Skip to content

Careers Hub | The receiving end of a sales call

Nov 14, 2016

Pulse Recruitment

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    As a recruitment agency that specialises in sales and marketing roles, we are constantly surrounded by top talent who are exceptional at one particular business skill…selling.

    Normally, we are the ones selling. We sell our business to candidates, sell our business to clients, and we’re training our candidates to sell themselves during the interview stages. You get the idea; we love to sell.

    However, on a daily basis, I am on the receiving end of the sales call. I get calls to upgrade our phones, improve our marketing, spend more here, spend more there… the list goes on. Usually I’m quick to hang up the phone and get back to my day, but one particular instance caught me right in my tracks and I couldn’t help but give in. Here’s what happened…

    After saying my usual ‘Pulse Recruitment’ greeting on the phone, I was surprised by the friendly stranger on the other end that was excited to hear it was me, after all, it was me he was looking for. He then went on to introduce himself (from a business supplies company) – but before jumping into his 30 second elevator pitch, he pulled out a sneaky trick. Guess what guys, he did his research. He found something in common with me from looking at my LinkedIn profile and used that to make small talk, and began to build a relationship. He noticed I wasn’t from Australia (neither was he), and we had a quick chat about living abroad in Sydney.  From there, he asked me a few questions about our business supplies, hoping for me to admit where we have inefficiencies in our process. He confidently suggested he had solutions to our inefficiencies and that he’d love to drop by for a 10-minute chat the following day. I couldn’t help but say yes. After hanging up the phone, I just started laughing, “What just happened? He got me!” I quickly realised that it’s usually much easier to say “no” to a sales call when they barely make an effort to research who they’re talking to. On the flip side, if you feel like you’re talking to a friend who’s looking to help you, it is a lot harder to say “no”. From the receiving end of a sales call, it was a total game changer.

    Of course, not everyone that he calls is going to be as impressed as I was, but I can certainly tell you that someone who does their research versus someone who asks for the ‘Business Owner’ will get a lot further in the long run.

    FROM OUR PULSE NEWS, EMPLOYER AND JOB SEEKER HUBS

    Featured Articles

    How to Attract Sales Reps Who Aren’t Looking

    The best sales talent isn’t browsing job boards—they’re crushing quota at your competitors. These passive candidates represent 70% of the workforce but account for less than 30% of applicants. If you’re only recruiting from active job seekers, you’re fishing in a small pond while ignoring an ocean of high-performing sales professionals. Passive candidate recruitment requires…
    What’s a Realistic First-Year Earnings in Tech Sales? (Real Data from 500+ Placements) in Australia

    If you’re considering a career in tech sales in Australia, your most pressing question is probably “How much will I actually earn?” Job descriptions throw around impressive OTE (On-Target Earnings) figures, but what do people really make in their first year—especially when they’re ramping up and learning the ropes? Drawing from real placement data across…
    Tech Sales Onboarding Plan: 30-60-90 Day Template for New Hires

    The first 90 days determine whether new tech sales hires become top performers or early turnover statistics. Companies with structured onboarding see 58% higher retention rates and 54% faster time-to-productivity than those with ad-hoc approaches. Yet most sales organizations lack clear onboarding plans, leaving new hires to figure things out independently. This comprehensive 30-60-90 day…
    Sell Me This Pen’ and Other Sales Interview Questions Decoded

    Few interview questions inspire as much anxiety as “sell me this pen.” This seemingly simple request has become legendary in sales interviews, immortalized in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and feared by candidates at every experience level. But this question—along with other common sales interview scenarios—isn’t designed to trick you. It’s testing specific…
    How to Build a Sales Development Team From Scratch

    Building a sales development team from scratch is one of the highest-leverage investments a growing company can make. SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) serve as the engine of your sales pipeline, generating qualified opportunities that fuel revenue growth. Yet many companies struggle with where to start, how to structure the team, who to hire, and what…
    How Long Does It Actually Take to Land a Tech Sales Job?

    If you’re breaking into tech sales or transitioning between roles, you’re probably wondering how long the process will actually take. The honest answer: it depends significantly on your background, experience level, market conditions, and job search strategy. But understanding realistic timelines and the factors that influence them helps you set appropriate expectations and plan effectively….
    How to Win Over Sales Talent in a Competitive Market

    The competition for top sales talent has never been more intense. With three open sales roles for every qualified candidate and offer acceptance rates below 60%, hiring managers face a stark reality: having a great opportunity isn’t enough. You need to actively win candidates over, often competing against multiple offers, counteroffers from current employers, and…
    Sales Coaching Best Practices: How to Develop Your Team

    Sales coaching is the highest-leverage activity a sales leader can perform. Great coaches transform average performers into quota crushers, accelerate the development of new hires, and create cultures where continuous improvement becomes the norm. Yet most sales managers spend less than 10% of their time on actual coaching, trapped instead in administrative work, firefighting, or…
    Personal Branding for Sales Professionals: Stand Out in a Crowded Market

    In tech sales, your personal brand is your competitive advantage. Learn how to build authority, attract opportunities, and position yourself as a trusted expert in your field. In a market flooded with sales professionals claiming to be top performers, a powerful personal brand is what separates those who get headhunted from those who cold apply…
    The Great Tech Sales Talent Shortage of 2026: Data & Solutions

    Why companies can’t fill sales roles, what the data reveals about supply and demand imbalances, and actionable strategies for building teams despite market constraints. Tech companies are experiencing the most severe sales talent shortage in over a decade. Open sales positions sit unfilled for months, offer acceptance rates have plummeted, and compensation packages have inflated…

    Visit our blog page

    POWERED BY