’ with your targets – in an enewsletter, blog, podcast or other content generated from the company website or the numerous sales sites and blogs around.

If you want to hire the BEST, it’s seldom fast, and never easy. They’re hard to find and cautious to change, if their current employer appreciates them at all. Fear and greed are 90′s motivators and trademarks of the journeyman salesperson. Welcome to the new millenium and salespeople who build businesses and themselves.

Nice article, but I think you are only hitting the tip of the iceberg with passive candidates and what it is that causes them to ‘heat up’. Fear and Greed are definitely motivating factors, but there are many more that do not fall into either category, i.e. challenge. I have recruited hundreds of individuals who were very happy with the amount of money they were making, in fact, would accept less money for a position that challenged them. They were in a very stable company, without any changes going on, so fear wasn’t a factor either. They were simply tapped out energy wise or bored. They could stay in their present position, but after hearing of a new challenging opportunity they actively pursued it. Others get tired of driving 3 hours each way in snow every day and a location closer to home is a strong motivation. And don’t forget Spouses and significant others, they are one of the key reasons an individual will become active from passive with seemingly no other motivation present.

I agree you have to choose the right ‘bait’ and you have to fish where the fish are that you want to catch. Equally important is KEEP THEM ON THE LINE once they are hooked. Too many get away because the recruiter fails to follow through and keep them excited about being on the ‘hook.’

Thanks for the article!

The person that recruited me (no pun intended) stressed that if I didn’t make the move now, I would stay comfortable and then years would have went by in unhappiness. Given that I’m only 3 years out of college and can still make changes in my career without much impact played on the ‘fear’ of losing the ability to be mobile…from a career standpoint, not bodily pain. I think that the approach you are suggesting works when you use terms like fear and greed. Everything we do in life can be broken down into that. But in recruiting top sales professionals, age is definitely going to be a factor in how they pursue opportunities. I was willing to take a pay cut just to have a fresh opportunity in a sales environment where I got the personal satisfaction that the relationship management aspect of recruiting could provide. Obviously someone in their 30′s with a wife and kids is going to see things a bit differently more times than not.

Overall, I think this was a great article. It got me thinking about why I made the move into recruiting. I gotta admit, I love it over here on the dark side!