S2E1: Nicole Moberg: The Ironclad Sales Hiring Process
Joining today's conversation is Nicole Moberg, CEO of Thrive Senior Living, as she breaks down the 3 phases of hiring a great sales team: you select us, we select you, and the alignment of expectations.
Nicole uses 5 main elements to guide this decision-making process, such as identifying the core competencies that you require of a sales role, building a bench, using a framework to inform hiring decisions, requiring character references, and using tools like Predictive Index.
Hiring the best salespeople takes more than just HR recommendations. It requires constant work to build your sales network, strategic use of compensation negotiations to finally make an offer, and following a sales success framework. Nicole also shares some red flags sales leaders should watch out for when hiring new talents. Listen now>>
Show notes:
I believe that the fastest way to improve company performance is to improve the talent of the sales team. And whether we want to admit it or not, we want to select mini versions of ourselves.
I always say, “show me your schedule and I'll see the truth because your schedule doesn't lie.”
Other companies may have different names for it, but it's making a very intentional effort to ask the team: If they were to go to battle with one person in their life, from a sales perspective, who would that person be? And it's not just asking once, it's asking over and over and over again.
The job description is really important. I think sometimes we fail just there, how we describe our role at our company. Sometimes it just sounds boring. It sounds corporate. It sounds micro-managing. And so that alone is really important. It's part of building the bench, how you describe your sales role.
We dubbed the term “hunter with a heart” and that's very intriguing to people in this industry. And so that's someone that can sit with people and one of the most difficult times of their lives, but at the same time, help people make a decision.
Building a sales talent bench is having this proactive mentality. Not 24/7, but as one of your priorities as a sales leader or CEO, same thing. No different.
For someone in HR to send a resume is just not a good practice. And that includes reference checks. That should be done by the leader. Not by a recruiter, not someone in HR, but the actual leader for that particular role.
We do have freedom within a framework. I believe very strongly that sales leaders, good salespeople, do not need to be micromanaged, but they need a framework.
Links mentioned in this episode:
About Nicole
Nicole started her career in senior living as Thrive’s first Chief Sales Officer where she inspired a team of passionate sales and marketing leaders while driving strategy for Thrive Senior Living. Most recently, Nicole started combining her love for operations and driving business results, as Thrive’s Chief Operating Officer. Previously, she served as Chief Sales Officer of a biotech company and consulted many businesses on their sales and marketing practices.
Nicole taught sales and marketing at University of Central Florida for over 10 years, where she co-created University of Central Florida’s exclusive Professional Selling Program and received several teaching awards for her role in curriculum design, student impact, and corporate partnerships. She also served as a Business Development Leader for UCF’s first Professional MBA Program. During her tenure at Walt Disney World, she focused on guest satisfaction measurement and cast excellence measurement, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nicole has a degree from University of Prince Edward Island, an undergraduate focus in business and hospitality management from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Masters in Change Management from University of Central Florida. She also completed a High Potential Leadership Program from Harvard Business School Executive Education and has corporate board experience in addition to formal training through the University of Washington’s “Women Board Directors Development Program.”