3 Lessons We’ve Learned From Hiring 300 BDMs

RentScale has now hired close to 300 BDMs. How? These three lessons say it all.

This just in: RentScale is getting closer to hiring 300 business development managers (BDMs). So far, in 2024, we’ve hired 29, with no signs of stopping.

How do we do it? We’re here to show you. We’ll guide you through our hiring process and expand on three of the biggest lessons we learned along the way.

How RentScale Hires Differently

Hiring the right BDM goes beyond looking for a likable personality.

When a small business owner hires a salesperson, and they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, they tend to hire the most “likable” person.

The problem with this approach is that the most likable person to you may not be the most likable person to your customers. That’s why optimizing a sales hire for “likability” is a mistake.

RentScale does it differently. We take a two-dimensional approach to hiring BDMs.

They need to have:

1. High leadership propensity: Leaders take charge, ask questions, and ensure that calls are moving forward, not sitting back and waiting.
2. An appetite for following a sales process: The right BDM loves the journey, not just the destination. They have an endless appetite for learning how to do something in the best way possible. They hit consistent goals and follow the plan that works.

Effective salespeople need to be scalable top performers. This means they have both effective leadership skills and the ability to follow a proven sales process.