A business is ready to go up the ladder only when the sales department is in place and it is staffed with the right people. This is even more crucial for a start-up because one wrong decision could create an irreparable dent in your business. Thus, look for people who have a natural ability to sell and market a business and its offerings.

Start small
Start-ups begin with a small team and a modest budget. With early investments in the bank, it's time to expand your team. The sales force is the last team to come on board, probably because, up until then, the founders were still putting together the company. It's always a good idea to hire someone with a little experience, even if yours is a small company.

What to look for in a salesperson
A good salesperson must have 'selling' in their DNA. They should also be willing to learn grow with the company. Since a salesperson is the face of your company, he needs to wield the language with ease, be well-spoken and very well-versed about the company and its offerings. Look at other companies in your space and in colleges for enthusiastic freshers.

Anjana Vivek of Venture Bean Consulting says, "I look for people with a fire in their belly, who are open to unlearning and learning, bring some value to the table and are ready to experiment." Selling is not necessarily door-to-door but a discerning salesperson should know which door to knock on and which opportunity to grab.

Adding value
A salesperson should also be able to add value from the client's perspective and viewed as a credible person. He should know his limitations and your company's limitations and should never make promises he or your company cannot keep. Most importantly, he should be able to create new opportunities with existing clients.

Hire a salesperson who is flexible and can work in sync with the other teams, including the technical team, or you will lose a lot of time training the employee. As for being tech-savvy per se, sales executives must be given a device so they can record sales on the go.

Ability to network
Networking is a core component of business today. Vincent Sunder, founder of Alabos BPO Solutions, reveals, "I am in the back-office operations business, and most of our clients come to us through networking. I have a small team which doubles as a sales force. They constantly talk to people, connect with people they meet outside the office and help develop the business." Hiring people who bring in industry experience is one way of looking at it; hiring people who are tuned into the pulse of the market is the way to the future.

Sorav Jain of Echovme adds, "I am in the business of digital media marketing, and I have a team that is active across social media channels, constantly promoting the business. They sell our business, bring in new business and maintain constant communication. The team is well-versed with technology, how the various channels work and the pulse of the market."

Attitude versus experience
Selling is more than making the right pitch. For a salesperson, the 'right attitude' means driving the front-end of the company forward. Thus, a salesperson must feel as if he is an integral part of the company. He should also be able to come up with strategies and ideas that will give your company an edge over competitors.

Sandeep Komaravelly, Vice-President, Marketing at Snapdeal.com adds, "A salesperson needs to understand our vision and objectives, and work towards achieving them. All the people in our marketing and sales team were handpicked, and represent our brand in its totality."

But do not discount the value of experience. Premith Thomas, HR Senior Executive with Corporate Solutions Redefined feels a salesperson with well-rounded experience is an asset. "It is important for him to have worked in an FMCG company and to be experienced in creating products or market strategies which have fetched results."

Selling is much more complex than ever before. Your sales team must not only have the ability to sell but also be clued in to the market. So, if you have a pile of candidates to run through before you make your choice, it's well worth the time and effort. After all, what good is an innovative idea if you can't get it out there?

smementor@moneycontrol.com