Optimum Sales – I need a PM (or a regional sales manager): should I hire or promote?
One of the questions that many Human Resources departments have asked ourselves is precisely this one. When faced with a vacancy, is it better to promote someone from within the organization or hire a professional from another company? Each of the two options has its advantages and disadvantages:
- Hire:
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- This option brings fresh air to the organization (something that can be very necessary at certain times and circumstances).
- It is a way to incorporate talent into the organization and, in this way, increase the pool of talent we have.
- It tends to be a rather long process that can take me several months.
- Selection is not an exact science, and often, despite an exhaustive selection process, the chosen professional ends up not fitting into the culture and philosophy of our organization.
- The onboarding and initial training process is relatively long.
- Promote
- Internal promotion is a motivating factor for the members of the organization. It is usually a factor that helps with talent retention.
- The chosen person is well-acquainted with the corporate culture and work systems, so their integration will be much faster.
- But be careful! The best salesperson doesn’t have to be a good sales manager. Over time, you have surely seen promotions where you lost a great salesperson to get a bad area manager… The profile we ask for from the internal candidate should be very similar to the one we would ask for from an external candidate.
The question we ask ourselves in this situation is very similar to this one:
Do I have someone in the company who can perform this function?
The answer, at first, is simple. Either yes, or no. If I have someone who can perform this function, I promote them, and if I don’t, I open a selection process to bring in a qualified professional for the role.
Final point… or not?
Is there no qualified internal candidate to fill this position, or am I unaware of one? Do I have a talent detection system that allows me to identify, and subsequently develop, those employees who have growth potential?
At a time when the struggle for attracting and retaining talent is one of the major concerns of organizations, we cannot afford to overlook the internal talent we possess, as if we are unable to leverage it, it will be taken advantage of by others.
| Carles Giralt | Project Manager at Optimum Ventas |
