Situation: We were struggling to hire the right underwriting representatives in a smaller, non-cultural oriented market. The candidates that were responding to classified ads and Internet postings either didn’t have good sales experience or didn’t understand public radio. As a result, the people we hired weren’t having success and employee turnover was high.

Finding sales candidates that had a passion for public radio and a history of successful sales experience was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Solution: We switched our focus from just hiring when a position was open to an ongoing recruiting process. Instead of relying on Internet and classified ads, we looked for candidates every week by asking underwriters for recommendations, networking with other sales managers, going to networking organizations and asking the station’s employees and board to recommend candidates that fit the profile.

Result: Over a period of two years, the consistent ongoing recruiting resulted in a team of three salespeople that all have a passion for public radio and incredible sales experience. As each “right” person was added, turnover slowed and revenue performance increased.

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