Search Outcome: Filling a Sales Manager Role for a National Payroll & HR Services Company
Location:
Indianapolis, IN
Industry:
Payroll & HR Services
Position Title:
Sales Manager
Client Testimonial
“Amy Schwartz understood exactly what we were looking for. She kept bringing the profile we actually wanted. The leader we hired connected with the team immediately and has done a great job for us.”
Challenge:
A national payroll and HR services company needed a Sales Manager to lead a team of 6-8 sales representatives in Indianapolis.
The team generated new business through referral partnerships with banks, CPAs, financial advisors, and other business influencers throughout the local market.
Most of the sales team were early in their careers. They were ambitious, competitive, and eager to grow, but they still needed coaching, accountability, and day-to-day leadership.
The company wanted a manager who could spend time in the field with the team, help develop referral relationships, coach prospecting activity, and serve as a resource when reps encountered challenges.
The role attracted many experienced leaders. Several candidates had managed larger teams, held director-level responsibilities, or accumulated decades of management experience.
Leadership appreciated those backgrounds but remained focused on finding someone who felt connected to the work the team performed every day.
The ideal candidate was a successful senior sales representative with a history of helping teammates improve, mentoring newer employees, and naturally stepping into leadership situations.
The company wanted someone the team would respect immediately, and someone young salespeople could envision themselves becoming as they progressed in their careers.
Solution:
The search focused on high-performing sales professionals who had already demonstrated leadership without necessarily holding a formal management title.
We targeted candidates from payroll, staffing, facility services, business services, and other feet-on-the-street sales environments where success depended on windshield time, cold calling, knocking on doors, attending networking events, and building referral relationships one conversation at a time.
We also focused heavily on what we call bench talent.
These were individual contributors who had become informal leaders within their organizations. Many had earned additional responsibility over time, participated in management training programs, completed leadership development courses, mentored newer employees, or helped onboard and train teammates.
They had not yet accumulated years of management experience, but they had already demonstrated leadership potential.
The client wanted someone who still understood the day-to-day realities of the role while possessing the maturity and leadership skills necessary to coach others. Bench talent often provides that balance.
Candidates were evaluated on their ability to influence peers, develop others, lead through example, and step into greater responsibility throughout their careers.
Outcome
- ▸ We interviewed 18 candidates and presented 7 finalists. In less than 3 weeks, they selected someone from a closely related business-to-business sales environment rather than payroll itself.
- ▸ That decision helped the client avoid non-compete concerns while still bringing in someone who understood referral-based selling, field prospecting, coaching, and team development.
- ▸ Learning the payroll industry was part of the transition. The new manager embraced the learning curve and quickly built credibility with the team. He was comfortable asking questions, learning from experienced reps, and immersing himself in the business while focusing his energy on coaching, accountability, and development.
- ▸ Within a short period of time, the team viewed him as both a leader and a partner in their success.
