Case Study: Long tenure, great performance.
CLIENT: ANIXTER
The Result
How one Fortune 500 industrial company made 21 highly specialized sales hires over 9 years
The Challenge
Anixter is one of the largest industrial companies in the world, making the Fortune 500 list multiple years in a row. It has redefined the distribution of wiring and cable bringing in a whopping $8 billion in revenue this past year alone.
A key to Anixter’s consistent growth and success has been its world-class customer engagements. Anixter prides itself on hiring smart, energetic and thoughtful salespeople who can be true consultants to its clients. Only the very best candidates make the cut and — those who do — build fantastic long-term careers with the company. Finding the right balance of soft skills and career experiences is always a challenge, so — starting in 2008 — Anixter engaged Sales Talent Agency to provide candidate sourcing support.
The Solution
From 2008 to current, Sales Talent Agency has been assigned more than 30 of Anixter’s “hard-to-fill” roles across Canada. Each role is assigned to a seasoned STA recruiter who — working closely with the Anixter hiring manager and the company’s internal HR team — builds a detailed candidate profile and sourcing strategy. A primary goal of Anixter’s is to reduce the time a role is vacant, so Sales Talent Agency commits to a 6-10 day candidate presentation window, with an objective of presenting 3 highly qualified sales professionals for interview in that timeframe.
Prior to each candidate being presented, Sales Talent Agency screens their fit using its proven DNA/PRO™ assessment methodology, configured specifically for that roles’ unique candidate profile. While the overall talent requirements and cultural fit are the same for every Anixter hire, each role requires very different career experiences and minimum requirements.
Fees are charged only if a candidate presented by Sales Talent Agency is hired, so if Anixter attracts its ideal candidate through its own employee referral or recruitment efforts there is no charge at all for the services. Every hire made comes with a guarantee period, which ensures that – should the candidate leave or be let go during that period – a free replacement is due.
Sales Talent Agency had an objective of presenting 3 quality candidates every 6-10 days for Anixter managers to interview
The Result
Since May of 2008, Anixter has hired 21 sales professionals through Sales Talent Agency’s efforts. Roles that previously could take 6+ months to fill, now take less than 3 months. While the majority of hires after 2016 are still with the company, hires made before 2015 have an average tenure of 5.8 years, and have been among the company’s best revenue contributors. The proof is in the relationship: in 2017 Anixter continues to use Sales Talent Agency as its partner for external sales hires.
“It is important to Anixter to partner with an agency that was able to support us all across Canada. Sales Talent Agency has been able to learn not only the skills required in the various sales roles, but also gain a good understanding of the cultural fit that is equally important to us. STA is very responsive to the needs of different leaders throughout the organization”