Company: Sales Partnerships, Inc., Broomfield, CO
Company Description: Sales Partnerships, Inc. is the premier direct sales outsourcing company in the world, offering branded representation that delivers rapid revenue lift for the most influential B2B firms in the world. Whether it's brand activation, customer acquisition, or retention, SPI is the leader in providing scalable and proven solutions to the Fortune 500.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Recruitment Initiative of the Year
 Nomination Title: Combining AI and diversity focus for more effective recruiting
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2020, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
This nomination is a written submission including attachments.
We provide information regarding field performance and related systems to give context to this nomination. Being a sales outsourcing provider, we innovate to provide the best solutions to optimize sales performance. We combine proprietary technology with best of breed commercial solutions to help drive sales success. At the same time, we have been dedicated to building one of the most diverse workforces in an industry that is predominately white (79.7% via 2021 Department of Labor stats for field sales.)
Two different factors delivered SPI's recruiting successes in 2022. Because it was impossible to separate how much could be attributed to either the AI tools improving staff assessment versus how our diversity focus increased the candidate pools - we combined both into this nomination.
Thank you for your time and consideration of SPI's submission for Sales Recruitment Initiative of the Year.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 178 words used.
Sales Partnerships, Inc (SPI) provides field-based turn-key sales outsourcing, contract sales, and brand engagement services for Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies. We engage face-to-face with a brand’s customers while providing complete transparency and accountability. As a specialist BPO company in sales, our calling card has historically included fielding and managing successful teams rapidly while still providing the gold standard for brand protection.
SPI's hallmark is using and inventing systems and processes that optimize all the important areas impacting sales: recruiting, diversity, technology, training, management, analytics, and strategy. We helped establish the standard for field based sales outsourcing services for 25 years. During that time, operating with a national footprint in virtually every MSA, we have generated more than $10B in gross profits for our clients while earning national awards and recognitions (Stevie awards, coverage in Selling Power, CNNMoney, etc.)
SPI's recruiting benefits from application of proprietary candidate assessment technologies, GIS tools identifing ideal rep placement (and adjustment to territory over time), along with our focus on becoming among the most diverse workforces in the field sales industry.
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
2022 marked the most challenging field sales recruiting year in our history. Fewer experienced field sales candidates were available nationwide proportionate to population than has existed since the 1940's. This was caused by a combination of older field personnel retiring during Covid and field personnel moving away from field sales into other specialty areas or professions over the past two years in-part due to the work from home movement.
With Covid closures ending, SPI was asked to re-enter the field at a large scale nationwide. With a thinner candidate pool than ever, we had to adapt how we recruited to meet the needs.
SPI solved these challenges by:
Applying AI-Based candidate assessment tools to identify behavioral characteristics that had causal impacts on field sales production.
Analyzing 20 years of past SPI recruiting and production data (representing thousands of field reps) to identify backgrounds most common for individuals that became successful field representatives as well as for those who failed to meet performance standards.
Retrained our in-house recruiters to widen their targeting to include those identified as probable to succeed in sales.
Already among the most diverse workforces, we started emphasizing this in our messaging to external candidates. This was coupled with work to further drive internal referrals.
The end result was SPI was able to successfully hire 226 out of our target of 230 individuals for field work for 2022. Because we tied our metric assessments to our new to sales training programs, we were able to track success levels.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 110 words used.
The following attachments and links are included to support our nomination:
● Documentation on the AI-Based Analysis tools used in our metric based recruiting allowing for the profile changes necessary to adapt to today's recruiting environment
● Documentation on SPI’s Diversity and Inclusion Work
● Case study detailing the field work performed for the nomination for telecommunications where recruiting filled roles
● Case study detailing the field work performed for the nomination for financial services sales where recruiting filled roles
● Link to the SPI homepage for more information about our organization
Thank you again for your time and consideration for Sales Partnerships for the Recruiting Initiative of the Year.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 232 words used. SPI met our recruiting targets of 226 out of 230 possible field positions for 2022 (98% fill rate.) This compares to industry averages more than 15% vacancy rate for field sales positions. Other key recruiting stats:
- Average days to fill a role: 28 compared to industry averages of 65 days (DOL 2021 data)
- Turnover rates: 8% compared to industry averages of 35% (DOL 2021 data)* 8% mirrored 2021 data despite a less experienced pool of candidates.
- Average performance by new hire: 105% of target
Attached are two case studies detailing SPI’s successful field work enabled through these recruiting efforts. Generation of $100M in gross profit for a financial services client while being named their top US channel and residential Internet sales with SPI outperforming larger competitors by more than 50% per rep. The merchant acquisition/finance case study highlights recruiting’s success. We were held to 12 month targets despite not being green lit until April. Recruiting new hires quickly was the only way our annual quota was possible. The last area for consideration is in diversity. The US field sales industry is 79.7% white (DOL 2021.) SPI is an almost mirror of the country at 52% white. By changing how we assessed candidates, we were able to expand our hiring pool without sacrificing production or quality of hire. A more diverse workforce better understands their territories and produces at a higher level.
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