You won’t attract top-tier sales talent with a standard job advert full of role requirements. You convince top sales professionals with a message about earning potential, opportunities for growth and tangible results. The best salespeople rarely look for work actively, so you reach them by targeting them specifically and enticing them with evidence.
Does this sound familiar? Your vacancy has been open for weeks; you’re getting applications from mediocre candidates, but the real top performers aren’t coming forward. This is rarely down to what you’re offering and almost always down to your message and your reach. In this article, you’ll find out what message does motivate top sales talent.
What sets an A-player in sales apart from an average salesperson?
An A-player in sales is a salesperson who consistently performs above average, creates opportunities independently and manages their own sales pipeline. These people are selective about their employer and are not tempted by job vacancies that focus solely on experience and qualifications.
Whilst the average candidate applies for a job seeking security, top candidates look for ambition. They want to know how much they can earn, what they can learn and whether the company takes them seriously. According to the UWV (2024), commercial and sales roles have for years been among the hard-to-fill roles in the Netherlands, which is driving up competition for these people significantly.
- They respond to growth prospects, not to a job description.
- They value the revenue model and freedom more highly than a fixed basic salary.
- They want to see that the company itself is also making a profit, backed up by concrete figures.
Why do the best salespeople hardly ever apply for jobs?
The best salespeople rarely apply for jobs because they usually already have a job and seem satisfied. It is estimated that around 70% of the working-age population are latent jobseekers or not actively looking for work (Intelligence Group, 2024). You therefore cannot reach this group via a job board, but by catching their attention at the right moment with an enticing message.
Would you like to find out more about data-driven recruitment?
- Recruitment using AI and data
- Takes an average of 3–8 weeks to complete
Top-tier candidates who are passively looking for work scroll through social media, not careers pages. If you want to reach them, you need to be visible on the channels they use outside working hours and make it immediately clear what’s in it for them. Our data-driven approach It therefore starts with target audience data: where is the candidate, and what message will motivate them to take action?
What message wins over top salespeople?
The message that convinces top sales performers centres on four things: earning potential, autonomy, growth and proof. Put these at the forefront of your pitch, not your company’s history or a list of requirements.
Top talent want to get a clear picture of their future with you. So make sure you frame your offer in terms of ambition and results.
Four building blocks of a strong recruitment message
- Earning potential: Show what a top performer can realistically earn, including any bonus or commission structure.
- Autonomy: Emphasise the freedom to choose your own accounts, diary and approach.
- Growth: Make it clear what the career progression is, from senior sales to team lead or account director.
- Evidence: Back up your claims with figures, client names or targets achieved, so that your story remains credible.
A standard job advert versus a message that resonates with A-players
The table below illustrates the difference between an average job advertisement and a message that attracts top commercial talent.
| Component | Standard job vacancy | A message for A-players |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | “We are looking for an account manager” | “Earn what you’re worth with your own accounts” |
| Focus | Job requirements and experience | Earnings potential and growth trajectory |
| Evidence | “Competitive salary” | Specific targets, bonus structure and results |
| Show | Formal and general | Direct, ambitious and personal |
| Call to action | “Please send your CV and covering letter” | “Book a 20-minute introductory meeting” |
You can see straight away that the right-hand column highlights what the candidate has to offer. It is precisely that difference that determines whether a top prospect clicks through or scrolls on.
Through which channel can you reach top-performing salespeople?
The best way to reach top-tier sales talent is via social media and targeted search campaigns, as this also allows you to reach passive job seekers. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and LinkedIn work well for targeting commercial profiles based on role, experience and interests.
Which channel yields the best results depends on your target audience and region. You reach a young inside sales professional differently from an experienced account director. By measuring and adjusting your campaigns, you’ll quickly discover where your top performers really are. “We regularly see in campaigns that employers misjudge their own target audience; the data corrects that gut feeling within a matter of weeks,” says the team at FosFor.
- LinkedIn: particularly suited to experienced account managers and B2B sales roles.
- Meta: wide reach and precise targeting based on interests and behaviour.
- Google: captures the small group that is already actively searching by job title and location.
How do you back up your message with target audience data?
You underpin your message by first analysing what motivates your specific target audience, rather than guessing. Data from hundreds of campaigns, combined with public labour market data, reveals which conditions, arguments and images resonate with commercial profiles.
Employers often discover, through this data, that candidates’ preferences differ from what they might expect. Whilst you might think you’re winning on salary, freedom or career progression can sometimes prove to be the deciding factor. At FosFor, a client typically interviews only the 2 to 4 best candidates per month, as we handle the entire pre-selection process. As a result, vacancies are filled within 3 to 8 weeks on average.
With hundreds of thousands of unfilled vacancies still in the Netherlands by the end of 2024 (CBS, 2025), that level of focus is no luxury. Would you like to see what this means in practice? Take a look at our measurable recruitment results or see which one vacant sales roles which we are now filling for top-tier organisations.
Frequently asked questions about attracting top-performing salespeople
How much does it cost to recruit a top-performing sales rep?
The costs depend on the job level, the recruitment channel chosen and the tightness of the labour market in your region. A data-driven campaign is generally more cost-effective than traditional recruitment and selection or secondment, as you build up a steady stream of candidates rather than paying per vacancy. Book a consultation for a bespoke quote.
Why don’t standard job adverts work for top commercial talent?
A standard job advert mainly appeals to active jobseekers and focuses on requirements rather than on the benefits for the candidate. Top-tier sales professionals are usually passive jobseekers and want to see earning potential, autonomy and opportunities for growth. Without that message, they’ll simply scroll past your advert.
Which channel generates the most sales leads?
That varies depending on the target audience. LinkedIn and Meta perform well for commercial profiles, whilst Google mainly reaches the small, active group. You determine the best choice by analysing target audience data and by measuring and adjusting your campaigns, not by making a fixed assumption in advance.
How quickly can you fill a sales role?
With a data-driven approach, vacancies are filled within 3 to 8 weeks on average. The speed depends on the level of the role, the attractiveness of your offer and how closely your message aligns with what top commercial talent is looking for. A strong message speeds up the entire process.
Do you want to stop waiting for job applications and start attracting top sales talent? Book a no-obligation strategy meeting and discover what message motivates your top sales performers.